Cary Odes started his comedy career in Chicago, where he was soon one of the top comics in the city. He studied at Second City with improv legend Del Close. Paramount Pictures flew him out to LA for an audition, and the night after he landed, Mitzi Shore saw his show and made him a regular at the Comedy Store. He toured the country for over a decade, wrote jokes for shows on NBC, had a pilot developed about his time teaching stand up to gang kids in prison. While continuing to perform full time, Cary taught comedy to youth at risk as well as high school students at New Roads School.

In 2004, Judy Carter asked him to consider teaching classes for her workshop. Cary watched Judy’s teaching and studied the program she’d created. Not long after, Cary was the full time teacher of the Comedy Workshops. He has a large following of loyal students, both in classes and his private coaching. He uses the framework Judy created, which gives an important structure to the often unfocussed thoughts of a new comic. From there, Cary adds his ability to hear not only what a student is saying, but what they really meant to say. He’s able to show them the clear path from their original thought to the hysterical revelation waiting just beneath the surface.