Max Housner on Engineering, Conflict, and Improvising in Space

This week’s episode features Max Housner.

Max Housner works as an aerospace engineer focused in digital mission engineering, but creatively, he is also a musician, writer, and improvisor. Max has a passion for space exploration, discovery, and gets to work with a variety of exciting space programs, but also has a passion for the art of improv comedy and music. Max's experience in improv ranges from masterclasses at iO Chicago, Second City, to classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade in LA for both Harold and musical improv. He's taught improv workshops for long form, short form, and musical improv and previously performed all through college at the University of Michigan, with ComCo, Michigan's oldest improv troupe. Max is now currently performing long form, short form, and musical improv in Los Angeles at UCB, The Clubhouse, and other small theaters with a variety of teams. Outside of work and comedy, Max loves breweries, a good cup of joe, live music, hikes, movies, traveling, doing the crossword, and having a good laugh with good friends.

During this episode we discuss…

• When and why he started practicing improv
• Being a band kid and theatre kid
• The University of Michigan marching band and engineers in marching band
• What about improv surprised him
• Skills he gained onstage that he took offstage
• How he uses improv skills as an engineer
• Improv, aerospace engineering, and music — what they all require and have in common
• Improvising in space
• Coffee in Los Angeles
• Simple joys

From Max, when asked how improv has improved his life offstage, “Improv has allowed me to express myself creatively in the best ways, has immensely improved my listening, communication, and creative skills, and has allowed me to be a more honest and open version of myself.”

Connect with Max on LinkedIn and Instagram @maxhousner

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