ExecuProv offers a series of workshop choices to assist business professionals in learning how to speak and communicate more effectively.

Email Etiquette.  Speaking/Presentation Skills. Death By PowerPoint . People Skills.  What’s So Funny? Humor in the Workplace. How To Think Fast On Your Feet. Making a Scene. Wit’s End. Write Away. Meeting Called to Order.  Teambuilding. How to Be Presidential.

Established in 1983, ExecuProv has been the training choice of many major companies and corporations as well as business professionals who have expressed interest in developing and refining their presentation and communication skills.

 

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CHERIE KERR

 Cherie Kerr, who founded ExecuProv in 1983, has provided a variety of classes on presentation and communication skills to hundreds of business professionals from Fortune 100 and 500 companies. Her clients include BP America, Ericsson, Toyota, Kawasaki, Mitsubishi, Ingram Micro, Bank One, Delta Dental, Experian, Foothill Capital, PacifiCare, Allergan, Universal Studios, Fluor Corporation, 3i Implant, ConAgra Foods, The Hilton Hotel and Marriott Hotel Corporations, California Trucking Association, Office Max/Boise, Volcom, Nissan, Honda, Bank of America, BJ’s Restaurant Brewhouse, Southern California Edison, Panasonic, Black & Decker and Office Depot, to name but a few.

Kerr has also provided a number of classes to various universities and collegiate departments including Chapman University; Otis College of Art and Design; University of Southern California; California State University, Fullerton; Vanguard University; University of California, Irvine, The Paul Merage School of Business; UCI Medical Center, Anesthesiology Department; the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis; and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. She also has worked for a number of governmental agencies including the L.A. City Attorney's Office, the L.A. District Attorney's office, the County of Orange, the Orange County Bar Foundation and the Orange County Juvenile Drug Court Program. She is a certified Provider for the Continuing Legal Education Program for the State Bar of California, and has served as that organization's official speaker-trainer for its Board of Governors.

A founding member of the world-famous L.A. Groundlings, Kerr was the founder in 1990, Executive Producer and Artistic Director for the Orange County Crazies, a sketch and improvisational comedy troupe in Santa Ana, California. She also served as the group's head writer. She has received rave reviews for her work as a writer, performer and director.

Kerr has taught improvisational comedy to actors since 1973, and teaches other classes as well, including a class on how to develop original characters and how to write sketch comedy. She has studied with some of the best improv and comedy teachers in the business, including Kerr’s former scene partner, Gary Austin, founder of the L.A. Groundlings, and a former member of the highly acclaimed group, The Committee; Michael Gellman, a director and teacher for Second City, in Chicago; and Jeannie Berlin (an Academy Award nominee and Elaine May's daughter.) In her formative years, she studied at the Pasadena Academy of Drama with Eleanor Dopp.

A writer for more than 35 years, Kerr has owned an award-winning public relations firm since 1978, KerrPR, which offers public relations services to a variety of clients. She handles many crisis situations and is regarded as a prime source by media (such as Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, Larry King Live, CNN, 20/20, The Today Show, Anderson Cooper 360º, The Sunday Show, Nightline and many others) to provide them with expert sources for commentary.

Kerr has written, produced and directed an original full-scale musical comedy, written two full-length screenplays, 11 books and more than 400 comedy sketches; she is a member of ASCAP, and has been honored as an award-winning journalist and publicist.  Kerr was named, along with Disney's Michael Eisner, as one of the "Top Ten Most Sensational People in Orange County" by Orange Coast Magazine. She has been quoted and featured in many publications including the OC Register, The Los Angeles Times, the Harvard Review Communication Newsletter, Forbes, American Way magazine, the Sacramento Bee, USA Today, The New York Times, Investor’s Business Daily and The Associated Press, in addition to many others. She also did an AOL radio tour on email etiquette and has been featured on numerous websites. She also is the mother of award-winning filmmaker, Drake Doremus, winner of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition for "Like Crazy", a fully improvised film (based on a 50-page outline and sold to Paramount Pictures for $4-million); Doremus performed on Kerr’s improv/sketch stage from age 6 to 19 years old.

Kerr also starred in her own one-woman show, Out of Her Mind, which met with great success and which she single-handedly wrote. In it she played a number of original characters.

In addition to lecturing and teaching ExecuProv courses, both in classroom situations and in private, one-on-one coaching sessions, Kerr provides speechwriting services for many of her clients. Kerr also provides her creative services to large companies for corporate comedy industrials and also produces ExecuProv’s Humorous Training Video Library (HTVL), a diverse library of video spoofs designed to train the business professional in a fun and humorous way. Companies and individuals access the HTVL catalogue with a library card, which gives them rights to include the humorous videos in their presentations, adding that extra dash of humorous panache.

Another of Kerr’s many endeavors, Ex-Serp Productions, ExecuProv’s sister company, provides services as a media consulting firm and production company specializing in the development of documentary television programming, Internet commercial webisodes and public service announcements.

Kerr is frequently sought out as a keynote speaker addressing presentation and communication skills and humor in the workplace, and is also available for speaking engagements.

Cherie Kerr resides in Santa Ana, California. She is the mother of three and also
has five grandchildren.

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AILEEN BRAUN

Aileen Braun is one of the primary teachers for ExecuProv. For the last 4 years, Ms. Braun has employed her vast knowledge of presentation and comedic skills to facilitate several ExecuProv programs including Presentation Skills, People Skills and How To Think Fast On Your Feet (Without Putting Them in Your Mouth). In addition to the corporate programs, Ms. Braun has taught the evening comedy improv classes for the general public under the ExecuProv affiliate, The Orange County Crazies, and directed their live performing comedy improv troupe, the "Mixed Nuts", for 3 years.

Her years of experience working with both large groups and in one-on-one coaching sessions combined with her educational use of comedy make her an excellent instructor who is known to bring out the best in her students.

Ms. Braun's education covers a wide array within the communications genre. She has studied with The Groundlings Improv Comedy School in Los Angeles, California, has been trained by professional speaker and communications expert Jack Canfield in Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprise's Peak Performance Seminar, and has completed the 3 level program offered by Masters in Transformational Training in Los Angeles, California. Ms. Braun has a degree in Film/TV Production from the University of Southern California and is the founder and director of The Stepfamily School, a certified training program teaching re-married couples the communication tools that resolve the challenges of blending in a "stepfamily."

 

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BRIAN SPILLANE

As an instructor with ExecuProv, Brian has been teaching improv comedy skills to business executives as a tool for improving their speaking and communication skills since 1998. He has over 12 years experience performing stand-up, sketch and improv comedy at venues across the county that include the world famous Comedy Store and Improv in Hollywood. Brian has also appeared in national and international commercials for products including Dasani Water, E-trade, Renault Cars, Nick @ Night and Fox Sports.

In a business career that has spanned more than 20 years, Brian has sold over $100M in goods and services in industries ranging from printed circuit board manufacturing and aerospace to consumer electronics and law enforcement.

In 2001, Brian's first independent film, "The Salesman" won Best Documentary Short at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. Written by and starring Brian, the film is drawn from his personal experiences and shines a humorous light on the trials and tribulations that can come with a career in sales.

Brian is the founder and president of Middle Kid Media, a company that produces custom training videos for corporations. Clients have included Fortune 500 companies like Hitachi, Ernst and Young, SmithKline and Parker Hannifin. Brian is currently a main company member of the ACME Comedy Theatre in Hollywood, California, where he can be seen performing sketch and improv comedy on a regular basis.

 

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BRIAN D. GOODROW

Since 1997, Brian has worked for ExecuProv, applying its improv comedy techniques to teach public speaking, teamwork, PowerPoint presentations, and communication skills for the company. He also has the invaluable experience of applying those techniques in the corporate and military workplace. His work on PowerPoint was featured as a "how-to" in Kerr's book, Death by PowerPoint, and his teamwork and leadership prowess was featured for over five years as a "how-to" in military aviation crisis and survival training. Most recently, Brian has served as the Vice President for Business Development with a New York-based Aviation Operator. His nine-year affiliation with ExecuProv includes teaching workshops with Allergan, Nissan, selected faculty and staff at the Naval Academy, and the Naval Academy's Brigade of Midshipmen.

A 1984 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Brian pursued a career in Naval Aviation. He was highly decorated for his leadership, aviation skills and heroism, and the Navy brought Brian back to the Naval Academy where he served as the Ethics Advisor to the Commandant and resurrected the Naval Academy's Public Speaking Program. Brian first called on ExecuProv to add a new dimension to his personal public speaking skills and to train the Brigade of Midshipmen and several officers.

 

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KAREN GALLINGER

Karen Gallinger has been part of the ExecuProv teaching staff for the last 4 years. She joined the Orange County Crazies as an improv player and soon began assisting Cherie Kerr with classes. She has taught for ExecuProv, the OC Crazies and in the community with various OC Crazies outreach programs including both the Community Development Block Grant, and the "High Life" Juvenile Rehabilitation Programs. She loves being part of the ExecuProv team!

Long regarded as one of Southern California's premiere vocalists, Karen Gallinger has a lifetime of experience as a performer. Her background as a musical performance artist gives her an unique approach to many aspects of presentation including effective vocal technique, public speaking, communication skills, timing, and confidence. She also assisted with the critical work needed for "What's So Funny?" which teaches speakers how to incorporate humor and good storytelling into their speeches and presentations where timing is such a critical element.

As a jazz recording artist Ms. Gallinger has 4 CD's in international distribution; "Live at the Jazz Bakery", "My Foolish Heart", "Remembering Bill Evans", and "Kinda Blues". She performs in the U.S., Europe and Asia garnering reviews such as: "A voice of extraordinary range and quality."... L.A. Weekly," An original issue ... she's got it all." L.A. Jazz Scene "A voice that is nothing short of astonishing"... O.C. Register "An amazing ability to cover boisterous blues and quiet ballads ... gathers you into her head as well as her soul ..." Bill Kohlhaase-O.C. Weekly

A private voice and performance teacher for over 20 years, Gallinger has done clinics and master classes ranging from technique to performance skills. She teaches vocal workshops annually in Berlin, Germany and is a staff instructor at the Jupanesti Summer Jazz Camp in Romania. She has recently published her first book: The Zen of Singing (ExecuProv Press) which is available at various retail outlets including Jamey Aebersold Jazz, Amazon, Borders and Barnes & Noble. Besides her busy private coaching schedule, she is on staff at the award winning Orange County High School of the Arts since 2003, where she teaches jazz voice and theatre.

Professional Affiliations: International Association of Jazz Educators, Musician's Association Local 7

 

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RICHARD FRATTALI

Richard Frattali has been a member of the teaching staff at ExecuProv almost from the beginning of the company's inception in 1983.

He has taught public speaking and communications skills courses for a number of ExecuProv clients including the Wine Institute of California, the Driver Employer Council of America, Toyota North America, and the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Frattali continues his performance career primarily in the realm of voice-over work. Frattali enjoys the status of Senior Instructor with ExecuProv.

Along with ExecuProv's President and Founder, Cherie Kerr, Frattali is a founding member of the Los Angeles Groundlings, LA's premier improvisational comedy troupe currently in its thirty-first year and an organization that has become the entertainment industry's "go-to" source for budding and upcoming comedic talent. Richard Frattali performed in the Groundlings' shows for seven years, working closely with such notable comedic personalities as Phil Hartman, Bill Steinkellner (creator of Emmy award-winning "Cheers"), Kathy Griffin, Edie McClurg, and many others.

During Frattali's stint with the Groundlings he appeared in numerous television commercials (Budweiser, Great Western, Folgers Coffee) as well as several television shows, including two Lili Tomlin specials; the daytime drama, The Young and the Restless; and The Merv Griffin Show. He also has appeared in such films as Cheech and Chongs Next Movie and Shoot Out. His work with the Groundlings was honored for the "Best of the 70's" during its Thirtieth Anniversary Gala held at the Henry Ford Theater in Hollywood where it saluted Frattali, Kerr and others who established the now legendary comedy organization.

 

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 JIM DOUGHAN