About
Rob Schiffmann, a 3-time MAC award winner (Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs), is a professional corporate host / comedian / keynote speaker with 20 years of experience on the corporate stage. Rob has hosted meetings, both nationally and internationally, for many corporations, including Big Lots, IBM, Lenovo, Crayola, Merck, Folgers, Microsoft, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Bank of America, Ortho Women’s Health, BMW, DuPont, Genentech, Pepsi, Dannon and many more. Rob’s background in music and improvisation allows him to bring a level of interactivity to your meeting that will keep your audience consistently engaged through the use of content-driven material that Rob can either write ahead of time or make up on the spot. Rob will bring his quick wit and charm to your meeting to help you and your audience have an experience that will not soon be forgotten.
Rob will make your meeting MORE fun and MORE effective.
Rob directs and performs with Broadway’s Next Hit Musical, an improvisational musical-comedy show, which tours nationally to 30-40 cities a year. For many years, Rob was a cast member / director / teacher / music director for Chicago City Limits, New York City’s longest running comedy show. Rob has improvised on television on The CBS Early Show, MTV and The Daily Download on Fuze.
Rob is the winner of the 2011 INNY (Improvisation News New York) Award for Best Improv Coach and has performed and taught improvisation all over the world as a comedian / improvisor, most recently in London, Mexico, Portugal and Guatemala. His talents range from expert interviews to interactive game shows to hilarious impromptu songs about audience members, most often accompanying himself on either guitar or piano or with customized backing tracks that Rob has created himself.
Rob’s improvisational background is the inspiration for and basis of his keynote “The Power to Pivot: Mistakes are Gifts!”, a talk on the power of presence and the ability to allow the unexpected to become the unforgettable.
Rob may be opening your meeting, providing fun interactive segues, delivering an impactful keynote speech, creating songs and games for interstitial moments, introducing your speakers, hosting your live broadcast or interviewing your executives.
Whatever Rob is doing, you can be sure he is delivering your themes and messages, making your people and your company shine and helping your meeting to be one to be well remembered for years to come.
Virtual Meetings
“Coffee Break Improv”
In even the best of times, life can be topsy turvy. From the state of the world to the state of your desk, we could all use a break. In this brave new virtual world, why not turn YOUR breaks into opportunities? Professional Improviser / Corporate Keynoter and Emcee, Rob Schiffmann will show you and your teammates interactive improvisational games and exercises that will underscore the key elements of teamwork, creative thinking, collaboration and presentation. These fun and hands on virtual ‘coffee breaks’ will have you laughing, learning and live streaming and feeling rejuvenated for the days and times to come.
Keynote Program
The Power to Pivot: Mistakes are Gifts!
Life rarely goes as planned. Things go awry and as hard as you try to stay on the path you have laid out, you will invariably be diverted: the Powerpoint on your presentation goes out; your deadline is tomorrow instead of a week from tomorrow; you only have five minutes with a stakeholder when you thought you had fifteen! These are the moments in which we throw our hands up in frustration, we panic and/or we freeze! However, there IS another way!
Rob Schiffmann will show you the path towards presence and acceptance in these moments and show you how you can turn these “mistakes” into gifts. This interactive keynote will have audience members on their feet and armed with the ‘Power to Pivot’. Through the use of interactive exercises, professional and personal examples, your audience will walk away with the understanding that some of the world’s greatest successes have come when constraint has given rise to ingenuity. Your people will gain the ability to turn the unexpected into the unforgettable.
Topics covered included in this interactive keynote: staying in the moment, listening actively and harnessing the power to accept and build upon the unexpected. You will listen, you will laugh and you will learn to truly live in the moment!
Host and Emcee
Whether Rob is improvising songs with your audience or writing and recording parody or original songs to underscore the content from an executive presentation, Rob’s understanding of the corporate environment allows him to be versatile without ever crossing boundaries.
Testimonials
“Rob Schiffmann is the magic that pulls together every component of our national event. He’s fun, funny, easy to work with, and incredibly talented!” — Jeremy Ball, Director of Events for Big Lots
“Rob is easy to work with and understands the nuances of working on corporate shows. His versatility creates good value for clients looking to add some creativity and humor to general sessions or some fun to awards.” — Mary Reynolds, Creative Director / Producer, Image Media
“I have worked with Rob as a Producer, Director, Writer and Performer and would not hesitate to work with him again in any of those roles … or new ones as needs arise. He is a talented professional who should be given every consideration.”– Greg Triggs, Creative Director at Disney
“I had the pleasure of sharing the main stage with Rob while hosting Lenovo’s premier channel partner event. Rob was a hit! He brought a different aspect to what has historically been a very popular event for Lenovo. We showed some comedic flair and brought new creativity based on his influence and work. I would absolutely recommend Rob for work in the future”. — Sammy Kinlaw, former CEO of Lenovo, current VP, Worldwide Channel & OEM Sales, Lexmark
Client list
Rob has worked with clients in varied industries such as banking, bio-tech, pharma, retail, food/beverage and many more. His past clients include American Express, Bank of America, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Big Lots, Disney, BMW, Cisco, Crayola, Cartier, E.S.P.N., Genentech, IBM, Lenovo, Marriott, Mastercard, Merck, Microsoft, Pfizer, Price Waterhouse Cooper, Purdue Foods, Wendy’s, and many more.
