Born and raised in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, with a BA and MA from Columbia College Chicago, Erica Watson is an actor, stand-up comedian at clubs around the country, and film/television director.  She is a St. Thomas the Apostle Elementary School alum (where Bryant Gumbel and Steve Allen attended), as well as with The Chicago Children’s Choir and The Merit School of Music. She appeared in the Oscar nominated film “Precious,” following starring in the feature film “Dirty Laundry.”  She has also been featured on TLC’s Big Sexy, The Dr. Phil Show, The Oxygen Network, The WE Channel, Black Entertainment (BET), MSG-TV, You & Me This Morning, The TV Guide Network and is a recurring correspondent for Windy City Live. Watson is also a blogger for the Huffington Post. Up next you can see her in the film "Top Five" directed by Chris Rock (December 2014) and "Empire" a new FOX drama directed by Lee Daniels (January 2015).  Watson was featured in two Gracie Award-winning commercials that she wrote for the Oxygen Network called "Tresstify" and "Kiss & Tell;” as well as a recent guest star on TV One’s sitcom “Love That Girl” (September 2015).  She has also been featured on NBC's "Last Comic Standing," and was the director for the reality competition show “My Model Looks Better Than Your Model” for BETJ.  Watson starred in the Broadway in Chicago production of “Love, Loss and What I Wore” (2012) and went on to star in the final cast in New York off-broadway under the guidance of Nora & Delia Ephron as well as with The Delaware Theater Company (2013).