Translating Brands Into Powerful Live Experiences: IM Creative

“IM Creative uses theatre, technology, and media to deliver on the business goals of our clients.”

In the year 2000, Scott Ihrig formed his own NYC-based production company inspired to create experiential solutions for clients that were equal parts style and substance. He wanted to be a counterpoint to the industry standard of cookie cutter meetings populated by generic keynote speeches, irrelevant theme parties, and soporific PowerPoint presentations. In 2008, Shannon Morrison joined the team and demonstrated an expertise in translating business goals into bespoke creative content for clients bored with overpriced and under-effective meetings. Their partnership blossomed, and Scott’s highly effective production approach formed the perfect foundation for Shannon’s visionary creative ideas, resulting in what is now IM Creative.

“We are the company to turn to when you are tired of receiving recycled ideas and poor service from the giant conglomerates that promise the world and deliver little more than an endless stream of invoices. We stand for something, and we only want clients who are willing to stand with us because they share our values of Maniacal Client Focus, Refreshing Creativity, Infectious Excellence, Relentless Collaboration, and Fearless Authenticity,” said Scott. “We are also technophiles who are early adopters, tinkerers of the first order, and residents of cloud city. Our team isn’t solely based anywhere, because business happens everywhere. That’s why we live in the cloud, and utilize the latest and greatest technological solutions in the day-to-day running of our business and in the execution of our events,” he added.

The Differentiating Factor
While their creative ideas are some of the most innovative in the industry (and give this company their name), it is their maniacal client focus that many clients cite as the reason they stick with this boutique over larger agencies. When you add their creativity to their focus on service, it’s no wonder they are carving out a unique niche in the industry as a company that disrupts the status quo and makes it better. To them they are more than a production company – they think of IM Creative as a movement that advances an agenda of interesting and creative experiences developed through an intensely collaborative process rooted in executive-level strategy and focused on business needs.

Service offerings
IM Creative translates brands into live experiences because “Being Together Matters.” Live events are more than a box to check, a habit to indulge, or a boondoggle of business. Events offer a unique opportunity to give a fully realized sensory experience that affirms a brand positioning, conveys cultural values, and advances business goals. “We are the purveyors of purposeful production, the arbiters of artful presentations, and the conquerors of cliché. Disruption is in our DNA, and perfection is our pursuit,” emphasized Shannon. IM Creative events are bespoke, engaging, polished, professional, and advance client business goals in ways they didn’t even know were possible.

Future focus areas
“We are focused on building relationships that help our clients achieve their business goals. That means listening to them to understand their needs, cultivating the best talent in the industry, and developing agile systems that support our values and workflows in ways that optimize client investments and maximize results,” said Scott.

While much of their focus is on continuing to promote their “sweet spot” in the areas of sales meetings, executive alignment meetings, and product launches, IM Creative’s approach is as applicable to the worlds of experiential and integrated marketing as well. Brands will continually be looking for fresh ways to stand out, and fresh is all they do. “We want to connect with companies who engage us not just for our services, but for our point of view. We think about our clients’ entire portfolio of live experiences and how it integrates into their overall communications strategy” he concluded.

Client Testimonials
Clients of NGLCC-certified IM Creative form deep and enduring relationships with the company because of the dramatically different approach they witness in their work. Here are a few of their thoughts.

“What can I say? !Wow!!!What an amazing few days! Our sales people definitely left’ smarter’ and inspired! I received so many positive comments from everyone I interacted with. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart…I owe you! I’m very honored to get to work next to you all.”
– Jackie Yeaney, EVP, Strategy and Marketing, Red Hat, Inc

“I’ve worked with IM Creative on many projects and have been blown away each time. They offered creative solutions that turned a regular business meeting into an experience that our attendees are still talking about. And most important to me, they always respected the brand and our team members.”
– Kathy Hogan, Director of Internal Communications, UPS

Get in touch:
www.i-m-creative.com

“We bring people together to realize a vision of strength, productivity and excellence where anything is possible.”

Meet the Executive Duo

Scott Ihrig, CEO: Scott is a lawyer-turned-entrepreneur who parlayed his love of theatre into a career that helps corporations translate their brands into compelling live experiences. A lover of systems, he has grown the operation from a one-man show to a full-scale creative and executional powerhouse that is consistently lauded for innovative and exceptional work for clients including Red Hat, UPS, and Honda. His time as producer of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes helped him cultivate a refined perspective on precision that he brings to bear everyday as the CEO of IM Creative which Inc. Magazine listed as one of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S.

Shannon Morrison, Chief Creative Officer: Shannon is an award-winning writer and composer whose creative skill set cultivated at Yale and NYU helps companies rethink their approach to experiences. His work seeks to engage and delight audiences with their brand, not simply serve the corporate Kool-Aid. Hailing from the backwoods of Maine, Shannon has also worked in Broadway Theatre (Legally Blonde, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Movin’ Out) and he continues to write and compose creative work in addition to being the main ideator for IM Creative.