Paige Elson is a writer, actor, and comedian originally from Stockton, California aka “the dub-nine” as some affectionately call it. She grew up as a competitive gymnast with Olympic dreams but was always making home movies with her cousins, authoring little books, and begging her mom to “play improv” with her. Her party trick as a kid was doing a one-handed cartwheel while holding her mom’s Chardonnay and never spilling a drop! Yes, her mom is white. Eventually around the ripe age of twelve, Paige came to her senses and traded in her unrealistic Olympic gymnast dream for the more attainable dream of making it big in Hollywood. When it comes to dreams, she likes to go big or go home–and home was somewhere she did not want to stay!

She eventually “moved on up” to study theater at Pepperdine University. While at Pepperdine, she learned quickly she was not getting cast in the period dramas they loved and had few opportunities to express creativity; so, like the late great Diahann Carroll once said, “If you’re not invited to the party, throw your own,” she decided to take matters into her own hands and began to take writing more seriously. She created a web-series with her fellow acting peers, wrote and performed monologues, and even created, produced, and performed in a showcase for the theater department’s Black performers. Although studying at Pepperdine caused her to dig deep and explore various parts of her artistry, she missed one thing–comedy. She wanted to learn more about making people laugh and explore her interests through a comedic lens.

She cut her comedy chops at Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and became a performer/writer on their house sketch and improv teams. She went on to continue honing her craft through writing classes and connecting with industry professionals and mentors through various programs. She has written, produced, and performed in short films, sketches, and has performed live comedy at festivals and locally around Los Angeles. Now that she is joining the Nickelodeon Writing Program, she is excited to continue growing and take her work to the next level.

She often explores themes of Blackness, identity, and unconventional families in her writing. She likes to mine the nuances in our different experiences and laugh about it because sharing laughter is the greatest gift. When she is not creating, you can catch her dramatically belting Mariah Carey from the privacy of her car, snapping film photos, and telling all her curly-haired friends which hair products to try.