Maxine Lapiduss Bio

Maxine Lapiduss is a celebrated TV comedy writer/showrunner, arts advocate, non-profit founder, creative strategist, and serial entrepreneur.

She began doing standup at age 13, and after graduating from Carnegie Mellon’s prestigious acting program, spent the next decade headlining at NY comedy clubs like The Improv, Catch a Rising Star and The Comedy Cellar as well as touring the country opening for top musicians and performers.  

Writing material for herself as well as other comedians on the circuit, led to Maxine writing and producing some of the most successful sitcoms of all time. She won a Golden Globe, four Emmy Nominations, and three People’s Choice Nominations as a writer, producer, on shows including Roseanne, Home Improvement, Ellen, Dharma and Greg, and has directed episodes of the monster Disney hit, Jesse. She starred in Situation: Comedy (BRAVO), a reality series she produced with Sean Hayes (Will and Grace), and has written and produced hundreds of hours of pilots and series for NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, A&E, BRAVO, Lifetime, TV LAND, and more.

Always up for a challenge, Maxine spent six months in Moscow re-writing American hit sitcoms into Russian, then filming them in 35 below zero weather. Those stories are worth a drink.

In 2021, Maxine executive produced, and was featured in, a notable documentary, It’s Not a Burden: The Humor and Heartbreak of Raising Elderly Parents, which was directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker, Michelle Boyaner, and selected as the Documentary of the Month on the Today Show.

In between entertainment gigs, Maxine founded several creative tech companies and invested time and focus in developing her true passion – creating one of a kind events and designing residential properties in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and Pittsburgh.

From 2019-2023, Maxine endured 14 eye operations and eventually lost sight in her left eye, which caused her to rethink the next chapter. Wanting a healthier, less stressful lifestyle, she and her spouse of 30 years, author and visual artist Hillary Carlip, purchased and renovated their new retreat space, The Double DD Ranch, 15 minutes south of Santa Fe.

The magical, mystical and singular property, once part of the famous Eaves Movie Ranch where hundreds of famous westerns have been shot over the last 50 years, has spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, Lone Butte, and the incredible Santa Fe sunsets.

The pair intend to host private gatherings as well as artist retreats at Double DD, bringing together their friends and colleagues from all different disciplines to mentor other artists and create new works in this sacred, healing and joyful space.