Ilana Glazer

Ilana Glazer was the co-star and co-creator of "Broad City" (Comedy Central 2014), one of the rare shows to make the leap from web show to prime time. The curly-haired and boldly beautiful Glazer described her comedy as vulnerable, saying "whatever feels most terrifying, I want to go to there." Glazer grew up in Long Island, NY. As children, she and her brother Eliot performed comedy sketches together. Glazer followed in her brother's footsteps to attend New York University, and both siblings also studied comedy at New York's famous Upright Citizens Brigade. They created a standup show called "High School Talent Show," in which Glazer performed as an awkward matronly teacher. The show ran for three years and was nominated for an Emerging Comic New York (ECNY) award. Glazer also made brief appearances on video blogs for ESPN, MTV, and VH1. She met Abbi Jacobson through an improv group in which they were the only women, and they felt that they had a good comedic dynamic. They created "Broad City" as a web show based on their own experiences as young and broke struggling artists in New York, using their network of Upright Citizens Brigade alumni to gather such guest stars as Rachel Dratch, Fred Armisen, and most notably Amy Poehler. Poehler became one of the show's executive producers, helping to spearhead its greater success. Though FX was originally interested in the show, it ended up being picked up by Comedy Central after the other network balked at the edginess of the pilot. The show centered around Glazer and Jacobson's characters, also called Abbi and Ilana. Ilana was the reckless free spirit; while Abbi was the responsible one. The critically acclaimed show was often described as "Girls" (HBO 2012-) with more warmth and less polish, and was immediately renewed for a second season.