Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler was starring in Parks and Rec when she launched Smart Girls: a platform for the girls who were always too weird or too smart to be listened to.

Before she became one of the most recognizable names in comedy, Amy Poehler was just another aspiring performer taking improv classes in Chicago.

Waiting tables to get by.

She moved to New York in the mid-90s with three friends and started what would become one of the most influential comedy brands in the country: Upright Citizens Brigade.

They performed every night, taught classes during the day, and eventually opened their own theater.

By 2011, UCB had 3 locations and over 8,000 students a year.

Then came Saturday Night Live.

Amy joined the cast right after 9/11, and was promoted to full cast in her first season.

First woman in the show’s history to do that.

In 2004, she and Tina Fey took over Weekend Update, the first all-female anchor desk on the show.

She left in 2008.

And instead of chasing roles, she started building them.

Amy co-created and starred in Parks and Recreation.

She also wrote, produced, and directed episodes.

While pregnant and raising two kids.

Around the same time, she launched her production company, Paper Kite.

Quietly, it became one of the most consistent homes for smart, character-driven comedy: Broad City, Russian Doll, Difficult People, and Duncanville.

She also voiced Joy in Inside Out.

Co-hosted the Golden Globes four times.

And directed both Moxie and Lucy & Desi, which got 6 Emmy nominations.

But maybe the thing that says the most about how she operates?

In 2008, she co-founded Smart Girls.

A digital platform encouraging girls to be curious, weird, and loud.

They built the whole thing around one belief: be yourself. And dance parties help.