Toby Knops
Lead Inventor
Toby believes that when cross-functional sets of people are brought together, great ideas can happen. With this philosophy, he has spent his time at ?What If! teaching, challenging and encouraging our clients to make the tools and behaviors that foster innovation part of their everyday lives. Toby has helped to skill up hundreds of innovation leaders across many diverse categories. He’s worked with everyone from R&D teams at global pharma companies to the marketing teams at major CPG firms, helping them to establish clear visions for how they can embed innovation into their roles and organizations.
Prior to landing at ?What If! Toby traveled the country creating theater, film, and comedy. Since moving to NYC, he has founded, produced, and curated three cornerstone events in the American Comedy Scene: The NYC Improv Festival, The New York City Sketch Festival, and SOLOCOM. It was during his two years as the Associate Artistic Director of The Peoples Improv Theater that he refined his perspective on building ensembles with people from diverse backgrounds.
In his free time you can find him planning his next international adventure, hitting the pool to de-stress, or dropping in to perform at comedy theaters around the city.
Back to peopleThe ?! moment I’ve witnessed the most Audacity:
We rented out a bar in the East Village and had clients from a major beer brand take over all the staffing for an evening. For two hours, clients tended bar, waited tables, changed keg lines and assisted in the kitchen to gain empathy for the bars distributing their products. It was a bold move that left lasting impact.