Black Bear announced today that its management arm has signed writer, director, actor, and producer Jordan Firstman, who first rose to prominence by sharing his short skits, impressions, and impersonations on Instagram Live during the COVID-19 pandemic. He most recently led the erotic black comedy Rotting in the Sun, which premiered to rave reviews at Sundance in 2023.

Firstman first broke out on the entertainment scene writing for Alia Shawkat’s “Search Party” and was later tapped for the smash-hit Netflix animated series “Big Mouth,” on which he served as both a voice actor and consulting producer. As a filmmaker, Firstman directed the narrative short “Men Don’t Whisper,” which was shortlisted for the Grand Jury Prize at both Sundance and SXSW in 2018 and was later selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick. He has also written for Comedy Central’s “The Other Two” and directed multiple episodes of the Peabody-nominated Sundance TV series “This Close.”

On the acting side, Firstman joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2022 via “Ms. Marvel” on Disney+. He also recently starred in FX’s “Dave” and the Netflix comedy You People opposite Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy. Next up, Firstman will star in Rachel Sennott’s upcoming HBO comedy pilot alongside Sennott, Odessa A’zion, Miles Robbins and True Whitaker, as well as comedy series “English Teacher” for FX and Billy Magnussen’s directorial debut The Ridge.

Beyond his work as an actor and filmmaker, Firstman also penned an ode to gay representation in film, which was sung by Laura Dern and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles at the 2020 Independent Spirit Awards. Additionally, Firstman wrote and starred in a Versace short film for Vogue, appeared in the short film and fashion show for Thom Browne’s Spring 2021 collection, and has starred in ads for such brands as Bumble and Spotify.