Hollywood success did not arrive overnight. Cordero spent over fifteen years working through the competitive comedy circuits of New York and Los Angeles. His defining artistic education happened at the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) Theatre, where he trained, performed, and eventually taught long-form improvisational comedy.
At UCB, Cordero earned a reputation among his peers as a performer's performer. He shared stages with future comedy titans, forming collaborative networks that would pay dividends years later. His work in sketch and improv honed a distinct brand of grounded absurdity: characters who remain completely earnest and committed, no matter how ridiculous the scenario around them becomes.
During this period, casting calls for Asian American men were notoriously narrow. Cordero routinely walked into audition rooms looking for delivery drivers, tech support personnel, or martial arts caricatures. Rather than accepting those limits, his improv training allowed him to invent quirks, push dialogue, and inject specific human warmth into underwritten roles. Directors took note of his timing, leading to steady guest appearances on shows like Parks and Recreation, Drunk History, and Silicon Valley.
