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__The public pranksters of Improv Everywhere are bringing their latest escapade to a park near you -- with a little help from Yahoo.
Similar to the group's "frozen flash mob" from earlier this year, in which city-dwellers simultaneously froze at New York's Grand Central Station, the MP3 Experiment recruits participants to stage a massive Simon Says-like game in a public place.
Charlie Todd, founder of the New York-based collective, says he normally wouldn't accept corporate sponsorship, but partnered with Yahoo as a way to bring the stunt to a wider audience.
"For us, it's a win-win situation,"said Todd in a phone interview Wednesday. "They gave us funds to do something we otherwise couldn't -- and it was really exciting to be able to pay our staff of photographers and video crew."
Todd said he was careful not to let the corporate purse strings influence the spirit of the project or compromise the integrity of the organization: There's no branding or name attached to the event and, although video footage of the event will run on Yahoo's site, "its not a commercial for Yahoo anything."
Todd said the funding boost also allowed his group to rent helicopters to capture aerial footage of the event (pictured above).
The MP3 Experiment lands in San Francisco on Oct. 4 before continuing to Chicago the next day. Afterward, Todd said he's focusing on the group's next project: a book with photos, interviews and a behind-the-scenes look at the fun-loving jokers' history.
[h/t Will Video for Food]
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