Nicole and Mickey Blaine
Meet The Crow’s founders / owners / lovers!
Nicole Blaine
Hello!!!! I am a stand-up, writer, producer, and educator! As a stand-up and writer I love to find the funny in the painful job of being the wing-parent. I live in Santa Monica with my husband and two kids. They all suck so I have great material. J/k they’re the best?
I love comedy and helping people, with a focus on social justice. I want people to have fun when we are working together and feel valued and appreciated.
I am a passionate comedy teacher with a liberal arts degree in education and theater from Loyola Marymount University. I believe in building a stage that is authentically inclusive and a safe space for the next generation of comedians to learn and develop their craft. I want to empower students to find their voice.
My stand-up special, Life’s a Bit, is streaming on Amazon Prime and you can catch me on the upcoming season 3 of Laugh After Dark on Amazon Prime. LA Weekly describes me as “a remarkable performer with brains, beauty and rich comic delivery” and my honest (and crass) observations showcase my “humor, passion, dazzling charm and a naturalness that many performers, or even civilians, would kill for.” (Backstage West) My kids describe me as, “meh.”
My producing partner/husband/assistant, Mickey Blaine, and I executive produced and directed the stand-up special Burning the Light on HBO. I produced The Showdown Comedy Festival annually at the Westside Comedy Theater for six years, discovering the next generation of comedians and bringing in top level executives to participate in industry panels. You may have seen me (but probably not) on NBC’s The Today Show, E’s That Morning Show, San Fransisco’s Sketchfest, Montana’s Big Sky Comedy Festival, The International FringeNYC Festival, Atlanta’s Laughing Skull Comedy Festival and HBO’s Women in Comedy Festival.
Mickey Blaine
I’m her husband.
Daphne Ruiz
I'm a Mexican-American writer from Anaheim. I try to make Nicole Blaine laugh at least once a day except for Sundays. I am not available on Sundays. Every other day of the week, I run The Crow. You can find me in the tech booth or by the door or in a follow-up email. When I'm not working, I should be writing.
Olivia Hill
Coordinator
Olivia Hill is a stand up comedian by night, and the person emailing you from The Crow about your stand up career by day. She handles Social Media Marketing for the club and is in an intimate relationship with Canva because of this position. Being a comic, Olivia has become too critical of the funny parts of life, so she enjoys Top 40 music and bad TV dramas to relax. All inquiries will be addressed quicker with a Post Malone gif attached.
Jamie Bliss
Director of Nonprofit, Improv Teacher
Jamie Bliss joins The Crow with a background in nonprofit fundraising and marketing and a decade (eek) of experience in improv and sketch. She now focuses solely on stand-up (which she started as a way to get back at an ex), writing, and getting bullied online for her very fair and correct TV/theater reviews. Ask her about her cat if you need to waste some time.
Proof is in the pudding.
Watch a sample of Nicole's children's show here
Watch a video to see behind the scenes of one of Mickey's high school productions here
Mickey as the head of the Vistamar High School Theater Department
Article in The Daily Breeze about Mickey's Gender-Blind Casting
Article about Mickey's work heading a theater program with a social conscience
Nicole's stand-up show on Good Day LA News
Kickstarter campaign and LA Times article on how the Blaines helped a dying comedian raise $50K and film a special for HBO
Article about Mickey's theatrical pivot during COVID-times
Check out Nicole’s stand up special, Life’s a Bit
Check out Burning the Light, the comedy special the Blaines produced for HBO
