(download .pdf of all client quotes)

YAHOO!
“You guys were FANTASTIC!! You really made the event. You have instantly gained a strong fan base across the Yahoos and clients at this summit.”
-Dick O’Hare, Vice President, Global Strategic Partnerships

VISA USA
“I knew the show was going to be good. I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was, however. Many, many thanks. Hopefully we can have you all back for Part Deux at a not-to-distant date.”
-Hank Martinson, former Senior VP, Marketing

US BANCORP
“You guys added so much energy and wit to our National Sales Meeting. Thank you for another hilarious event. Huge, huge value add!”
-Per Berger, former Vice President of Marketing, Investments and Insurance

“You and your team provided an element at our meeting that I believe is the 'glue' that pulled everything together. Your team is first class in everything they do and our meeting would not have been the huge success it was without your team's talents.”
-Melissa A. Gaustad, former Chief Marketing Officer

“John - A big THANK YOU to you and your team. Having Brave New Workshop made all the difference in our general session. I heard so many positive comments from our attendees complimenting the job that you all did. One of the hardest things to do is to make people laugh and you all accomplish that with such ease, you are BRILLIANT performers and I look forward to working with you again in the future.”
-Kelly M Roth, CMP, former Director, Meetings & Events

THOMSON
“I just wanted to let you know how valuable it was to have the BNW performers come to Thomson as part of our Courageous Leader Workshop. We have received much feedback that the session was great, especially because of BNW. All five individuals were talented, creative, and made the workshop a success. Others from different parts of the organization have heard about it and now want to attend the workshop next week in the hopes of running the same program in their areas. This makes me proud and excited for your organization as well.”
- Valerie Howard, Manager, Thomson Learning Center

"Thanks SO much for a WONDERFUL time. Everyone enjoyed themselves (it was beyond expectations, which are already pretty high :). Both the customized skits and your other skits were HILARIOUS! Please tell all the actors that they did a fabulous Job!!!! Happy Holidays to each of you. Dave - Great job with the food again – THANKS"
-Maggie Judge, Knowledge Sharing Manager

REI
“Things went swell, the team thoroughly enjoyed the training, and they were using all kinds of snippets from the ideas and presentation during our conference. Thanks again to Caleb and his crew – they were very talented in what they do. Caleb was a fantastic facilitator, and everyone couldn’t stop talking about how engaging he was.”
-Rebecca Barton, HR Organizational Development

ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS
“I am a huge fan of your work. Your innovative approach combined with your energy, passion and humor is something we can all use!”
-Melinda Rogers, Vice President, Strategic Planning & Venture Investments and Toronto Blue Jays Owner

TARGET
"You and your team did SUCH an amazing job on today's event. We truly couldn't have done it without your innovative ideas, dedication, patience and talent! We owe you a debt of gratitude for a fantastic event! I am absolutely looking forward to working with you again in the future"
-Joy Davis, Marketing

"Thank you Brian! What a terrific event! Thank you SO much! Thanks again for your spirited holiday cheer~!
May the holiday season bring you & BNW the BEST of times!!"
-Ann Boyum, Business Consultant, Talent Development

"THANK YOU so much for everything you did to make this event, what everyone is saying at Target, 'The Best Marketing Party Ever!' You and your team's creativity, passion and dedication truly made this something that people will be looking forward to again next year. People are still raving about your live scene from 'Titanic' and your role as the Godfather along with the dance of the ID badges, just to name a few highlights!”
-Josh Carter, Events and Publicity

GENERAL MILLS
"Thank you again for your recent involvement in our Annual Champions of Finance Awards. I have heard nothing but very positive comments about your performance from those in attendance, including Jim Lawrence, our CFO. Jim nearly called your actors out for a second curtain call during his closing comments.”
-Kurt Guelder, Senior Financial Manager

HOFFMAN COMMUNICTIONS
"Caleb and crew were fantastic for our client's National Sales Meeting. We've been doing this project for years, but this truly was the most engaged our audience has been and I fully attribute it to Caleb's MC'ing and his colleagues’ terrific improvisational skills. The audience was engaged in a very professional -- and hilarious -- manner. Well done.”
- Glenn Miller, Vice President for Creative Services

MICROSOFT
"The crew from BNW deserves a special thanks for doing a brilliant job – they provided comedic energy and knowledge that helped keep the evening interesting and creative juice flowing. Fabulous work!”
-Tamber Angel, Marketing Program Manager

3M
"You guys did a superb job. I have received many comments from my co-workers who were very excited by your production and raved about the expertise and talent of the Brave New Workshop. My Technical Director agrees that this type of Event was on cue, and thought your group brought a medium that our entire group could relate to, laugh to and enjoy. Again, Thanks to you, your staff and cast members for a putting together a successful event for our medical laboratory colleagues."
-Larry G. Martin, Clinical Research

MEDTRONIC
"I am writing to tell you how thrilled we were with the Brave New Workshop performance last week at our annual World Wide Human Resources Leadership Conference. The response has been off the charts. Everybody loved it and filling the auditorium with laughter was the perfect way to cap off a successful conference. Your performance was an absolute highlight of our week and this was reflected in the surveys we received from the attendees. On a 5 point scale, you were rated as a 4.8. Just outstanding!"

"We greatly enjoyed working with you throughout the creative process and could not be happier with the end product. We were all amazed by your ability to accurately customize the performance, given the information we provided to you. Thank you for your understanding of our need to have control and input throughout the creative development. It was a new experience for us and certainly well worth our investment in your collective talents. All I can say is thank you so much because it was great."

"Again, my deepest gratitude for helping us to pull this off and for making it such a huge success. I am confident there are endless future opportunities for Brave New Workshop in the corporate business environment to provide learning and insights using the creative process. We hope to work with you again in the near future."
-Grace Gorringe, Director Leadership Development

"Just wanted to follow up with you to say thanks for doing such a great job at the recent Medtronic "GPS" taping. The DVDs are now being watched across the country, and I believe the humor you injected into our segment is ensuring that people stay awake. I've seen the edited version and it turned out very well. It wouldn't have been as good without your involvement."
-Lisa Neary, Product Manager, Medtronic CareLink Network, Medtronic Cardiac Rhythm Management

TENNANT COMPANY
“Tennant’s 2004 National Sales Meeting was a “success” that far exceeded our expectations. Never before has Marketing received the 'thanks' and 'way-to-go’s' that we have from this meeting. You played a key role in both this meeting’s success and the outstanding marketing presentation. The 'Tennant Show' was the hit of our meeting. Our delivery of our marketing game plan in this new format has shown our rep’s that they have a new marketing department – on which they can count for innovative new ways to reach our customers. Thanks for your patience and help in this success.”
-Stan Mierzejewski, Vice President of Marketing

CARGILL
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with BNW on the Cargill recognition project. If there is any chance to work together again, I'd love to. The talent did a fabulous job, the concepts got across well to the audience, and best of all - they learned while they laughed. That's great!"
-Bonnie L. Schoenfelder, Ph.D., Management Consultant

MAYO CLINIC
"On behalf of the Mayo Clinic hosts for this year's Midwest Anesthesiology Residents Conference, we would like to offer our sincere thanks for such a delightful addition to the conference. We're sure that you've heard this before, but you ran a class act, and we appreciated your contribution to what turned out to be a very successful conference.”
-Dr. Jim Munis, Chair, Department of Anesthesiology

CARLSON COMPANIES
"Thank you for a truly enjoyable evening. The show was an absolute RIOT! I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time - actually, since John Sweeney was a speaker at our conference in August."

"It was so great that you worked in some special sketches for our group. They really hit the mark dead on. You obviously did your homework! The one about the Gallup survey was particularly appropriate. Earlier this year, Mary Lahr-Hill had a staff meeting where she provided some delicious pies, beverages and had a prize drawing for Gold Points. Another manager playfully accused her of trying to 'bribe' us into giving her all 5’s on the survey! Too funny!"

"I was truly amazed when John did improvisation at our conference and even more amazed last night. You are extremely talented actors! How you can think so quick on your feet is beyond me. It was fun to watch you take suggestions/ideas/sentences from the audience and somehow weave them into a sketch that made some sense while being hilarious at the same time! Then, to take a sketch and perform it on the spot as an action movie, Shakespeare, Dr. Suess and a county song absolutely blew my mind!"

"The laughter and fun of last night has carried over into today. We’ve all been talking about how great the show was and how talented you all are. Those who weren’t able to come last night know they missed something very unique and entertaining. We’ve directed them to the “12 Days of Christmas” video on your website to get a taste of what they missed.
I think you earned some new customers last night. I for sure plan to come back to the theatre and bring my family with me. There are no elaborate sets or fancy costumes, but you don’t need them. The actors are able to set the scene using only a few props and portray their character with their raw talent."

"I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the names of the other actress, the guy in the booth and the music accompanist. They were all a vital part of the show. Please extend my gratitude to them as well as to the other employees working the bar, coat room, food, etc. Everyone was so friendly and accommodating."

"Once again, thank you for providing the best medicine ever – laughter!"
-Mary Ross, Database Coordinator

MARSHALL FIELDS
"I wanted to write and tell you just how happy the executives were with your performance. All of them were already familiar with the scripts, yet when actually performed, they were gripping their stomachs in laughter and some even in tears. The feedback from the entire merchant team has been overwhelmingly positive. We've received many comments from the merchants about how much they needed to laugh, how relevant the humor was, how great the performances were and how the scripts seem to capture exactly how they were feeling. We've heard that the scripts did a good job of acknowledging some of their bigger challenges and that they truly felt appreciated. That was no small task given everything they've endured in the last year. Thanks to you, Caleb and the rest of the team. You created an experience that our merchants will soon not forget. Thank you for that!"
-Saunya Peterson, Senior Director Internal Communications Group

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
"We needed a 'top level' event and that is exactly what we received... You both [Brian Aylmer and Troy Alexander] were very accommodating and workd to develop the right content for our event. I hope that this is the beginning of a new and long relationship with the Brave New Workshop."
-Darlene Zakseski, Premier Events Director, Midwest Division

SECRETARY’S OF STATE
"Thank you for helping us make the 2005 Secretary of State's Conference a great success... Your quick wit and exclusive detail to UCC's and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), not to mention your inclusion of the audience created for splendid entertainment. Once again, thanks for your delightful performance. I trust that many Secretaries of State and other business and government delegations went home wondering how they could book the Brave New Workshop for their events."
-Mary Kiffmeyer, MN Secretary of State

SCHWANS
"I just wanted to write you a quick note to thank you and your entire staff for an AWESOME performance on Thursday night. The group absolutely loved your skits and thought you did a wonderful job. They were still laughing Friday morning at breakfast. That's definitely a good sign!! :)The customized skit was perfect...you really nailed the informationthat we passed along to you. Thanks for all of your hardwork and for making our Sales & Marketing Meeting a memorable experience for everyone!"
- Kelly Hilgert, former meeting planner

DISNEY CRUISE LINES
"We wanted someone with experience and flexibility. There was an overwhelming comfort that this was the company we could use to produce our product."
-Jack Hall, Entertainment Director

AMERICAN EXPRESS FINANCIAL ADVISORS
"The energy and professionalism they brought to our event ensured that it would be a meeting to remember."
-Steven Elbert, Executive Producer

TONKA TOYS
"We've never had a presentation this good!"

ST. PAUL AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
"Thank you and your team for helping our volunteers get in the spirit of the Chamber's Membership Campaign - you guys were fantastic!"
-Tom Ashenbrenner, former Director of Membership

BAN-KOE COMPANIES
"The Brave New Workshop's performance at our Winter Party 2001 was the hit of the evening. I received so many compliments from our employees as to the great time they had and how wonderful and funny the entertainment was. I would recommend The Brave New Workshop's Corporate Comedy Show to any organization looking for something clever, different, and funny leaving all in stitches...I look forward to the next opportunity we have to work together again!"
-Kelly Sullivan, Special Events Coordinator

MINNESOTA NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION
"Thanks to you (Pete Colburn) and the other talented actors, we could enjoy an evening of laughter and relaxation after a long day of work. One person who attended commented, 'I love the Friday night fun. Sometimes we have too many speakers and too much input. This was a time to relax and enjoy ourselves.'"
-Linda Falkman, Executive Director

MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
"Thanks once again to you, Phil (Lusardi), and the cast for a wonderful performance at the FAS Summer Institute. The participants gave it rave reviews and were pleasantly surprised that we opened the conference with such a lively session...Thanks again for your great work."
-Elisabeth Atherly, FAS Grants Coordinator

LACEK GROUP
"...I wanted to drop a quick note to let you know that we had a wonderful time at our holiday party. I've only had positive feedback from people here at TLG (The Lacek Group). Your teams did an excellent job of entertaining and taking care of us. I hope we have the opportunity to use your services in the future. Again, thanks for the fabulous job!"

COLDWELL BANKER BURNETT
"Last week Coldwell Banker Burnet had the opportunity to enjoy the hilarious comedy of several members of the Brave New Workshop Theatre at our 2nd annual retreat at Superior Shores Resort in Two Harbors, MN. Under the creative direction of Phil Lusardi, this talented group of performers brought us 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' and the second night their original improvisation was absolutely side-splitting...The Brave New Workshop will be a perennial consideration for future events. thanks for the good time!"
-Leonard D. MacKinnon, Sr. VP Marketing & Communications

ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN EDITORIAL CARTOONISTS
"Where do you get your ideas? Coming from those of us in the cartoon profession, that is meant as a compliment for your performance before the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) in Minneapolis...The quick-witted, quick-wicked spontaneity of your performance was shocking - shocking, I say - and served as a nice, irreverent cap to our week in your fair city...Thanks for putting on such an innovative show."
-Steve Benson, President

GRAND AVENUE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
"...We received rave reviews about the entertainment for our attendees including over 160 Grand Avenue business owners, city officials, and other St. Paul VIPs...The goals we gave the Brave New Workshop were fairly lofty...entertain our members with a customized corporate live improv show, make our members laugh at themselves, incorporate Grand Avenue "buzz" words and themes and make our live auction more fun and profitable. I am happy to say that we achieved them all and more... We can't wait to invite you back!"
-Char Mason, Executive Director, Char Mason & Associates

ROLLOUTS INCORPORATED
"Brave New Workshop's hilarious performance at our 'All Systems Go!' event last Saturday was a huge hit. As promised, Jeff Hopkins and crew delivered 45 minutes of spontaneous, inventive, fast-paced and funny material, expertly 'customize' with insider Rollouts humor and jargon (we particularly loved the soap opera spoof 'starring' our own staffers)...Your team's hard work, talent and professionality paid off for our own hardworking installers, project managers and their guest. Thanks so much for an evening of great fun."
-Michael Kraemer, President

HEWLETT PACKARD
"The audience loved the show! Your ability to masterfully blend comedy with education was the perfect answer."
-Noel Samlaska, former HP Manager

ANDERSON WINDOWS
"The time you and your team devoted to understanding our business issues really paid off for a fun evening."
-Jeff Rosell, Manager

MALT-O-MEAL
"The Brave New Workshop provided training and entertainment for one of our most successful team training days ever. Our employees are still talking about it."
-Kevin Boesche, Training Manager

TCF BANK
"Perfectly written, acted and received."

MINNEAPOLIS BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
"It was the most fun we have ever had in the 45 year history of the Association! Our Board of Directors would like to make it an annual event!"

PRAGMATEK
"...please extend our thanks and appreciation to the crew that spent Sunday and Monday with us in Brainerd. It was an unqualified out of the park grand slam home run... I could go on and on but I'll just say it was even better than I hoped, and I'll be in touch with you for our future fun/training needs as they arise."
-Flip Crummer, Client Relationship Executive

MUSICLAND GROUP
"Just a note to say what an ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS job the entire Brave New Workshop did at our recent National Conference. They took basic information about our company and our everyday tasks and turned our mundane into a hilarious improv...Our regional managers and directors LOVED it. The audience was literally falling off their chairs with laughter. I very highly recommend the Brave New Workshop for any corporate event. Brave New Workshop's emcee, Caleb McEwen, was such a hit, that by the 4th day of the conference people were asking for his autograph, his photo and demanding him back for next year. Thank you and we will be doing business again."
-Marcia Sample, Creative Director

AUGUSTINE MEDICAL
"On behalf of Augustine Medical, thank you for the excellent performance the Brave New Workshop actors gave at our recent National Sales and Marketing meeting. The feedback I received has been fantastic. Everyone loved it and expressed that it was a perfect way to end the evening...Most impressive was how the ensemble personalized their performance. From the limited information I provided the creative director, came show that the audience believed had been custom-designed. Please express our gratitude to the actors who performed the show. They were professional, fun, quick-witted and a joy to watch...Perhaps the biggest compliment that I can provide is the number of people who asked if we were going to book you next years as well."
-Ken Ericson, Training Manager

LSS DATA SYSTEMS
"Everything was extremely well done. Caleb was excellent to work with. Even at the last moment we threw him a curve and he was very gracious and saw to it that everything went well for us. We really enjoyed the presentation. Our clients were extremely happy. The feedback was extremely positive. Overall, just a wonderful experience working with you guys. Don't hesitate to have people call me for a referral."
-David Pettigell, Technical Advisor, Business Opportunities

GOVERNMENT TRAINING SERVICES
"You guys EXCEEDED my expectations. And I was already excited and couldn't wait to see you perform because I was familiar with you -- but it was even way BETTER than I expected. We couldn't believe how you took our information and customized it and made it work. And that's very, VERY impressive!"

"It was far and away the best conference we've put on due in large part to adding humor and Brave New Workshop. We brought it up a level. Don't know how we're going to top it next year."

"We'd love to work with you again, and certainly, with [Creative Director] Phil Lusardi, if he's available. He was professional, thorough, creative, personable... an incredible blend or skill and professionalism. The biggest hit [of the show] was Caleb McEwen's 'Dr. Von Schnelling' mock speaker. The intro was so credible and his act so good -- they didn't catch on for seven minutes or longer. The second most mentioned bit was 'Panel of Experts' -- which [the attendees] insisted be reprised the next day."
-Rich Spencer, Project Leader