MEET THE CAST
MEG BUZZA
Originally from Northern California, Meg’s earliest career dreams were to become either a pro motocross racer or “tour as Chris Brown’s #1 breakdancer” (direct diary pull). She went on to receive Degrees in Modern Dance and Music from Loyola Marymount in LA, and soon moved to NYC to study with the underground House Dance originators while also pursuing “The Great White Way”. After countless failed cattle calls in the snow, Meg was fatefully encouraged to “stop talking so much in rehearsal and try a comedy class”. Quickly dipping her toes into sketch writing at the PIT, Meg’s life was forever changed after seeing her first Musical Improv show at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade.
Completing her UCB training in Los Angeles, Meg began fusing dance, music and comedy as the director, choreographer and host of sold-out show “Thunder Bulge”: A Male Comedy Strip Revue (Moms love us!). She is celebrated for her Handmaid’s Tale parody music video: “Praise Be(ats)”, and was an official selection at the Hollywood Fringe in 2023 for directing and choreography. Meg fulfilled her long-awaited comedy dream by joining the UCB Main Stage as a musical improviser in 2024, and she can’t wait to kick-ball-change her way into Amsterdam this year as the newest cast member of BOOM!
Outside of comedy, Meg is deeply passionate about human development and works as a “Breakthrough” Coach for Artists and Entrepreneurs. She prides herself in helping clients build happier, more-meaningful and authentic careers through one-on-one virtual coaching and personal branding.
SIMON LUKACS
Simon Lukacs has made his great escape from Brexit Britain to join our cast in booming Amsterdam. He has been improvising for 7 years, and has performed with some of the best improvisers in the UK and beyond. He trained with The Second City, The Free Association, Monkey Toast and The Spontaneity Shop. He has taught improv for The Free Association, one of London’s premier improv schools/ theaters, and is a member of their house Harold team The 838, as well as performing with them at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
His main improv squeeze is The Petting Zoo (“Improv supergroup” Time Out London) – he is a founding member and with them has performed at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Del Close Marathon, The Brighton Fringe, The Comedy Cafe Berlin, and their London residency at The Free Association theatre, London. He’ll bring them out to Amsterdam, you mark his words!
As a character comedian, Simon has taken two shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – Kayfabe in 2015 and Simon Lukacs Shows His Range in 2016. He has written for ITN in the UK, and appeared alongside critically acclaimed sketch act Massive Dad for BBC3.
DESHAWN MASON
Deshawn Mason has been delighting audiences for over 13 years using his skills as a performer. Deshawn’s special blend of physicality, sense of play, and love of magic (yes, he’s a magician) have come together to give him a unique perspective on this thing we call improv. Whether it be 1hr Stand-up sets, Dramatic Plays, Magic shows, or yes, improv, he always brings all of himself to the stage. Deshawn is very excited to meet the lovely people of Amsterdam and can’t wait to see what we’ll be able to create together.
LAURA MAYNARD (SHE/HER)
Laura was born and raised outside Chattanooga, Tennessee and always ached to live in a city that had more than one stoplight. She was excited to discover that Chicago fit this requirement and quickly moved there to study Comedy Writing and Performance at Columbia College Chicago. She spent a decade performing improv and sketch comedy in Chicago at The Second City, The iO Theater, Logan Square Improv, CiC, The Annoyance, and countless wonderful little theaters that are now hair salons.
Message and/or follow her on Instagram: @lahrahmaynard
KATIE NIXON
Katie Nixon (she/her) is an American comedian, actor, instructor, host, and writer based in Amsterdam. A Boom Chicago cast member since January 2022, Katie can be seen on stage 5 nights a week high-kicking, singing, and spouting off random bits of trivia. She loves teaching for the Boom Academy and introducing improv to students from around the world. She also hosts the monthly “Queer Community Night” in the Attic.
Before moving to Amsterdam, Katie spent ten years in Chicago where she appeared regularly at The Second City, iO, and The Annoyance. She has written and performed sketch comedy with several groups at festivals across the USA. Named Logansquarist’s Best Comedian in 2016, Katie has appeared solo at The Laugh Factory and the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival.
MEET THE FOUNDERS
SASKIA MAAS
Saskia is CEO of Boom Chicago and Boom Chicago for Business. In that role she is responsible for business development, production of global corporate programs, strategy, finance, sales and public relations. Saskia has a Masters degree in linguistics from Tilburg University and completed Nyenrode’s prestigious one-year Executive Management Development Program. She was also a participant of the leadership program at THNK, the school of Creative Leadership.
Saskia is also one of the founders of Inter-Acting, teaching children with autism social understanding and skills through improvisation. Inspired by her youngest son, she designed the program to help autistic students break out of their patterns and routines to embrace the unexpected with improvisation. Watch her TED talk on that project here.
PEP ROSENFELD
As Director of Creative Content, Pep does it all: high level event host & facilitator, writer, stand-up comedian, public speaker, coach, and developer of innovative corporate programs. A co-founder of Boom Chicago, Pep’s passion is using comedy to make hard-to-communicate messages land and stick, as featured In his 2012 TED talk, ‘Fight, Flight or Make Your Opponent Laugh.’ Pep hosts events like The Nordic Business Forum, The Next Web Conference, Accenture Innovation Awards and TEDx to rave reviews, and he was nominated for an Emmy for his writing on America’s long-running television show, Saturday Night Live.
ANDREW MOSKOS
Andrew Moskos is co-founder and an active partner of Boom Chicago who loves big ideas. Recent themes in his comedy productions include artificial intelligence, US politics, and 90s sitcoms that are having an unlikely renaissance.
Andrew hosts, writes for and performs at international conferences. Over the past 25 years, he has worked on high stakes corporate events for most major companies in the Netherlands. Yes, ‘most’ as in a majority of them. He also coached Prime Minister Mark Rutte and co-wrote his ‘most successful speech ever’ for the Dutch Correspondents dinner. Unlike his partners Pep and Saskia, he has never given a TED talk.
MEET THE PRODUCTION TEAM
EMIL STRUIJKER BOUDIER
Emil has been adding lights, music and sound to improv shows for years, from small rooms to Boom Chicago’s main stage. He started honing his skills at Easylaughs in Amsterdam and kept going.
In addition to his work at Boom Chicago, Emil is also the head technician at the international festival, IMPRO Amsterdam. There, he is an integral part of their shows and the first call for visiting improv groups. He was the first improv tech in the festival to be asked to create his own show. An improvisor in his own right, he is a master with the light and sound faders.