Bobby Phillips
Director
Grand Rapids has been home since 2012, though I've traveled every step of the way. My first projects in organizing were held in our living rooms and basements during the house venue days. Loud concerts, poetry readings, publishing and group meals were the ways we kept our people creating.
A video editor since childhood, I worked in television production while earning my degree in Philosophy from GVSU. I returned to filmmaking as a climbing arborist, telling the story of storm chasers doing dangerous tree removals in the wake of tornadoes and hurricanes.
I learned to direct improvisation with Fictional Friends Improv, and went on to discover the roots of the teaching in an Atlanta school of legendary origins. Eventually, I found my way to the little-known founder of the tradition, Viola Spolin. I have been taught by Spolin's granddaughter Aretha Sills, and Whole World Theater founder David Webster.
Since starting Yeah Media, I have been giving improvisation workshops across the Midwest and producing video content about creatives and projects I believe in. I've taught regularly at the DAAC and Detroit's Planet Ant. In 2025, I began work on a film to promote the restoration of Hermitage at Diamond, which I hope will become a thriving center of the arts on Cherry Hill. As a mural coordinator for Heartside, I have worked alongside an incredibly hardworking group of muralists each summer to deliver artworks that I hope our city can cherish for years to come. There are innumerable opportunities for voices to rise in Grand Rapids. Let's raise them!