SINCE 2011
We are experts at using improvisation as the means to unleash greater collaboration, communication,
confidence & creativity in companies like yours.
David Kurzman, MAGNA
COO of Litigation Support
“These folks rock! Professional, high energy and educational! Thanks to the team for doing a great job helping us empower and connect our national consulting team!”
Melita Noël, SAVE THE CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL
Individual Philanthropy
“This team led a fantastic, helpful improv session with our full staff team. It has only been a few days, and already we're seeing a much stronger ‘yes, and’ mindset -- and better communication amongst team members.”
MEET OUR FOUNDER,
HOLLY MANDEL
Holly Mandel serves as the CEO of iMergence (2011). She demonstrates a unique blend of expertise as a corporate consultant and trainer, and improvisation instructor and technician.
Additionally, she was trained at the world-renowned improv instiution, The Groundlings, in Los Angeles. She founded and headed the longest-running improv school in New York City (which is also the first-and-only female founded improv school), and is respected professor at Pace University in Manhattan.
Her distinctive fusion of improvisational skills with cutting-edge business acumen, cultivated through the study of diverse organizational methods, sets her apart in her field.
She has worked along side notable performers such as Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy and has worked with notable companies such as IBM, GE, Walt Disney Studios and Apple.
Whether it’s for a top company or a boutique start-up, she designs each and every tailored, bespoke program that we deliver.
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Holly’s degree is in both psychology and sociology (UCLA); she has studied organizational development, collective creativity and innovation, leadership development - for women especially - with Integral Philosophy, Holacracy, and Spiral Dynamics and EpiEnergetics, optimizing the way systems operate, communicate & collaborate.
Holly has extensive experience in the corporate world, working at Disney Pictures, FX Networks, ABC Television and Comedy Central. She was also in advertising as a freelance writer/producer for many years.
She has created a women’s leadership, confidence and creativity program, Good Girls Aren’t CEOs, presenting at places such as Ogilvy, Skadden, Princeton University, and The Grace Hopper Celebration/AnitaB.org Institute.
Lastly, and what sets her apart from most corporate educators, is the training and experience she received with the very best in the industry - The Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles. It boasts alumni that are both past and current Saturday Night Live cast members, and the very best comedy performers in television and film today.
MEET OUR TEAM
SARAH HICKS
Executive Director of Sales & Events, Senior Facilitator
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As a Corporate Trainer and Director of Sales & Events, Sarah designs programs for and facilitate workshops for clients such as Capital One, Louis Vuitton, Genentech, Spotify, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Yale University, Deloitte and many more.
Her favorite part of bringing improv into the office is watching the shift that happens from the beginning of the session to the end. Colleagues go from, “ugh, I don’t want to do another dumb team building workshop…to holy $h*t, this was AWESOME!”She attributes the transformation to what she’s dubbed the ‘kale inside the brownie’ approach; improv teaches the tools you need to kick a$$ at work (kale) AND is super fun (brownie) at the same time!
LIZ COIN
Director of Corporate Development, Facilitator
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Liz Coin is proud graduate of Northwestern University and The Second City’s Conservatory Program in Chicago. Liz started improvising at age 16 and has been “Yes, And”ing ever since!
During her time as an International Thespian Officer with the Educational Theatre Association, Liz created her own workshops on Improvisation, Leadership, and Arts Advocacy that she taught for hundreds of students and teachers at theater conferences in over 10 US states. She was just 18 years old.
With all the downtime during the pandemic, Liz created her first company, Almost Funny, bringing trauma-informed, HIPAA-certified improvisation workshops into substance abuse rehabilitation centers as a complement to in-patient and out-patient therapy. She whole-heartedly believes laughter and connection are the best medicine!
Liz now teaches improv at Improvolution, the 1st woman-founded and run improv school in NYC. She coaches improv independently and provides one-on-one confidence coaching.
Liz is a lead facilitator with iMergence where she leads corporate improv trainings for massive companies.
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MICHAEL GOLDFRIED
Senior Facilitator, Public Speaking Executive Coach
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ANTHONY MINTO
Senior Facilitator
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YUVAL BOIM
Senior Facilitator
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BECKY VEDUCCIO
Senior Facilitator
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BRIAN PALERMO
Senior Facilitator
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RADHIKA VAZ
Senior Facilitator
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DONOVAN MITCHELL
Facilitator
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AUDREY RAPOPORT
Facilitator
Located in New York City & Los Angeles, we travel the globe delivering bespoke programs.
OUR STORY:
A RADICAL IDEA!
Our founder, Holly Mandel, saw an unexplored opportunity:
take what she was teaching in her improvisation classes, add what she learned from working in the corporate world, and distill the process so businesses could quickly and easily access all the benefits that result from the heightened state of creativity, awareness, fearlessness and collaboration that improv provides.
She knew improv is transformative because it is experiential.
Improv doesn’t live on paper, it’s not something you can read about in order to learn.
It became evident very quickly that not only were the improv workshops Holly was leading effective, they were extremely fun! Which is part and parcel why the workshops are so powerful.
Holly’s experience with companies like ABC, Disney, and Viacom showed her how improvisation could transform teams, bringing ease and joy to their work. She dug deeper into the mechanics of improv and discovered its connection to the highly sought-after states of "flow" and "emergence."
Long considered vital yet hard to achieve—especially in groups—Holly realized improv was the key to unlocking these states quickly and with a sense of fun. This insight inspired the creation of iMERGENCE.
OUR NAME: iMERGENCE
the synthesis of IMPROV and EMERGENCE
the “i” is for improvisation
and the “-mergence” refers to the phenomena emergence, the spontaneous burst of creativity, innovation and optimization always producing something greater than the sum of its parts.
Improv is often confused with performance or comedy, but its true power lies in the mindset that drives it. Businesses are discovering it as a simple yet effective tool with impressive results.
Improv teaches skills like navigating the unknown, authentic listening, confident contribution, and seamless teamwork. When people collaborate without judgment, using higher forms of communication and creativity, synergy emerges, leading to innovative solutions.
At iMERGENCE, we harness improv to help your company emerge into a more effective and successful version of itself.
OUR GOAL
To catalyze your workplace into becoming a thriving, innovative, positive ‘YES, AND’ COMPANY.
When each team member in a company is embracing an Improv Mindset and applying the tools they learn from our workshops, the entire company begins performing at a higher level.
We are committed to transforming both individuals and teams so they express these 12 qualities:
authentic confidence
emotional intelligence & empathy
a team orientation
fearlessness & boldness
freedom from ‘perfection-itis’
creativity & innovation
joy & passion for their work
agility & flexibility
inclusivity & respect
quick & judgment-free thinking
positivity & a Growth Mindset
trust & psychological safety
This will completely change your customer’s experience of your company and kick-off a more collaborative, impactful, and productive version of your business.
SARAH HICKS, Executive Director of Sales & EventsTELL US ALL ABOUT YOU!
Share the details of your event or training so we can hear all about your company and your needs.
We can then set up a call if you’d like to answer you questions and share with you all that we do.