Gabriella Yacyk Joins Unicorn As Head Of Comedy

EXCLUSIVE: Unicorn, the 360 management firm and content studio, has expanded its executive team with the hiring of Gabriella Yacyk.

Yacyk, most recently Senior Director of Development at The Second City, will lead talent management and IP development for Unicorn’s comedy division, reporting directly to co-CEOs Scott Dunn and Chris Gera.

“Gabriella is a true comedy industry unicorn, who cut her teeth at some of the most iconic comedy institutions,” Dunn and Gera said. “Welcoming her to our leadership team underscores our desire to identify and foster singular comedic voices, serving as true partners to talent as they work to develop new and exciting content.”

During her nearly three years at The Second City, the legendary comedy institution that helped launch the careers of everyone from Bill Murray and John Belushi to Tina Fey and Steve Carell, Yacyk spearheaded their expansion into original media for all platforms. She oversaw a slate of scripted and unscripted television, podcasts and digital originals, and launched their first digital comedy ensemble, an initiative focused on developing emerging comedic talent through original short-form content.

Prior to The Second City, Yacyk held development roles at Comedy Central, where she worked with emerging and established comedians including Bowen Yang, Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Benito Skinner, Mary Beth Barone and Stavros Halkias. Her work spanned talent development, original programming and stand-up, including Comedy Central’s Up Next showcase, Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents and hour-long stand-up specials Esther Povitsky: Hot for My Name and Josh Johnson: #(Hashtag).

Based in Gowanus, NY, Unicorn launched in April 2025 under the leadership of creator economy veterans Dunn and Gera. Previously, Dunn co-created popular digital properties Recess Therapy and Bob Does Sports at Doing Things Media, while Gera led digital content strategy at BuzzFeed and Comedy Central.

Unicorn’s hiring of Yacyk emphasizes their goal of further expansion into the comedy content realm, both by building long-term infrastructure and support for comedic clients, and developing innovative IP. One recent effort in IP building is the YouTube show Human Trials, hosted by comedian Mark Normand, where comedians perform for hyper-specific live audiences — i.e., 50 bald men, 50 Gen-Z girls or 50 clowns. The show garnered 25 million views in its first week.