66 General Sessions: Main Platform

Creating Unexpected Moments

of Joy
Charlie Todd

I moved to New York City in the summer of 2001 with an
interest in acting and comedy. I was 22 years old. I had just
graduated from college. I didn’t really have any immediate
opportunities in front of me, so I decided to create my own
performances in public spaces.
The first project we’re going to take a look at is the very
first No Pants Subway Ride. This took place in January
of 2002. [visual] This woman is the star of the video. She
doesn’t know she’s being filmed. She’s being filmed with
a hidden camera hiding under a magazine in my friend’s
lap. This is on the 6 train in New York City. These are two
Danish guys who board the train and sit down next to the
hidden camera. And that’s me right there in a brown coat.
It’s winter, so it’s freezing cold outside. I’m wearing a hat,
and I’m wearing a scarf. The girl’s going to notice me right
here. And as you’ll see now, I’m not wearing pants. So at this
point she’s noticed me, but in New York, there are weirdos
on any given train car. One person is not that unusual. She
goes back to reading her book. She’s noticed the unusual
thing, but she’s gone back to her normal life.
Now in the meantime, I have six friends who are waiting
at the next six consecutive stops in their underwear as well.
They’re going to be entering this car one by one. We’ll act as
though we don’t know each other. And we’ll act as if it’s just
an unfortunate mistake we’ve made, forgetting our pants on
this cold January day. Here’s the second stop. [visual]
At this point, she decides to put her book away. And she
decides to be a little bit more aware of her surroundings.
Now in the meantime, the two Danish guys to the left of the
camera, they’re cracking up. They think this is the funniest
thing they’ve ever seen. And watch her make eye contact
with them right about now. I love that moment in this video
because, before it became a shared experience, it was some-
thing that was maybe a little bit scary, or something that was
at least confusing to her. Then once it became a shared expe-
rience, it was funny and something that she could laugh at.
So the train is now pulling into the third stop. I won’t
show the whole ride, but this goes on for another four stops.
A total of seven guys enter anonymously in their underwear.
At the eighth stop, a woman came in with a giant duffel
bag and announced she had pants for sale for a dollar—like
someone might sell candy on the train. We all, very matter-
of-factly, bought a pair of pants, put them on, and said,
“Thank you. That’s exactly what I needed today,” and then
we exited without revealing what had happened, and we
went in all different directions.
Here’s a still shot from the video. [visual] I love that girl’s
reaction so much. And watching the video later that day
after the stunt, it inspired me to create more moments like
this, and Improv Everywhere was born. I got excited about
the idea of causing scenes in public places that create positive
experiences for other people. Is it possible to create unex-
pected moments of joy for strangers?
I started looking for spaces in the city that could use a
dose of comedy. One morning, I was riding the subway, and
I had to make a transfer at the 53rd Street stop where there
are these two giant escalators. It’s a very depressing place
to be in the morning; it’s very crowded. So I decided to try
and stage something that could make it as happy as possible
for one morning.
Content Copyright © Charlie Todd 2017. All Rights Reserved.

Charlie Todd
Todd is one of the most successful video creators in the YouTube age, with an astonishing 250 million views
to his name. A master of viral communication, Todd founded the comedy collective Improv Everywhere,
a New York group that pioneered public performances in the digital age. Todd’s projects are site-specific,
uniquely hilarious, and continue to break new ground. Todd now regularly stages simultaneous international
events in more than 50 countries at a time, garnering massive news media coverage. Todd has spoken
at high-profile conferences around the world, including TED, and has given lectures at institutions like
the Museum of Modern Art and the New Museum of Contemporary Art. Todd has taught and performed
improv comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York for over a decade.
The Leight Bureau
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email: JBowen@LeightBureau.com phone: +1 908.253.6030

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Annual Meeting Proceedings | 2017 ©Million Dollar Round Table


This was in the winter of 2009 at 8:30 in the morning.
[visual] It’s rush hour. It’s very cold outside. People are com-
ing in from Queens, transferring from the E train to the 6
train. And they’re going up these giant escalators on their
way to their jobs. My favorite part of the video is the smiles
on people’s faces. You can see the transformation in them
from the bottom of the escalator to the top.
Here’s a photograph that illustrates it a little bit better.
[visual] It was amazing to see how much you could trans-
form a space with just six actors and five pieces of cardboard.
Such a simple action can brighten the days of so many peo-
ple, even if just for a few minutes. Rob gave 2,000 high fives
that day, and don’t worry, he washed his hands before and
after and did not get sick. Over the years, our projects have
grown in scale as we’ve come up with new ways to surprise
and delight random New Yorkers. This next project is called
The Light Switch. It took place a couple of weeks before
Christmas last year.
This is Father Demo Square, a small park in the West
Village. [visual] We placed a 7-foot-tall, red light switch
at the entrance to the park and walked away, waiting for a
stranger to say yes to our idea.
Improv Everywhere started out as a way for me to express
myself as a performer, but over time, I’ve become more inter-
ested in giving random strangers the opportunities to be the
stars of the projects. I’ve discovered that if you give people
the chance to do something unexpected, they’ll take you up
©Million Dollar Round Table
Creating Unexpected Moments of Joy 67
on it, and the results will be better than what you could have
ever imagined.
This last project I want to show you is called Conduct
Us. It’s a collaboration with musicians from Juilliard and
Carnegie Hall. This is 34th Street, right in the middle of
Manhattan. [visual] We wanted to find out what would hap-
pen if we placed a world-class orchestra in the middle of the
city and gave random people the opportunity to conduct.
My favorite part of that project was the diversity of
the conductors. I love providing an open platform like
this, and waiting to see what people from all different
backgrounds will bring to it. It warms my heart to see a
three-year-old girl and a veteran NYPD officer joining in
on the fun.
Most of you were here for the musical surprise we staged
on Sunday night, and I’m sure some of you have seen the
performances we’ve been staging around the convention
center the past couple of days. It’s been a pleasure bringing
our brand of surprise and delight to MDRT. In many ways,
a conference like this is similar to New York City. Diverse
people of all different backgrounds are busily going about
their days with a million things on their minds. There can be
real power in giving others an opportunity to slow down and
have a laugh and a smile, and to pause for a second reflection
on the hidden moments of joy that can be all around us, if
we want them to be. Ask yourself, How can I bring joy to those
around me?
Annual Meeting Proceedings | 2017