Maxine Lapiduss is an American comedian-singer, television comedy writer, director, producer,

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

, and branding strategist. She is a graduate of

Taylor Allderdice High School Taylor Allderdice High School is a public high school in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It opened in 1927 and is part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools district. It was named for industrialist and Squir ...

and the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, both in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

where she was born and raised. Lapiduss wrote and produced many notable comedy series including ''

Dharma & Greg ''Dharma & Greg'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1997, until April 30, 2002, for 119 episodes over five seasons. The show starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as Dharma and Greg Montgomery, a ...

'', ''

Ellen Ellen is a female given name, a diminutive of Elizabeth, Eleanor, Elena and Helen. Ellen was the 609th most popular name in the U.S. and the 17th in Sweden in 2004. People named Ellen include: * Ellen Adarna (born 1988), Filipino actress * Elle ...

'', '' Roseanne'', ''

Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...

'' and more.

Storyverse Studios

Lapiduss is the co-founder and CEO of Storyverse Studios, an entertainment company founded in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

in 2014. Storyverse develops and produces story-driven properties within a multi-platform universe of entertainment. Their first property, ''Find Me I'm Yours'', launched on November 3, 2014, and begins as a media rich ebook, written and designed by writer/artist/web innovator, Hillary Carlip, and published by Rosetta Books. The romantic comedy novel is filled with hand-written lists, Instagram-style photos, videos and links to its 33 original websites, and five web series all created as part of this Click Lit experience.

Television writer/producer/director

Lapiduss wrote and produced the last season of ''Ellen'' (three Emmy nominations), ''Roseanne'', (Emmy nomination as Best Comedy Series and a Golden Globe award), ''Home Improvement'' (

People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...

for Best Comedy Series), ''Dharma & Greg'', and '' Situation: Comedy'', a

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels *Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 *Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...

reality series Lapiduss starred in and produced with

Sean Hayes Sean Patrick Hayes (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He is best known for playing Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'', for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award, four SAG Awards, and one American Com ...

(''

Will and Grace Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and wi ...

'') about how to make a sitcom. She has directed Disney Channel's acclaimed show, ''Jessie''. Lapiduss spent four months managing relationships and production on 40 episodes of the Russian adaptation of ''

The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, a total of nine seasons and 207 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who also served as the show ...

'' in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

. She also acted as Studio Executive and show runner for the pilots and post production of

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...

International TV's adaptations of ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class Africa ...

'' and ''

Rules of Engagement Rules of engagement (ROE) are the internal rules or directives afforded military forces (including individuals) that define the circumstances, conditions, degree, and manner in which the use of force, or actions which might be construed as pro ...

'' for

CTC Media CTC Media is the leading Russian independent broadcasting company with headquarters in Moscow, Russia. History CTC Media (till 2004 - StoryFirst Communications) was established by a U.S. entrepreneur Peter Gerwe in 1989 in Delaware in the United ...

. Lapiduss also co-founded non-profit Steeltown Entertainment Project, a teaching organization and production company whose mission is to bring film and TV production jobs back to Pittsburgh.

Creative strategist

For more than a decade, Lapiduss has been working with artists, writers, performers, and filmmakers to expand their brands through her consulting company, Lapiduss Creative. Lapiduss also pioneered one of the earliest online digital networks, Voxxy (1999-2001). As Co-President, Co-Founder, and Executive Creative Strategist, Lapiduss raised two rounds of financing, contracted A-list talent and notables for Voxxy involvement including

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...

Melissa Etheridge Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and its lead ...

, Billie Jean King,

Kathy Najimy Kathy Ann Najimy ( ; ar, كاثي ان نجيمي ; born February 6, 1957) is an American actress and activist. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Soapdish'' (1991), ''Sister Act'' (1992), '' Hocus Pocus'' (1993), '' Hope Floats'' ( ...

, and Shirley Manson, among others. Lapiduss also recruited Hollywood show runners and producers to create content, and developed branded " advertainment" for entertainment companies, record labels, and businesses including

Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent public companies, Motorol ...

and Hard Candy. Voxxy won the 2000 Bandie Broadband Award for innovation in the category "Newest New Thing."

Performer

Lapiduss has written, starred in, and produced several one-woman variety shows including "Mackie's Back in Town", and has been honored with a nomination for Best Cabaret Artist (Female) 2011, by Broadway World Los Angeles. Her video "Scared About Life Without Oprah" included a cameo by ''Glee'''s

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series '' Glee'' (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recog ...

and was featured in ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'', ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'', and ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

''.

Awards and nominations

*2011 Broadway World Award Nomination -- Best Cabaret Artist (Female) Los Angeles, "Mackie's Back in Town" *Golden Globe Award -- ''Roseanne'', Producer *Emmy Nomination -- ''Roseanne'', Best Comedy Series, Writer/Producer *Emmy Nomination -- ''Home Improvement'', Best Comedy Series, Writer/Co-Executive Producer *Emmy Nomination -- ''Ellen'', Best Comedy Series and Best Writing, Writer/Consultant *Steeltown Presents Best Local Special , Writer/Host and Executive Producer *People's Choice Award --''Home Improvement '', Co-Executive Producer *Ace Award -- Free To Laugh, Writer/Executive Producer *Bandie Broadband Award -- Voxxy.com, Newest New Thing *Ovation Award (multiple nominations) -- Situation Tragedy, Writer/Performer/Producer *Dramalogue/Backstage Magazine Awards -- Outstanding Achievement in Theater, 14 awards for Situation Tragedy, Writer/Performer/Producer

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lapiduss, Maxine Television producers from Pennsylvania American women television producers American television writers Writers from Pittsburgh American women comedians Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni Lesbian comedians American lesbian writers American LGBT businesspeople Living people American women television writers Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) American women chief executives Women chief executives American women company founders American company founders Taylor Allderdice High School alumni 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians Comedians from Pennsylvania