Welcome to our series On the Verge, where our contributors highlight comedians they feel are ready for their next big break. Whether they’re already working in television or still waiting to land their breakout gig, these are just some of the comedians we’d like to see more of over the coming years – ideally with a show, film, or other comedy project of their very own.
I know it’s kind of annoying to say anyone is “the next†anyone else, because screw that, right? Everyone is their own entity, every comedian has their own voice. Yes. Absolutely true, and I want to be respectful of that. Still, Hannah Pilkes is the next Kristen Wiig.
A graduate of The Second City Conservatory, Pilkes is a New York City native whose first big appearance was in Nicole Kassell’s The Woodsman.  Flash-forward twelve years, and Pilkes has made the move to LA to pursue work as a comedic actor and standup. On screen and on stage, her presence is unmistakable–a rare mix of roaring confidence and crippling awkwardness–but it’s not until one sees her character work that it becomes clear: she’s got the goods. Pan-relatable, highly physical. She’s a walking billboard for the sensibility that’s made Second City talent like Wiig famous.
With hundreds of thousands of followers on the now-defunct Vine platform and a woefully underappreciated Instagram account, the question becomes: why hasn’t she broken out?
The answer?
She will. Very, very soon.
Vine Compilation
Standup
Sorry Not Sorry
Luke is an executive producer at CollegeHumor/Big Breakfast.