Diana Martinez Named President for The Second City, Int’l

The Second City is pleased to announce that Diana Martinez, has been named the President of Second City Intl. Her role will encompass overseeing operations in Chicago, Toronto and Hollywood. Martinez has been with the Second City for one year as the Chief Operating and Marketing Officer and demonstrated great leadership, marketing and business development skills which will prove to be a great asset to The Second City. She was a lead producer on the Second City’s 50th Anniversary.

Martinez states: “It is an honor to be a part of this relevant and legendary organization. I have been a fan of The Second City for years, the opportunity to lead in partnership with owner Andrew Alexander, and the rest of the executive team and talent at The Second City, is a dream come true.”

Ms. Martinez is a proud graduate of the University of Illinois, and a resident of Glen Ellyn. She was most recently the Executive Director of Paramount Arts Center and has served on the executive board of the League of Chicago Theatres for a number of years. Ms. Martinez has a unique blend of executive leadership and creative talent. She has helmed multimillion dollar construction projects and increased subscriptions, donors and sponsorships in addition to directing, writing and producing for a variety of theatrical productions in addition to country music star Kenny Rogers. Her awards include the "Influential Women in Business" Award in 2002, and "The Award for Business Excellence" in 2003, she was named "Today's Young Executive in 2003" by the Business Ledger, and awarded "The Hispanic Hero Award" in 2002 by the Chicago Fire.

Ms. Martinez will aide The Second City’s burgeoning training and theatrical divisions, as well as overall marketing and operational efforts for the company. With over 3000 students, The Second City Training Center has become the world’s largest improv-based Arts school. Second City Theatricals has produced a string of hit revues, including “Rod Blagojevich Superstar,” “Barack Stars” and the physical theatre production “Reverie” in association with the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. Second City Proprietor and Executive Producer Andrew Alexander notes that “Diana has always impressed me as a first rate theatre executive as well as a very creative thinker. We’re proud to add her to our team.”

For more information, please contact rhammond@secondcity.com.