2026 Impact 50 Honoree: Judi Marmel

JUDI MARMEL
Founding Partner
Levity Live

GOOD ADVICE: “I have a strict ‘no a-hole policy.’  I won’t work with them, and I won’t represent them.”
BY THE NUMBER: 1.1 billion. Number of minutes Leanne Morgan’s “Unspeakable Things” streamed during its premiere week.

It’s been another top-tier year for comedy’s doyenne, Levity Live’s Judi Marmel.

“Every win my clients have seen feels like an impactful accomplishment,” she says. “Leanne Morgan wrapped up the second season of her hit Netflix series, won a Gracie award for her Netflix special ‘Unspeakable Things,’ and has been adding third and fourth shows in multiple markets post the announcement of her new tour. Bert Kreischer continues to dominate touring and is already in pre-production on the second season of his wildly popular Netflix series ‘Free Bert.’ Taylor Tomlinson released her critically acclaimed Netflix special ‘Prodigal Daughter’ and has a highly anticipated book coming out this fall.”

Kreischer and Morgan’s success with scripted programming is a return of sorts to the ’90s heyday of the comedian-fronted sitcom, and Marmel hints there may be more to come, “which we’ve converted from our artists’ robust and unique fanbases.”

Marmel says that with a choppy economy, her team is laser-focused on maximizing returns.

“We have weekly meetings with promoters, agencies, venues and social teams to dig out every date. We are constantly ‘what about-ing’ with everyone on how to inspire fans to come see live shows,” she says. “Additionally, my clients and I know how important it is to deliver a show worth every penny in this current economy, so we never take that for granted and make sure every show is leveled up.”

Marmel is excited by technology that allows artists and their teams to track ticket sales in correlation with marketing dollars spent.

And blue-dot fever? Well, Marmel’s seen it all before, but for her, comedy is the answer.

“I’ve been in the industry long enough to see all types of fevers,” she says. “It’s, of course, concerning, but with everything going on in the world right now, not surprising. Experiencing live comedy is the antidote to times like the ones we’re living in, and protecting and supporting free speech is more important than ever.”