Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony DeRosa
Hi Tony, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I first got into improv comedy at Pointless Brewing in 2016 as I was getting ready for my wedding to destress. I completely fell in love with the art form and have been performing regularly ever since. My wife and I moved to California during Covid in 2020 as she started a three-year fellowship at Stanford University. We moved back to Michigan last summer and I decided a terrific next career move for me would be to combine my passion for craft beer with improv and bring them both together again for Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the big challenges so far was that the licensing for alcohol takes some time. We took possession of the brewery in February and just recently received all needed approvals in July. We’re working hard to build out our team in the interim and ensure that we can launch with beverages and food that make everyone feel really proud. A second challenge has been some team changes. We feel very confident now that we have the right group in place to tackle this project. For a fairly large space, it’s a small but mighty team tackling the work needed to open.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In my past career at Google, one of the main areas I contributed to was manager development. An area of passion that I’m bringing to this project is combining business fundamentals and the wisdom of improv. In working with groups of all sizes, we are finding that improv helps folks be in the moment, communicate effectively, and build trust with their team. I’m very excited for the corporate workshop side of our brewery. We can create custom packages for events of all sizes including food and drinks.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
This project is all about joy and laughter. There are a lot of things that are difficult and stressful in the world, and we hope that our venue is a respite from all of that. I found personally that improv comedy has a special ability to craft lifelong connections. Some of my best friends have come from the art form. We also want people to be delighted by our beverage program, and aspire to have some of the best beers in the state as well as delicious wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks. Our recently hired Head Brewer Ben Schnurle is passionate about clean, West Coast-style beers and German styles. That will fit in perfectly with our vision for the business.
Pricing:
- 7-Week Improv Classes – $250
- Friday and Saturday Shows – $15
Contact Info:
- Website: https://heardotsay.com
- Instagram: heardotsay
- Facebook: heardotsay
- Twitter: heardotsay
