Alex Grindeland
Owner & General Manager
Alex has been an improviser, actor, comedian, teacher, and an almost-daily-shower-taker for over 20 years. He is elated for the opportunity to teach and perform improv comedy in Jacksonville.
Alex began performing improv when he was only 16 years old in the High School League at CSz Milwaukee, the original ComedySportz club. Later, after graduating from The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a degree in Theatre-Education, he worked as a high school theatre teacher for 3 years before ultimately setting off to Seattle, Washington. This is where he opened and led CSz Seattle - home of ComedySportz Seattle. Under Alex's leadership, this troupe of Seattle artists grew from a small nomadic improv group to a community of comedy performers with a dedicated fan base and a brick and mortar venue, housing two theatres.
Alex also currently serves as President of the CSz Worldwide Executive Council. CSz Worldwide is the organization that licenses theatre companies to perform ComedySportz internationally.
See videos of Alex's improv performances on his website!
David Bogan
Roadshow Manager & Education Director
David Bogan, a former Marine and die-hard Tom Petty fan, is an experienced veteran of improv comedy. He has taught and performed many styles of improv comedy for over 25 years. Starting in 1997, David performed and taught at CSz Milwaukee - Home of ComedySportz. After 20 years, in 2015 he relocated to co-manage CSz Seattle - Home of ComedySportz. He has performed in thousands of shows, and has also taught a vast number of individuals, teams, and organizations the art of improvisation and how the skills that improv training introduces can be applied to life, play, and work. Some applications include comedy entertainment, public speaking, science communication, corporate team building, and helping to manage anxiety.
David has also designed and facilitated Applied Improvisation training for a diversity of companies and organizations. His workshops center on making communication more collaborative, supportive, and effective both in and out of the workplace. Such past and present clients include Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Dept. of Health and Human Services, Amazon, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, United Way, Hershey’s, and many, many, more.
For more information about David, check him out on LinkedIn.
Madelaine Grindeland
Owner & Marketing Manager
A Jill of several trades and master of some, Madelaine is one of the founding members of First Coast Comedy. With over 10 years of management, leadership, teaching and performance experience, she is beyond thrilled to be running this business with her husband, Alex.
Madelaine practically grew up onstage touring the United States with her musician mother. She has worked as a touring actor, musical theatre performer, and film actor. With countless professional acting credits, she is usually more comfortable onstage than off.
While performing improv in Seattle for a short spell during 2020, she met Alex & Dave at Alex’s other improv comedy club (CSz Seattle) and quickly found her chosen family. After some weird stuff went down throughout 2020, Madelaine, along with Alex, Dave, & Nam all chose to make the leap to Jacksonville, Florida and her and Alex’s dream of having a second improv comedy club a reality.
Through 2021, she honed her improv skills under Dave and Alex doing roadshows before they had found a space for the theatre. In her other lives, she is a professional wrestler (Vicky “The Captain” Dreamboat) and a USCG licensed boat captain. You can follow her on social media for your daily dose of silly reels, wrestling clips, gym selfies and more: @vickydreamboat or @madgrinzz.
Learn more about Madelaine on her website!
Steven Gibbs
Bar Manager
Steven is a skilled artisan cocktail maker with a with a knack for making even the most surly laugh, and he looks forward to mixing you the perfect drink for your evening of laughter at First Coast Comedy. He's also a dancer, romancer, and top tier Halsey fan, but don’t ask him his opinion of his name (Stephen) being spelled with a PH instead of a V…
