“The great thing about creative work is that it actually thrives in constraint.” — Kelly Leonard

Today, Chad is joined by Kelly Leonard, Executive Director of Insights & Applied Improvisation at Second City Works. Kelly originally started off as a production assistant (aka dishwasher) in 1988 and worked his way up at The Second City. By 1992, Kelly had risen to the role of Director of Sales and was the assistant to the Executive Producer of the show. Since starting with Second City, Kelly has produced work with talents such as Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Keegan Michael Key, Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, and many others. 

Kelly finished his first book, titled “Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration,” which is all about the magic of improv and how we can use the practice in our day to day lives. 

“I really think why improvisation is so powerful is it’s literally human being practice. It’s getting in a room, making eye contact, saying some words, maybe saying gibberish and finding a way that we can understand each other, learn from each other and, most important, co-create with each other,” says Kelly.

On this episode, Chad and Kelly take a deep dive into improv, why it is the core of what it means to be human and how we can use the practice to enhance our own creativity and connection with each other.

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