Interview With DIANA MARTINEZ, President of Second City, Inc.
Podcast With Diana Martinez from Michael Roberts on Vimeo.
Diana Martinez, President of Second City, Inc., discusses how she came to work for the famed comedy club and the opening of their newest venture, the gorgeous Up Comedy Club, which is one of the best venues in Chicago. For more information, please visit www.SecondCity.com or www.UpComedyClub.com
(Bio): Diana Martinez has had experience in live entertainment from presenting and booking international acts to Broadway tours and was the Executive Director of the Paramount Theatre in Aurora. While in Aurora she was instrumental in the design and funding for a $6.2 million dollar lobby and production space addition. During her tenure she developed the Dreams do Come true program which afforded over 1000 underprivileged children to see a live stage show each year, doubled the amount of subscribers and donors, and tripled the sales within 2 years.
Diana began her professional career directing and producing and was the Director of Entertainment and Marketing for Pheasant Run Resort and Convention Center in St. Charles for 13 years. There she directed and produced more than 40 award musical-theatre productions, and garnered several awards from the Academy of Theatre Artists and Friends. She has presented more than 30 concerts in the Mega Center including Jerry Seinfeld, Tom Jones, Jay Leno, Tim Allen, Willie Nelson, Dana Carvey and Kenny Rogers. While at Pheasant Run, Martinez, developed a relationship with country star Kenny Rogers and consulted on directing and producing his annual Christmas show for 10 seasons.
Diana currently serves on the board for the League of Chicago Theatres and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, she is a proud graduate of the University of Illinois in Champaign Urbana Fine Arts Department. Martinez was honored with the Woman of Distinction Award in 2003, Influential Women in Business Award 2002, and 2003 Today’s Young Executive Award by the Business Ledger. Her latest directing project was co-creating an original “prevention theatre” show for teens that will tour the Chicago area for the R.Ed.I. .Foundation called, “Stand Up! Change teen statistics”.
Martinez is the proud mom of two shaggy dogs and couldn’t be happier to working in the “Best theatre city in the US” for one of her all – time favorite companies. “This is a dream come true.”