2022 Impact 50: Judi Marmel

Founding Partner & President Of Talent
Levity Live

For Judi Marmel – whose management clients include arena-headliner Sebastian Maniscalco, beloved party animal Bert Kreischer and rising star Taylor Tomlinson – the joy of live events returning “makes any challenge something to be embraced and then conquered.”

After all, this is the gold rush of comedy. She explains that whether approaching inflation or a crowded live market, challenges need to be tackled with a client-centric approach: “It’s not cookie cutter. Every client’s path is different and we adjust with them accordingly. There may be new challenges, but there always are.”

Marmel adds, “People want to get out. People are ready to rejoin society. Experiences matter more than possessions, and a communal live performance with family, friends and a full arena feels like the world is back to normal. I think ‘consumer confidence’ is high, but more importantly, the desire to re-engage in community is higher.”

Levity Live prides itself as a company on taking risks and helping its clients be as creative as possible, from creating a food brand with Maniscalco or a baseball stadium comedy festival with Kreischer.

Recent stand-out moments for Marmel’s clients include Maniscalco selling out four arenas in four boroughs in New York, Kreischer selling out his biggest headline show yet at Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheater and Tomlinson performing at the Grand Ole Opry.

“These are iconic venues I grew up listening to on the radio with my parents, in Colorado Springs,” Marmel says. “To see Bert Kreischer and Taylor Tomlinson sell those venues out, to be invited to stand on those stages with them… God is dreaming a bigger dream for me than I ever had for myself.”

Levity Live has also grown as a company, with project managers becoming managers and assistants becoming project managers, as well as bringing on Adam Ginivisian as a manager. Marmel says, “It’s about how we can always reach higher for the clients we represent by creating the best possible management team possible.”