Background
Hirsch was born in 1952 and grew up in Flatbush.
Hirsch was born in 1952 and grew up in Flatbush.
After living in Brooklyn, she would later move to Manhattan She attended City College and the Fashion Institute of Technology (Fashion Institute Of Technology).
She is recognized for her ability to spot rising comedic talent including Jerry Seinfeld and Paul Reubens. She says the first standup act she ever saw was when she sneaked into a 1967 George Carlin gig at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village. After school she went to work at Gimbels until she became unemployed.
While collecting unemployment a few friends approached her about opening up a cabaret club which she eventually accepted.
The club opened in 1982 but she realized that the cabaret theme was not working and decided to turn it into a comedy club instead which brought in a younger clientele that was more profitable. In the late 80"s the A&East network asked her to produce a comedy special which became Carolines Comedy Hour which was produced by her production company Pinky Ring Productions.
In November 2004, Hirsch launched the New York Comedy Festival, a weeklong comedy festival that features comedy’s biggest stars performing in New York’s most prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Harlem’s World Famous Apollo Theater, Madison Square Garden, Town Hall and Carolines on Broadway. She currently lives in a duplex with views of the East River.
Additionally, she formerly sat on the board of the Mississippi
Foundation for Women. During her tenure on the Mississippi Foundation for Women board, Hirsch created the successful "Take Our Daughters to Work" initiative.
In 2006, Hirsch produced "Roasted, Battred and Fried," a roast of Mario Batali to benefit the Food Bank Foreign New York City, which took place at Capitale as part the third annual New York Comedy Festival (NYCF).
In 2011, Hirsch produced "On the Chopping Block: A Roast of Anthony Bourdain" as part of the New York City Wine & Food Festival. The event helped raise money for the Food Bank for New York City and Share Our Strength"s "Number Kid Hungry" campaign.
In 2007, Hirsch created "Stand Up for Heroes" to benefit the Bob Woodruff Foundation, an annual event that takes place during the NYCF which has featured performances by Bill Cosby, Ricky Gervais, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters and John Mayer, among others To date, "Stand Up for Heroes" has raised more than $20 million.
Hirsch serves as a board member of the Creative Coalition and implemented the highly successful "Stand-Up for Class" program in both the New York City and Los Angeles public school systems She is also a board member of the Times Square Alliance (formerly the Times Business Improvement District). New York City & Company, the city’s official tourism marketing organization.
The board of The Association for the Help of Retarded Children.
And the national advisory board of Count Maine In, a micro lending organization for women.