Biographie
An improviser and comedian by training and trade, there's always healthy dose of humor in all of Briana Hansen's work. The majority of her portfolio is comedic and is often paired with another genre, just for fun. Her portfolio has some features, but leans heavily in the TV space. It includes action comedy, dark comedy, family friendly animated comedy, SciFi western comedy, absurdist comedy, and a thriller about a vigilante who sets out for blood that has probably more humor than the subject matter should.
She's also a big fan of experimenting with various technology platforms and how they're disrupting traditional storytelling narrative. Most recently, she created, wrote, produced, and starred in a multiple episode interactive sketch comedy experience for AmazeVR called "The Choose Your Own Sketch Show" that's set to be available on the Oculus platform in early spring.
She has trained, performed, and been heavily involved with several major comedy theaters including The Second City Chicago, iO Chicago, The Groundlings, UCB Los Angeles, and The Westside Comedy Theater among many others (yes, there are others!).
She created and produced her own solo show, Femoir, which premiered at The Second City Chicago and toured for over two years across the country. She was involved in multiple ongoing sketch comedy shows including TMI Hollywood and After Dark with Julian Clark at The Second City Hollywood, and Mission IMPROVable at The Westside Comedy Theater. She was a founding member of the sketch team Very Famous who had a successful two year run at The Pack Theater. She also created and produced the satirical inspired-by-kids-books monthly sketch show, Book Report, which had a three year run at The Pack Theater and at the Comedy Central Stage in LA.
She also tours across the country and sometimes internationally at college campuses and military bases with various educational and comedy shows including A Shot of Reality and The C-Word: Consent with Mission IMPROVable productions. She is also a SAG-AFTRA actress and VO artist who regularly auditions, works, and collaborates with other creatives. She also toured as a stand up comedian for years, culminating in her 40 minute comedy special Articulate Neanderthal, which is available on Amazon (free with Prime!).
She often writes and produces her own work, including a proof of concept for her comedy western SciFi, The West Files, and a pilot short Trial Period she wrote and co-produced with fellow comedic mind, Julian Clark. Trial Period is currently in the festival circuit and garnered her a "Best Actress" nomination at the Sunscreen West Festival in 2019. Her comedy short, An American Beauty, was a finalist in the Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge and also earned her a "Best Actor" nomination. Her dark comedy short, DIY Daisy was featured at the prestigious Women in Comedy Festival in Boston and at HollyShorts in Los Angeles. It is currently available online and streaming on some random network in Switzerland, which delights her to no end.
She spends her free time obsessing over and petting her perfect dogs, Bonnie and Clyde.
