BRENDA PONTIFF: TexacoRNIAN

Born and raised in Texas, Brenda left for graduate school in Kansas and wound up touring the country with the Complex Improv Theater. She returned home and began working on her stand-up comedy skills at The Houston Comedy Workshop's Comix Annex, the infamous club that spawned the likes of Bill Hicks and Sam Kinison. A few years later, she moved to Los Angeles and became a New Face at the famed Hollywood Improv. She was also a regular at Igby's and toured as a feature act for franchise clubs including Punchlines, FunnyBones, and Laff Stops. Known for her quick wit on political issues, she was featured in Comedy Central's pilot of Free Speech. She took a long hiatus from the stage in the early 2000s to focus on her global business development career but in 2014 was talked in to doing a short set while in Houston. This experience stuck with her and in 2022 she decided to make a comeback. Now she happily brings her Texas meets California perspective to the stage. Brenda believes comedy is like the Mafia, you can never leave.

Here’s a bit of standup from Brenda in early days and more recently:

Brenda in Free Speech Pilot 1997     

Brenda at Laugh Factory 

  Brenda Short Clip New Year's Eve 2025

    20 min set Texas 2022 

Brenda's romantic comedy screenplay ZERO DRAG was a big hit with studio producers and led to rewrite work and joke polish for several studios and production companies including Overbrook Entertainment and Fox. Brenda is considered Hollywood's go-to joke writer by numerous A-list screenwriters. She is the author of several TV pilot presentations including GHOSTWRITER (2005) and LADIES IN LOCKUP (2006). Her award-winning Robert Benchley essays are here:   

A Teensy Weensy Renaissance (robertbenchley.org)

How to Wake Up (robertbenchley.org)

A Warning Concerning Self-Help Propaganda (robertbenchley.org)

Brenda is the creator and executive producer of DISASTER TO THE WENCH. Brenda and her female industry friends watch old movies and comment on sexism and the silver screen. This fun show is available on You Tube. Details at:

www.disastertothewench.com