Esther Povitsky, 29

actor-comedian 30 Under 30 debut: 2018 In her college years, esther Povitsky would regularly take the three-hour train ride to chicago for comedy classes at Second city and Improvolympic, troupes that count Amy Poehler and Tina Fey as former members. When the Great recession hit, she dropped out of the university of Illinois at urbana-champaign to pursue her passion in Los Angeles. “I watched both of my parents lose their jobs,” Povitsky says. “I was like, ‘Why am I paying all this money to be in school, and there’s no guarantee? I might as well just do the thing I really want to do.’ ” The move paid off. She notched bit parts in sketches on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and on comedy central’s Key and Peele before landing a role playing maya on Crazy Ex-girlfriend in 2016 (a show created by and starring under 30 alumna rachel Bloom)—and then shifted to the business side as a show creator. Povitsky first wrote a short called Alone Together with Benji Aflalo, another up-and-coming comedian, about their male-female friendship, and then the pair decided to turn it into a TV show. They pitched it to production companies in the fall of 2015; Freeform, a Disney-owned TV channel, picked up the series order last year. “I didn’t have a plan B,” Povitsky says. “I didn’t have anywhere else to turn but comedy, so I had to stick with it.” The network gave her the ultimate vote of confidence in october, renewing her show for a second season before it even aired. —Natalie Robehmed

esther povitsky wears a silk blouse ($305) and a Viscose-elastane skirt ($238) by elisabetta Franchi, and patent leather boots by brass plum ($90). silver coral ring ($165) and brass coral ring ($95) by strange love designs.