QUICK & EASY INTERVIEW

KEITH SALTOJANES

Q: TELL US ABOUT YOUR DEBUT RELEASE, THE IMPROV MINDSET.

Sure, getting to it right off the bat- I like it! I have been doing improv, which means what... studying, performing, teaching, thinking about?... yes, all of the above for about 20 years, from as many different sources as possible – which includes every major training center in the country, as well as performing and teaching groups, companies, and major film studios across the globe. Now, I’m not just saying all of this to brag (not just), but to say that all of that experience is distilled down into this book. The more I teach, or even talk about improv to different people, the more I realize that while improv is great for creative people like writers or performers such as myself, all of the skills are applicable to basically every human on the planet.

As I have been quoted as saying, we improvise every day. No one has a script when they go about their lives, and since that’s true, then learning the skills of improv to apply to our everyday lives, I believe, is incredibly important and something that isn’t done.

And for those who already have an interest in learning improv, usually you have to live close to where one of these improv schools are located, usually in a major city in the United States or even increasingly so across the world. There are more and more options of online classes that have become available, but still, you usually can only practice improv with some sort of a group. Well, both of those seem to be a big hindrance to learning these skills, doesn’t it? What happens if you don’t live close toa. schol, or don’t have the same schedule as classes offered. Guess you can’t learn these things...sorry.

Not true! So, the very long answer to your short question is that this book is to help people learn these skills of improv without any excuses. You don’t need a group, a class, or even an internet connection; all you need to do is read this book, which lays out extensive exercises and scenarios that you can practice improv skills in to get better at this type of mindset in your everyday life.

I was working on the book for close to a decade, and as I would learn new things, I would have to go back and rewrite everything. But I’m very excited that it’s finally available to the world and excited to see how, as more and more people read it, it might change their lifestyles from being shy and scared to be themselves to someone where they’re more fearless and enjoy life a little bit more.

Q: WHAT MAKES YOUR DEBUT DIFFERENT FROM THE MILLIONS THAT ARE PUBLISHED ON THE SAME SUBJECT?

Wow, are there really a million books about improv available? I haven’t counted, but you could be right.

This was a major thing that I was taking into consideration while working on this book. Does the world really need another book about how to ‘do improv?’ Maybe not, which is why my book is specifically approaching Improv not for someone who has studied improv for a long time and wants to get some more tips on how to perform the perfect Herald (those who know what that means, know) but how to use the skills such as being present and using your own experience for new ideas to everyday situations.

Again, the book is not specifically something for you to bring with you to an improv group practice where you can play games, but something that you can carry around with you and practice exercises at home by yourself and then eventually in the real world, all that activates thinking as an improviser.

I myself have found that people who perform improv are usually quick-witted, more laid back, and not as nervous to handle spontaneous situations as they occur. But just because you’re someone who doesn’t ever want to get on stage doesn’t mean you can’t be that way too, and that’s what this book is really about.”

Q: WHAT IS IMPROV-LA? HOW CAN READERS TAKE PARTIN WHAT IMPROV-LA HAS TO OFFER?

Improv-LA is the creative training center that I founded in 2010, based in Los Angeles which you probably could have guessed by the name. It truly served as the homebase and testing ground for everything that’s in the book. So, if you read the book, or just don’t like reading, but live in Los Angeles and want to learn these things directly, well, come on by and join us.

We offer multiple classes for all skill levels of improv, ranging from Level 1, where you never have had to even speak in front of another human being, to Level 4, which dives deep into the philosophy of performance and fearlessness as an improviser. We also have classes in sketch comedy writing, voice over, and other things I’m probably forgetting right now.

Even if you don’t live close to Los Angeles, we have launched the first-of-its-kind on-demand streaming improv class. Think of it like those celebrity Masterclasses, but for improv. It features a collection of videos where you receive one-on-one coaching from myself, allowing you to work on improv skills at your own pace.

Look, when I first learned improv, I was in a location with very limited resources. I want to ensure that anyone who wants to improve their lives through creativity can access these resources in whatever way suits them best. Like everything these days, we have a website, Improv-LA.com, which provides all the information about everything I just mentioned, and more fun stuff.

Q: NAME SOME OF THE TOPICS THAT YOUR BOOK DISCUSSES THAT ARE CRUCIAL FOR IMPROVING THE MINDSET.

Oh, there are so many, I don’t even really know where to begin. But something that I really like is the chapter on how to initiate. The hardest thing to do in improv is to come up with the first thing, and sometimes that’s also the hardest thing to do when trying to talk to someone - what do you even say? In all of my years of studying improv, I never had a teacher really explain to me how to start or initiate an improv scene.

But in the book, there’s an entire chapter on the six ways, that cover every single possibility, on how to initiate in improv and in conversing with other people. The trick is, you don’t really need to think of an entire thing to say, you just have to do something. The book breaks it down with examples so you can really understand it.

Do you want me to tell you what they are right now? Well, I’m not going to. That’s what the book is for, silly!

Q: HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE IMPROVING THE MINDSET BUSINESS? DOES IT REQUIRE A DEGREE OR TRAINING?

Well, I think to improve one’s mindset, there are many different ways to do that. One wonderful way is through therapy, with a trained professional who has a degree they worked and studied very hard for.

Luckily I’m not claiming to be that at all. I simply am offering a different perspective on how we might look at the world around us. We’re taught many things by people who really didn’t know much better but just had a little bit more experience than we did—our parents, for example—and we take on those traits, and they become who we are.

But having the Improv Mindset teaches us to be more present and to look at things in a fun and creative way. Through my own journey of improv, I noticed how while learning it to be a better performer and writer, it affected every other area of my life in such a positive way. That’s part of what this book’s goal as well—show you how the skills of Improv can maybe, possibly, perchance, change the way you look at the world.

Q: WHERE CAN READERS FIND YOU AND YOUR BOOK ONLINE?

You can most likely find me at a vegan establishment or someplace serving tea in and around Los Angeles. If not there then I’m probably somewhere in nature. And if not those places then most likely in front of my computer writing. But why you stalking me, bro?

For real, you can find all about the person that is me at  www.keithsaltojanes.com  and get a copy of The Improv Mindset for yourself on Amazon or anywhere else that you like to purchase books- it›s only a matter of time before an illegal bitTorrent PDF is available on the internet too. But for now, you can buy it. Thanks for the chat fellow human.

ABOUT KEITH SALTOJANES

Keith Saltojanes is the Founder of Improv-LA, the internationally known creative training center based in Los Angeles. He has taught improv techniques in over 10 countries and for executives at some of the biggest companies around (including Disney, Netflix, Amazon, IBM). He also has a Guinness World Record for the Longest Improv Show and was a writer for National Lampoon and for comedians from SNL, MADtv, In Living Color, and Mr. Show.