TEDxBloomington -- Charlie Todd -- "Causing a Scene with Improv Everywhere"

Charlie Todd is the founder of Improv Everywhere, producing, directing, performing, and documenting the group's work for over eight years.

The group carries out pranks, which they call "missions" in public places. The stated goal of these missions is to cause scenes of "chaos and joy." Some of the group's missions use hundreds of performers, while other missions utilize only a handful of performers. Importantly, Improv Everywhere has stated that they do not identify their work with the term "flash mob" that is so often spoken about in the media.

Improv Everywhere has been profiled by many national and international media outlets including The New York Times, The Today Show, and ABC's Nightline. Todd was interviewed on an episode of This American Life in 2005. While touching briefly on two missions ("No Pants" and "The Moebius"), the show focused on "Best Gig Ever" and "Ted's Birthday," and how they created unintended reactions. Improv Everywhere was also featured in the pilot episode for This American Life's television show on Showtime. In 2007, Improv Everywhere shot a television pilot for NBC.

Charlie is the author of Causing a Scene, a book about Improv Everywhere published by Harper Collins, as well as a teacher and performer of improv comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

Charlie's presentation at TEDxBloomington included a number of favorite videos of Improv Everywhere missions. As an actor newly arrived in New York without access to a stage, he described how he created his own in public spaces "causing scenes that are positive experiences for other people."

http://improveverywhere.com/

About TEDx In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxBloomington, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxBloomington event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• United States
• English
• TEDxBloomington
• Entertainment
• Art
• Play
• Wisdom of Play
• Missions
• chaos and joy
• Improv Everywhere
• Causing a Scene
• Upright Citizens Brigade
• Charlie Todd
• TEDx
• Bloomington Indiana

[ImprovEverywhere]

Thanks for watching everyone. Check out and subscribe to the Improv Everywhere channel for more!

[cefishb]

Charlie Todd , this talk was wonderful, everyone should take out time to play and enjoy life. thank you for your amazing ideas and for sharing them with the world. :)

Improv Everywhere #FTW

[AndrzejWierzchon]

really amaze actions ... i like this way on unconventional meaning in marketing ...

[halo10001]

If only the world had more people like Charlie Todd and his ImprovEverywhere group.

[reezlaw]

It should have lasted more! Love this guy

[SofiWood06]

I just found this, and I completly loved it. Congrats to ImprovEverywhere!! :D

[rajdundee]

like it :)



[EliFromBrooklyn]

How did Charlie have time to speak at this conference? He has too much time on his hands.

[elipandaman]

Great talk! I loved it. (and ImprovEverywhere of course! :D ) TED is amazing. :)

[LunaGer]

I love that you get people to look up :)