ABOUT DOUG

Doug began his career over 20 years ago “thinking up stuff” for the Leo Burnett Advertising Agency for clients that included Heinz, Procter & Gamble, Pillsbury, United Airlines, Dewar’s and Memorex.

Not too long after that, he trained as an improviser and comedy performer/writer at the Players’ Workshop of Second City. His first break happened when he won the lead in Second City Children’s Theater production of “The Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor”. He could thereafter occasionally be seen in the improvised end-of-show sets on the main stage.

He was a founding member of Improv Olympic champion “Headcheese”. His work as part of the Group “The Company We Keep” won recognition from critics and they were named “Comedy Group of the Year” by WXRT Radio. This lead to work in radio, television, commercials & film as a member of AFTRA. He also performed standup comedy.

Touched by show biz, Doug evolved into the theater of tradeshows, events and Experiential Marketing, initially as a writer and performer. Later, as Senior Account Executive and team leader, he worked on projects with Disney Imagineering and numerous Fortune 500 clients, for whom he has traveled the nation and the world.

More recently, Doug has presented workshops at TS², The Exhibitor Show, FastTrak, De Paul University/The Ryan Center for Innovation and Catalyst Ranch. Among the associations of which he is a member are: BMA, CEF, NSA, ASTDA TSEA, EDPA, and HCEA. He sits on the board of Child’s Play Touring Theatre and Funstreet, Inc., developers of the game Ruckus™ by the co-inventor of Hubbub™.

Doug has a BA cum laude in American Studies from the University of Notre Dame, an MM (MBA) in Marketing & Nonprofit Management from the J.L. Kellogg School at Northwestern and a MSc from the International Center for Studies in Creativity (Buffalo State College) in Buffalo, New York where Alex Osborn (partner- BBDO Advertising) developed “Brainstorming” and the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving methodology with Sidney Parnes.

Doug resides in Chicago in a Creative Sanctuary – A converted loft space in a church south of Bucktown/Wicker Park, built originally in 1886. He enjoys creative writing, cartooning, performing comedy monologues, impressions, podcasting, cycling, shadow puppetry and yodeling.

He is featured in the book, “Goal-Free Living” by Steve Shapiro and, along with Gregg Fraley, conducts workshops and podcasts/broadcasts as one of “The Innovise Guys”.

On the MBTI (Meyers-Briggs) he is an ENFP, the KAI (Kirton Adaptor-Innovator Index) he was scored a 152; and on the FourSight (Creative Styles Preference) he has an Ideator and Implementor or “Driver” dominant profile. A prolific ideator and skillful facilitator, he has been called an “Idea Machine” and an “Iconoclastic Ideationist”. He draws on his native creativity, his formal training in the Osborn-Parnes CPS model, his humor, improvisation skills, marketing experience, writing and quick drawing ability to enhance the process of producing an abundance of novel and actionable new ideas wherever there is a need.