Marla’s love for arts education started as a young girl in the Midwest. She studied dance, voice, and acting at Interlochen, Drake University, and The Eugene O’Neill National Theatre Institute. She started her career as a theatrical agent in New York then later in Chicago. While representing comedians and actors in Chicago she met her husband, Jeff Garlin, now she gets more than 10%!

The past twenty years Marla has been a casting director in Los Angeles for film and television. Some notable shows include “The Office”, “The 40 Year Old Virgin”, and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, where she was nominated for an Emmy award. Marla’s son Duke, is currently a junior in the Cinematic Arts program at LACHSA. She feels honored to be a part of this vibrant artistic community! She hopes as a board member she can help enrich the lives of current and future LACHSA students.