About
UP Team promotes uplifting and empowering talents.
The (Original) UP Team
*Nels Ross, Richie Derwald, Dr. Kate Ansuini
The (Expanding) UP Team
*Contact UP Team for the current roster.
How did this silliness begin?
A juggler, an impersonator, and a professor had a Zoom meeting. (That’s not the set up for a joke. They really did.)
Nels Ross Cremean is a juggler and “edutainer.” Richie Derwald is an impersonator, singer, and “The Mental Health NUT.” Dr. Kate Ansuini is an award-winning professor, researcher, speaker, and trainer on wellness. So at least one of them has a real job.
In 2021, they met and shared about uplifting friends who had passed away. They discussed the negative nonsense in the world, and the need for more positive nonsense. Nels and Richie joked that they could be The Bipolar Brothers. Plus, Richie was a pro wrestler and Nels is a juggler, so they know about ups and downs. Dr. Kate quipped, “You could be The UP Guys!”
That led to providing professional development together as The UP Guys and UP Team. Then Rotary and friends inspired them to establish the nonprofit UP Project, d.b.a. UPLFFT – a home for “uplifting talents, who uplift the world.”