LISA LINKE
Lisa Linke grew up in Champaign, Illinois with her parents and brother. Linke is “Big Ten” educated, having attended Indiana University at Bloomington for her undergraduate studies. After working in Atlanta for a few years, she returned to the University of Illinois, earning an MBA and a Masters in Labor and Employment Relations. During grad school, Linke started doing improv to relieve stress from studying. After graduation, she began working as a consultant in Chicago for Deloitte and continued to foster her love for acting by formally training at The Second City. After being promoted to Senior Consultant, Linke made a life-changing decision to pursue her passion for acting full-time. She spent over a decade in Chicago performing, writing, teaching, and producing before moving to LosAngeles.
Linke has made a name for herself in the industry with memorable performances on the small screen. She has been seen in large roles on hit shows such as Teachers and Goliath and is currently showcasing her talent on Bless This Mess, alongside Dax Shepard and Lake Bell. She has also guest-starred on For The People, Grey’s Anatomy, Marvel’s Runaways, and AJ and The Queen. Other television credits include Bunk’D, LOVE, Black-ish, Shameless, This Is Us, and Modern Family to name just a few. Linke also starred in Successful People, a comedic web series about a songwriting duo struggling to make it big surrounded by a world full of successful people. She played Kimberly Hawkes, a former high school classmate of the lead character, who attempts to help him jumpstart his career. The show is streaming now on Amazon Prime.
Expanding her creative endeavors beyond acting, Linke is passionate about creating new content including the #SuggestionSundayShow, a weekly Instagram Live platform where she invites special guests to perform improv with her based on viewer suggestions. Additionally, she teamed up with comedian Misty Stinnett to create the Go Help Yourself podcast, which reviews self-help books with a comedic twist. It is available on Apple Podcasts and currently has over 100,000 unique downloads.
She also co-created the webseries Rick & Len Fix Sh!t In Your House, which she wrote, produced and starred in. Linke and the series have been honored with several awards including “Lead Actress” at The LAWebfest and “Overall Web Series” at the Chicago Comedy Film Festival. She is also known for her portrayal of Abby Lee’s equivalent, Waggy Lee, in Dog Moms – another web series she created. The series is a satirical parody of Lifetime’s Dance Moms. The show has gotten the attention of numerous critics, earning nominations at the New Media Film Festival and Austin Revolution Film Festival.
Off-screen, Linke has continued to use her education and experience by working for several companies including The Second City’s B2B arm, Second City Works, where she traveled around the world teaching corporate communication workshops. In this work, she focused on leadership and showcased her expertise in storytelling, allowing her to apply her education, experience, and passion for performing
When she is not acting and creating content, Linke loves to spend time with her dog, Zoey. She also enjoys hosting game nights with her friends. Linke currently resides in Los Angeles.
Where Can I Find Lisa?
Probably on her couch, but if you don’t know where she lives, try here:
Television
Have you been watching Bless This Mess? If so, then you know her as Clara, the quiet-talker from Bucksnort, Nebraska. Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Hulu and ABC.com!
In Your Ears
Of course she has a podcast! Go Help Yourself, a comedy self-help podcast to make life suck less publishes new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. She and her co-host Misty Stinnett read and review popular self-help books through a thoughtful, critical and comedic lens.
Improv
Lisa improvises live on Instagram every Sunday at 12:30 Pacific for #SuggestionSundayShow, where she takes suggestions and creates 60-second characters, scenes and sometimes has special guests!
Social Media
You can find her across all platforms: @itslinke
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
More great material to enjoy from Lisa:
Lisa is the creator of the web series Dog Moms,a parody of the Lifetime series Dance Moms. In the series, she stars as the equivalent of Abby Lee, “Waggy Lee”. The series is now streaming on Amazon Prime.