In this episode, I sit down with Drew Turner, one of Atlanta's most prolific independent improv producers. Drew's journey to improv starts in an unexpected place — he wanted to be a video game designer, took a drama class as an easy elective, and got bitten by the theater bug surrounded by peers who are now working off-Broadway and on major TV shows.

Drew takes us through his six years with the Knitwits at Noonan Theater Company, where he was doing two-act Who's Line-style shows every month and eventually pushed for long form narrative. He shares how the Improv Experiment format became his first taste of improvised storytelling, and how a solo monologue about rehearsing a breakup in front of a mirror became one of his favorite things he's ever performed.

We get deep into the business and philosophy of producing indie improv shows in Atlanta. Drew breaks down how he became the city's go-to freelance producer, why he fronts rental costs for other people's shows, and how he produced 96 shows in a single year while tracking it all in a custom analytics dashboard. He drops his hottest take — that Atlanta institutions have largely abdicated their responsibility to cultivate and platform local talent — and we talk about why $5 tickets can actually hurt your show, why the show starts when the doors open, and why if you're asking someone for five hours of their Friday night, you owe them something exceptional.

Drew also shares the three notes that leveled him up as a performer. You don't want to miss this episode with so many production goodies and gems!

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Host: Joel Camargo - Insta - @joelc1225
Audio Editor: Matt Issacs - Insta - @mattisaacs20