Harvardwood HIGHLIGHTS - August 2026
- 21 hours ago
- 15 min read
In this issue:
MESSAGE FROM HARVARDWOOD
NEWS
Featured Job: Business Representative - Entertainment Contracts
FEATURES
Harvardwood Profile: Taylor K. Phillips AB ’15 (writer)
Industry News
Exclusive Q&A with Liz Walker AB ’11 (dancer)
CALENDAR & NOTES
Harvardwood Beach Day 2026
The Business of Entertainment: Harvardwood Fireside Chat with VERSANT COO & CFO Anand Kini MBA ’97
Last Month at Harvardwood
Want to submit your success(es) to Harvardwood HIGHLIGHTS? Do so by posting here!
We come to you sweaty and damp at our desks as we slave to bring you amazing events.
So, join us for another annual Beach Day! This only happens once a year! And also come to our Harvardwood Fireside Chat with VERSANT COO & CFO Anand Kini.
As always, if you have an idea for an event or programming, please tell us about it here. If you have an announcement about your work or someone else's, please share it here (members) and it will appear in our Weekly and/or next HIGHLIGHTS issue.
Best wishes,
Grace Shi
Operations and Communications
Featured Job: Business Representative - Entertainment Contracts
Job Description:
The Business Representative will sign producers to the various Theatrical collective bargaining agreements, and provide contract information to producers, members, and members' representatives. This role may also enforce contracts, research and files claims, as well as participate in outreach and educational events.
Alumni Profile: Taylor K. Phillips AB ’15 (writer)
by Laura Frustaci AB ’21
Taylor Kay Phillips is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning writer originally from Kansas City, Missouri. She currently writes for LAST WEEK TONIGHT with John Oliver on HBO and is the author of the book A GUIDE TO MIDWESTERN CONVERSATION. Her work has been published in THE NEW YORKER, THE ATLANTIC, and MCSWEENEY'S INTERNET TENDENCY. She lives in Harlem with her husband.
Taylor K. Phillips (AB ’15) came to Harvard from Kansas City, Missouri. She was, in her words, “not a first-generation college student,” but she definitely felt the effects of being a “first-generation elite private college on the coast student.” As a result of that, she tried to dive into everything available. However, some things on campus were inaccessible: namely, joining Hasty Pudding Theatricals as an actress. The group had not yet changed their rules to allow women to perform, which wouldn’t happen until 2018.
So, Taylor performed in musical theater shows with the Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club, and then joined On Thin Ice improv her junior year. “They were wonderful. My junior year, during the senior show, I had a granuloma removed on my vocal folds. So I couldn't speak, but I did the show. And then we had a guy who came to audition the next year who said, ‘I almost didn’t audition because I came to your final show last year, you didn’t let the girl talk’,” Taylor laughs. As the standing President of OTI at the time, she confirmed that yes, everyone in the group was definitely allowed to talk.
Facing graduation, Taylor found an internship in account management at an advertising agency in Chicago. She became involved with Second City and Annoyance, and before she knew it, she received a full-time offer from her company. “I said, ‘Sure, but I don't want to be in this department’,” Taylor grins. “They said, ‘That's fine, you can be a creative strategist… Do you want to be in Chicago or New York?’” And thus, she moved to New York with a job.
“My paychecks came to me and went straight to the Upright Citizens Brigade. That was where you got your education… I moved to New York on September 5th. On September 8th, I started my week-long improv intensive from 9 to 5, and then I started my job the next week,” Taylor recalls. She worked as a strategist for a year and then decided to commit to writing “whole hog.” Her day job became the typical freelance comedian lifestyle: copywriting, tutoring, and helping prepare college applications. “I was helping with general college applications and essays, which I really enjoyed, to give kids creative license and… it was a great training ground for listening to a lot of content and filtering it through,” she grins.
Taylor started throwing everything at the wall comedically: online humor pieces, stand-up sets, and then about two and a half years into that journey, she started getting packets to write for television. “About two years after that, I started doing a good job at the packets,” Taylor laughs. How she actually landed her job is a very specific and serendipitous story: she wasn’t afraid of the rain, and then somebody’s husband got sick.
“February of 2018, there were a bunch of comedy girls, and we were going to a meetup, but it rained, and so only 8 of us showed up. We've all been friends to this day,” Taylor explains. “One of those women was in the late night scene, and her husband had been a writer at THE LATE SHOW with Stephen Colbert, and she sent a packet for a different show to all of us, which I shared with my then-boyfriend, that led to him getting an interview for a different job that didn't work out. But that eventually led to him getting invited to submit to THE LATE SHOW.” Which he did, and he landed the job!
Taylor’s boyfriend (now husband) Felipe was invited to attend the WGAs that year, but he wasn't nominated yet because he was so new, so he didn't get a plus one in his invitation. “But,” Taylor exclaims, “one of the writers' husbands got sick, so she didn't go either. So then, the two new writers got plus ones.” Through that lucky turn (though unlucky for the writer’s sick husband), Taylor attended the WGAs and spent the evening chatting with the writer’s assistant on THE LATE SHOW. A few months later, that woman was hired on LAST WEEK TONIGHT with John Oliver. Taylor asked her two years later for a packet for the show, and then she was hired to write there, where she’s been ever since.
Now, writing political comedy can be tonally different from “silly goose comedy”, which is, of course, an industry standard term. For Taylor, that works out well. “I have always been self-conscious about my silly goose abilities,” she says. “I relate most to stuff that is really grounded and justified, and yet still somehow surprising.” For Taylor, “political comedy, to me, is my natural reaction, I just get to parlay that into a work product. If I were presented with the videos, or clips, or information that I receive while doing my work, my unfiltered emotional reaction, for the most part, would be what ends up getting kind of translated into jokes. I just have to fine-tune it.”
That thread of “grounded, justified, and surprising” is how Taylor approaches teaching comedy as well as practicing it. “When I teach comedy classes, what makes people laugh, I think, is, ‘I recognize that, and that doesn't go there’.” The element of surprise. Taylor grew up influenced by great comedians like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Amber Ruffin, Lena Dunham, and Mindy Kaling, who also captured this sort of humor, and many of whom were creating their own work for themselves. That has been partially what has shifted in the industry, is that there’s more space for comedians to create their own work on social media platforms. However, there are also fewer jobs, in general. That is something Taylor is clear on: “A little bit before I first started, you break into late night because you can break in without managers or agents. And then from there, you can transition into scripted or ride the ranks of late night. And I don't think that either of those paths are viable in that way anymore. That's just the shifting nature of the industry.”
But social media isn’t a necessity. It’s more of an opportunity, in Taylor’s eyes. “There are always gonna be new ways to be seen, and when you have the ambition and the hunger… you're looking for ways to get seen and how to optimize where you spend your time and energy.” But above all, Taylor says, “You have to be good first…. you can't be just thinking about marketing yourself. You have to also think about building your skills and your voice.”
This goes hand in hand with Taylor’s biggest piece of advice, which is something her mom told her on her very first job, way back when she was interning at the advertising agency. “I would call [my mom], and I would say, ‘I don't feel like anything's moving. I'm bored.’ And she said, ‘Well, I think the reason that you're bored is because you're not trying to impress anyone. You're not striving to deliver something to people that you respect.’ And she was so right, that's something I've always kept with me,” Taylor reflects. “I always want to be writing jokes and making things with a certain level of reverence and appreciation for the people the work is for. Whether it's our audience at the show, or my family group chat, or my own notes app, I never want to be in a position where I'm just churning stuff out without caring.”
Industry News
Jehane Noujaim AB ’96 is the director of THE MAN WILL BURN, an HBO Original four-part documentary series following the evolution of Burning Man since its origination in 1986. The series debuted on July 9th on HBO. (New York Times)
Kim Onah AB ’15’s solo show SHADES OF BLACK takes the audience through the key moments that shaped her through songs, stories, and honest conversation about her navigating the in-between as a Black woman. The show, music directed by Cynthia Meng AB ’15, is set to debut on August 19th at Joe’s Pub in New York. (Public Theater)
Chase Sui Wonders AB ’18 stars in I WANT YOUR SEX, an erotic comedy thriller film directed by Gregg Araki. The film follows Elliott, a studio assistant to Erika Tracy, his relationship with Erika, and the investigation that ensues after he finds her unconscious in her pool. The film was featured at OutfestNEXT, a four-day screening program bringing together LGBTQ+ filmmakers and storytellers held July 23–26, and released by Magnolia Pictures on July 31st. (The New Yorker)
Jon Bernthal ART ’02 stars in SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, which follows a forgotten Spider-Man as he confronts a brand new threat and evolving superpowers. The film was released on July 31st. (The Wrap)
Debra Martin Chase JD ’81 returns as the executive producer in THE CHEETAH GIRLS franchise for the latest installment, THE CHEETAH GIRLS: NEXT GEN, which went into production in South Africa in July. The film, which will be released on Disney Channel and Disney+, follows four teen girls who take the stage as the new Cheetah Girls. (Deadline)
Dylan MarcAurele AB ’16 is the writer and composer of Off-Broadway musical HEATED RIVALRY: THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY, which opened at the Culture Club on May 26th. Following its successful run, it is set to play at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from August 5–30. (Broadway Festival)
China Forbes AB ’92 was one of many performers who took the stage with the Los Angeles Philharmonic to celebrate the music of Wes Anderson’s film at the Hollywood Bowl on July 10th and 12th. (Forbes)
Mira Sorvino AB ’89 stars in the sequel of 1997 comedy film ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION alongside co-star Lisa Kudrow. The sequel was announced in June, with it set to be released on Hulu and Disney+ in 2027. (The Sun)
Erica Lipez AB ’05 is a co-writer of STERLING POINT, a romance summer series following Annie Jacobson’s inheritance of a lake island in Canada from her grandfather, on which she finds budding romances and family secrets. The series will be available for streaming on Prime Video in August. (First Showing)
Bess Wohl AB ’02 joins the faculty of the Candela Playwrights Summer Fellowship, where she joined Candela as a guest of honor at the Fellows Listening Party on July 17th. The fellowship is a tuition-free program for emerging playwrights, musical theater writers, librettists, and choreopoets from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the region’s Indigenous communities. (Broadway World)
John Lesher AB ’88 is a producer of THE DINK, a sports comedy film centered on a tennis pro who is forced to play pickleball in order to save a country club and earn his father’s respect. It was released on Apple TV+ for streaming on July 24th. (Movie Vine)
Andrew Barth Feldman AB ’24 will be one of the headliners of The Festival, a three-day outdoor event celebrating Broadway’s greatest hits and brightest stars. The non-stop musical theater performances and activations will take place in Kingston, New York from August 14–16. (Broadway World)
Alec Berg AB ’91 and David Mandel AB ’92 are writers for the live-action sequel of HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. It is in early development at Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment, with Jim Carrey in talks to reprise the titular role. (Variety)
Exclusive Q&A with Liz Walker AB ’11 (dancer)
Liz Walker is the Vice President of the Graduate Board for the Harvard Ballet Company. She is also Chief Administrator of the Signet Society at Harvard. As an undergraduate, she concentrated in History of Art and Architecture and devoted much of her time to dancing, rehearsing, and directing shows with HBC. After graduation in 2011, she returned to Los Angeles Ballet, where she had spent a gap year before college. During her time as a dancer with the company, Liz performed a wide-ranging repertory and was promoted to soloist. In 2018, Liz relocated back to Cambridge, began working in local government, and was given the opportunity to meet a new generation of HBC dancers when she choreographed a piece for HBC’s On Quarter. She became a Legislative Aide for a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, working primarily on climate change and transportation policy. Liz has loved having the chance to reconnect with the Harvard dance and arts community.
Q: How did you come to hold your current position at the Signet Society? Were you a member as an undergraduate?
The Signet is a unique place and I feel so lucky to get to be part of its history! After I transitioned away from full-time dancing, I was looking for a role where I would be around student artists, promoting community, with a stable and consistent routine. When I saw that the Signet was looking for a Chief Administrator just after I had my first child, I knew it would be a dream job for me. It’s a lovely combination of maintaining a historic house, interacting with and supporting artistic community members, planning events, nonprofit/small biz/restaurant management, and fundraising. Many hats! And yes, I was a member for three years as a college student. Surprisingly, I am the first former undergrad member to be hired as the place’s full-time administrator.
Q: What was your experience like, dancing on Harvard’s campus? How was HBC formative in shaping your career path? How about your degree in History of Art and Architecture?
There were so many wonderful opportunities to explore and perform within dance at Harvard. It was one of the main reasons I was attracted to attend, beyond the academic reputation. In addition to participating in the OFA Dance Program’s offerings, I was very active in Harvard Ballet Company, dancing in every show when I was on campus, and directing two shows. What’s formative about HBC are the leadership and collaborations: you are working alongside peers to create new choreography, present work, and mount a show from load-in to load-out. We learned to roll out and tape down marley flooring the proper way, and many of us worked backstage running sound or lighting. Most of all, I cherish the memories of bringing new work from the creation process to the stage with student choreographers. The emphasis on collaborating and working in the studio together carried me into my professional dance career. The time crunch we always faced was good preparation too: it’s an important skill to be able to get out on stage and always give a powerful performance, even if you wish you had had a bit more rehearsal! As busy Harvard students, we couldn’t always squeeze in enough rehearsal time before opening night.
History of Art and Architecture is a fantastic department. Since it’s a small department, there is a lot of individual attention and I was able to get to know everyone. It was great preparation for a career in the arts. I found it helpful as a performer to learn about art and artists working in other media, and found I had a wider viewpoint as a dancer. Ballet in particular can be such an insular and narrow field, and I appreciated that I could tap into what I had learned about other artistic traditions: similarities, differences, things to borrow, things to escape into.
Q: You danced for 11 years with the Los Angeles Ballet. How do you feel you grew as a performer during your time there? Was there a favorite solo role or show you danced? In the ballet world, what would you say is the typical tenure of a dancer with a certain company?
I grew so much during my time in LA Ballet, technically and artistically. Over the years, I learned how to work smarter and how to take chances on stage while also delivering a consistent and dependable performance. My favorite role was The Siren in Balanchine’s ballet Prodigal Son. I was lucky to perform the role toward the end of my career, so I felt I could make all the choices I wanted for the part -- I had a full palette available to me, developed over years. I have no regrets from performing that ballet.
In terms of how long a dancer might stay with a particular company, there’s a wide variety of choices. Some dancers stay for their entire career in one place, and some move around every few years to try new places, styles, and ways of working. People also mix things up within a given year: since most companies have layoff periods, dancers often find gigs in another city or work with small pick-up companies to continue performing while their full-time company is on hiatus. I think especially if you feel you’re in a stagnant period in your career, it can be so valuable to get out of the company where you’ve always worked and discover new ways of working and how different choreographers, directors, and dancers react to you, even if it’s just for a side gig. At the same time, it can be nice for a dancer to stay in one home company because the audiences get to know you, and you build more of a community around your career.
Q: What spurred your relocation back to Cambridge? How did you end up working in local government?
Love! My husband was in graduate school here. I miss Los Angeles a lot, but I’m now a very Cambridge-y person, I think.
Yes, my first job post-dance was in local government, as a Legislative Aide within Cambridge City Council. A friend sent me the job posting, and it was an exciting time for local policy - Cambridge is always pushing the envelope and trying new things to improve life for its residents. Plus it seemed like a great way for a 30-year-old with zero office experience to learn a lot about how things work. The wonderful Vice Mayor of Cambridge, Jan Devereux, took a chance on me!
Q: How has the industry changed since you graduated from Harvard? Have there been notable shifts or influences you’ve seen, either for better or worse?
I have certainly seen ballet companies defining and striving for more inclusivity, which I hope continues. I have also noticed that attending college and then pursuing a classical ballet career has become much more common - hooray! And for those who go straight into a professional career and don’t attend college full-time, it’s now the norm to take courses part-time and earn a degree while performing, something that was rare just a generation or two ago. An important shift has come from school and company leaders, who now encourage education, as opposed to seeing it as a distraction (even as I was growing up, this was still sometimes the mindset)! It’s great to see people preparing themselves for a second chapter, given how fleeting a dance career can be.
Personally, I’m now staying involved in dance by choreographing, performing a bit here and there on a freelance basis, and mentoring younger dancers. It is fascinating to see how much about the field has changed (the power of social media to launch careers, but also the pressure to have the “perfect” social media presence or always be posting in order to get dance opportunities) and how much has stayed the same (the importance of working hard to have solid technique, maintaining personal connections in order to get work, and the influence of luck).
Q: Do you have a piece of advice for young dancers out there?
Love what you do, keep focused, work hard, support your friends, and you will all go far together.
I recently had the chance to speak with Adrienne Chan ’25, who, very excitingly, is the first dance/choreography recipient to be selected for the Harvardwood Artist Launch Fellowship. (I love that Harvardwood is expanding more into the dance world!) I gave her the advice to enjoy the dancers and collaborators she’s working with—that’s what it’s all about, and the work is too hard not to have great relationships. I also told her to look out for crossover opportunities—choreographing or dancing in TV/film or in an art museum, for example. Those are some of the most fulfilling opportunities, working in a performance medium or venue that is not dance-related, where sometimes the exposure leads to unexpected opportunities and fulfillment.
Harvardwood Beach Day 2026
TBD end of August
Join the Harvardwood team for a family beach day at Santa Monica Beach. Come mix and mingle, swim if you dare!
The Business of Entertainment: Harvardwood Fireside Chat with VERSANT COO & CFO Anand Kini, MBA '97
Tue, Sep 15
Join Harvardwood Board Member Gene Pao for a moderated discussion with former CFO of NBCUniversal and current CFO and COO of VERSANT Media.
Last Month at Harvardwood
Last Month at Harvardwood, we talked How I Sold My Script, hosted an Ivy Mixer, and more!
Clockwise from top left: Screenshot via Zoom; Photos courtesy of Perry Jackson and Sanyee Yuan
Want to submit your success(es) to Harvardwood HIGHLIGHTS? Do so by posting here!
Become a Harvardwood member! We work hard to create programming that you, the membership, would like to be engaged with. Please consider joining Harvardwood and becoming an active member of our arts, media, and entertainment community!
DISCLAIMER
Harvardwood does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the information, content or advertisements (collectively "Materials") contained on, distributed through, or linked, downloaded or accessed from any of the services contained in this e-mail. You hereby acknowledge that any reliance upon any Materials shall be at your sole risk. The materials are provided by Harvardwood on an "AS IS" basis, and Harvardwood expressly disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied.