Entertainment and Humour
The Sweeney Agency will help you find the perfect Comedian, Entertainer or Celebrity Speaker for your event by providing you with all the information you need to make the right decision. We take into account your conference or event objectives, audience dynamics and expected outcomes and provide you with professional speaker bios, video clips, topic outlines, and independent perspectives on the best Entertainment Speakers available. Working closely with the speaker you choose, we will ensure he or she delivers a customized presentation that informs, inspires and entertains.
David Ben
Entertainer and speaker on innovation, author of Advantage Play: A Manager’s Guide to Creative Problem Solving.
About
Educated at the University of Toronto (BA), the University of Western Ontario (LLB), and the London School of Economics (LLM), David Ben retired from practicing tax law to pursue his passion for creativity, performing and community. As a magician, David was the sole protégé of Ross Bertram - one of the great sleight-of-hand artists of the twentieth century. David is a member of London's prestigious Magic Circle and has performed throughout the United States, Canada, England and Japan. In addition to performing magic, David acts as a keynote speaker on creativity, innovation and problem solving. A feature presenter at The Walrus Talks (Performance), IdeaCity, and a two-time presenter at the Smithsonian, David has addressed a broad range of associations and corporate clients in the United States and Canada.
David was the co-writer (along with Canadian broadcast icon Patrick Watson), performer and producer of The Conjuror (Shaw Festival, Theatre ROM, Isabel Bader Theatre) and The Conjuror's Suite (Salon ROM, Charlottetown Festival), Tricks (Artword Theatre) and Natural Magick (Luminato Festival). David has made numerous television appearances and was also the subject of an award-winning documentary film A Conjuror in the Making
that aired on Breakfast with the Arts on the A&E Network and on Adrienne Clarkson Presents on the CBC.
David is the author of four books. His first, Advantage Play: A Manager's Guide to Creative Problem Solving, examines magicians, card cheats and psychics as models of creativity and pragmatic problem solving and was published by Key Porter Books. His second, Tricks, was a how-to book for magicians published by Squash Publications. His third book was Dai Vernon: A Biography, the first volume of a long-awaited portrait of the life and times of the most influential magician of the twentieth century. The fourth, a landmark book, Zarrow: A Lifetime of Magic, a portrait and technical retrospective of one of magic's most revered arrangers, Herb Zarrow. David will soon complete the business biography of Allan Slaight scheduled to be published in 2013. David is also the author of several articles and essays published in several journals including the Canadian Literary Review, Genii, A Conjuror's Magazine and Magicol: A journal of magic history and collectibles.
David is also a consultant for a variety of film, television, print and theatre projects including The Shaw Festival's production of Ragtime, Soulpepper Theatre's production of Tom Stoppard's Travesties and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Brian Johnson's short film based on Denis Lee's book of poetry Yes/No, and Michael Ondaajte's award winning novel, Divisadero.
David is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Magicana a performing arts organization and registered charity dedicated to studying and promoting magic as a performing art. He spearheaded My Magic Hands, a program designed to use the process of learning, practicing and performing magic as an introduction to creativity and the arts for underprivileged and disadvantaged children; and Senior Sorcery an intergenerational initiative to bring live theatre to isolated seniors in their homes and community.
Book Your Next Great Speaker in 5 Easy Steps
5 Tips to Book your Next Great Speaker
About
Did last year's speaker knock your socks off? Not sure where to go next? Let our team of experienced professionals help you find your next great speaker.
Here's a quick guide to help you get started:
Find A Theme
Decide on a theme or topic for your event.
Going through a period of transition? Looking to shake up your creative? Building trust within your teams? We have great speakers on all of those topics.
Having trouble? Check out our IDEA GENERATOR for inspiration.
Get in Touch
Get in touch with your Event Date & Theme.
We will ask you some key questions to find the perfect speaker for your live or virtual event.
We pride ourselves on our personal touch. We are small team of dedicated professionals with over 20 years experience. When you call us, you speak to us directly... and quickly.
Shortlist
By now, we have a great idea of what you are looking for and will send you a shortlist of exceptional speakers.
Each speaker will be vetted with YOUR event in mind, along with our personal thoughts on how that speaker can inspire your attendees.
Let's talk
From the shortlist, you've narrowed it down to two great speakers. Let's discuss your needs to help make the final decision.
With over 20 years experience, you can trust us to provide all of the information you need to choose the right speaker.
We work with you to find the best format for your presentation, including live streams, Q&A sessions and even follow up programs to ensure maximum engagement for your key stakeholders.
The Details
We will facilitate a call with your leadership team & our speaker to do a deep dive into your business to make sure their presentation really hits home.
As trusted experts, you can rest easy knowing our experience will guide you every step of the way.
get in touch
About
After spending much of his early life growing up in Saudi Arabia, Sean Bott developed a scorching sense of humor. He began his journey into the delicious art of magic at the tender age of 12 by learning and then performing hypnosis, psychology, and stagecraft at his local library. One quirky magic shop, a degree or two, and more than three pounds later, he can now say he’s been blowing minds, making people gasp and laugh, all while eating curly fries, for over 15 years. Sprinkle on some pit stops at Second City in Chicago to keep his funny skills on point and you’re left with a one-of-a-kind mind reading experience. As you can imagine, all of that heat combined with some childhood trauma, a birth Mom still at large (maybe the rain forest?), and two really weird stepmoms, has given him some anxiety. He has studied cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and self-compassion, feeding his interest in the world of clinical mental health counseling. As that journey continues, Sean combines that knowledge, personal experience and mind-reading, to show us how to create warm connection with other humans quickly and authentically.
Whether building deeper relationships as a leader, working with clients, onboarding new employees, or retaining great talent, the tools he provides, creates spaces of belonging faster and easier than ever before. When Sean engages with your people, from start to finish, his focus is on understanding their pain points and working together towards your desired outcome.
Working with over 1,500 associations, corporations, and universities worldwide including companies like Dell, Google, and Disney, Sean has brought curated content, mind-blowing moments, and bucketfuls of laughs (not chicken) to thousands.
“Through my study of empathy, psychology, mentalism, and comedy, I provide positive skills and awareness for others to create connection and belonging. I draw on best practices in cognitive behavioral therapy, self-compassion research and social psychology to create an applicable, cohesive tool-set that is actionable, and implementable."
At home, Sean is owned by two cats, two kids, and a spouse. He’ll walk on a treadmill - sometimes - and he eats hot soup in the summer.
Kathy Buckley
Hearing-impaired Comedienne, Inspiring and Entertaining Speaker and author.
About
Kathy Buckley is a gifted comedienne, award-winning actress, accomplished author and renowned inspirational speaker - who is a force like no other. Billed as 'America's First Hearing Impaired Comedienne', Kathy is also a five-time American Comedy Award Nominee as Best Stand-Up Female Comedienne. As an actress, she is known for her guest starring roles on shows such as Touched by an Angel, and for her critically acclaimed one woman Off-Broadway show, Don't Buck with Me/Now Hear This!. As a motivational speaker, she inspires hundreds of thousands of people around the world, sharing her story of overcoming some of the most difficult obstacles one can imagine in life - and how she met those challenges with dignity, courage, and laughter.
Kathy's book If You Could Hear What I See will have you laughing and crying as you experience the amazing story of her life. She has received thousands of letters and emails of thanks and praise, regarding both her book and her original PBS special, No Labels, No Limits! She was awarded the CINE Golden Eagle Award as the writer and executive producer of the special, and the Media Access Award for Outstanding Television Special. Her highly acclaimed autobiographical theater play, Now Hear This! had its Off-Broadway premiere at New York's Lamb's Theater - and not only brought the comic actress a legion of faithful new fans, but a wealth of critical praise from New York media.
In record time, she became one of the most popular comediennes in the country with material based on, among others things, her hearing loss. That impairment, however, is only one of the many hurdles Kathy has encountered in her life. Her poor performance in second grade landed her in a school for mentally and physically impaired children. It took school administrators, psychologists, and audiologists nearly a year to discover it was just a hearing loss - and not a lack of mental acuity that was impeding her speech and language development. Today, Kathy shakes her head as she quips to amazed audiences, '... and they called me slow?'
She was featured in the HBO Television Special, 'Women of the Night', shot on location at the U.S. Comedy Festival in Aspen, Colorado. She was included in the E! Entertainment Television Special, The World's Most Intriguing Women. Kathy was also the focus of I Can Hear the Laughter, an Emmy award-winning documentary.
About
Click Here to Receive Your Customized List of Speaker Ideas
Virtual Events can:
- Reach a wider audience
- Offer a great experience at a much lower cost
- Create long term impact with recorded elements that allow for content to be watched over a period of time
- Have an increased impact over time, as viewers re-watch, discuss and connect over social media and other channels
And, most importantly: offer the ability for inspiring and impactful presentations to connect in a one-on-one way, directly to the attendee.
WHO is your audience?
Who are your virtual event attendees? Are they across a specific group within your organization, or are you serving clients across a wide range of levels? Determining who you are speaking to will help you determine a format for your event that will captivate your audience.
WHAT is your key message?
Are you focusing on change? Innovation? Leadership?
Creating a single focus or mission will allow you to hone in on the type of speaker(s) you need to engage your audience and help event producers to format the event into a dynamic program that balances inspiration with information and audience interaction.
WHAT type of event suits your audience?
- Virtual Conference
- Webinar
- Hybrid Event
Virtual event technology has come a long way over the last few months, offering a huge range of different options from pre-recorded webinars, to multi-day virtual conferences, to hybrid events with some attendees in the audience while the event is live streamed.
OUR ADVICE
A COMBINATION of live and pre-recorded elements will allow your virtual event to run smoothly and stay on time.
Many of our clients are also opting for multi-day virtual conferences with shorter segments spaced over a few days.
This allows some flexibility for attendees in different time zones and accommodates different teleworking situations for attendees, allowing them to tune in when it is convenient.
WHERE? It’s all about Tech.
Virtual meeting technology has exploded over the last few months as teleworking became the norm.
Consider your needs:
- Interactive elements like breakout rooms, polls & Q&A
- Seamless blend of live & pre-recorded elements
- Ability to replay segments
- Live tech support
If you plan for rain, it’s likely the sun will shine…
Tech isn’t perfect so don’t forget to test, rehearse and have a back up plan ready to go for your virtual event.
Pro Tip: Think of a virtual presentation like a podcast. Viewers can view the content multiple times and refer back to it.
WHEN? A Date… or Dates?
As we have all noticed, our attention spans for meeting in real life versus meeting online are a lot longer.
When deciding on a date, consider spreading your virtual event out over a few days, with a variety of speakers, interactive elements and information.
The benefits of a multi-day format:
- Viewers watch content fresh for a short period every day
- Allows attendees in different time zones to stay on top of the content
- Attendees can review & re-engage with content
Virtual Event Checklist:
Is your event?
- Interactive?
- Informative?
- Able to be rewatched?
WHY? Pandemic 2020
Just because you are online instead of in person, it doesn’t mean you are missing out on connection.
Using the technology that we have become so accustomed to over the last few months, our keynote speakers have the ability to connect to your viewers one-on-one, in a way that was impossible in live events.
FIND YOUR WHY…
What do you want the audience to leave thinking at the end of the presentation?
Apply this question to all the presentations and segments in your event to create a cohesive, impactful virtual event.
HOW? Virtual Event Checklist
To wrap it all up
- TECH: Find the right tech platform & don’t forget to test drive before your event
- AGENDA: Use a mix of live and pre-recorded segments, mixed with interactive elements, to ensure a smooth flow of events & audience engagement
- ANTICIPATION: Build up your event with emails, teasers and sneak peeks into what content will be offered
- NETWORKING: Create and encourage online chat functions, an event specific hashtag or even a dedicated event page to allow attendees to network virtually. Maximize the networking opportunities offered by your tech platform.
- EXTEND YOUR IMPACT: A dedicated social media page is a great place for attendees to connect after an event to discuss ideas and implement some of the learnings from the event.
Offer a password protected, limited time recording of keynote presentations to continue the conversation long after the virtual event has ended.
Continue the conversation with post-event touch points like emails or questions based on the key presentations.
To find a GREAT Speaker for your Virtual event, get in touch.
About
Tripp Crosby is a comedic host, inspirational speaker, and filmmaker who is at this very moment writing about himself in the third person.
It’s very, very possible that you’ve seen his most popular comedy sketch called “A Conference Call in Real Life”. This video is one of, if not the most popular workplace related comedy sketches of all time and possibly the only YouTube video to ever go viral twice: Once when Tripp first created it in 2013 and again in 2020 when the painful experience of participating in conference calls became an even more relatable topic.
While doing his very, very best to entertain the general public with hilarious video content Tripp has also been doing his very, very best to lead and grow his Atlanta based company Very, Very Video (formerly Green Tricycle Studios). Very Very Video is a mom and pop video agency that helps not so mom and pop companies like Zoom, Snowflake, Monday.com, Coke, Ford, and a bunch of others you’ve never heard of increase their brand awareness and lead generation via sharable, relatable, oftentimes hilarious video ads and social content.
Connecting people to important ideas using humor and authenticity is what Tripp does best. This is why he loves the struggle of discovering new, fresh ways for brands to engage their target audiences. It’s also why every year Tripp loves speaking to and hosting events for hundreds of thousands of professionals. Through telling his own story, teaching basic improv techniques, and sharing key principles for effective brainstorming and collaboration, Tripp continues to help teams and individuals from all industries realize their own creative potential.
Aside from creating video content, performing, and consulting teams Tripp’s real passion is connecting with his family and friends. He and his wife and three children live in Alpharetta, GA where they can be found at the best restaurants, on the baseball field, or most likely at home just hanging out. Tripp is very social, loves deep conversation, and is happy just being with people who love life.
Roman Danylo
Corporate stand up comedian, improviser and actor. A star of Comedy Inc. on CTV & The Comedy Network.
About
Roman talks about how to use humour in the workplace to enhance teamwork and create a culture of ideas.
Audiences leave laughing and inspired by Roman's dynamic and interactive presentation on how to use humour to create positive results.
For over 20 years Roman Danylo has been an entertainer, MC and keynote speaker for some of biggest names in the corporate world and starred in several TV series including CTV's Corner Gas, CBC's Made in Canada, CTV's The Holmes Show and on The Comedy Network's Just For Laughs Improv Championships and many more.
Past clients include: Glaxo Smith Kline, Hewlett Packard, BMO, and Manulife Financial.
For over 20 years Roman Danylo has been an entertainer, MC and keynote speaker for some of biggest names in the corporate world. He has entertained for companies like Glaxo Smith Kline, Hewlett Packard, BMO, Manulife Financial and hundreds more. Often invited into the stuffy world of AGMs, sales conferences, or company awards nights; Roman uses his comedy improv skills to team-build, brain storm and break the ice. Roman gathers info about whichever company he is working for and trades that inside information for a currency usually foreign to the corporate world, big laughs. His message is team building and thinking outside the box and the result is tons of fun.
Roman has been performing professionally for the past 25 years. He is one of only a handful of comedians to have performed at the prestigious Aspen's HBO Comedy Festival and Montreal's Just for Laughs Festival in the same year. In Hollywood he starred in the UPN Series Off Limits, and has been featured on NBC's Late Friday. He has appeared in the Feature Films Duets with Gwenyth Paltrow, and Happy Birthday with John Goodman. Roman hosted a talk show pilot produced by fellow Canadian David Steinberg, and appeared in a live sketch review show with Martin Short. Roman has appeared as a dramatic actor in television shows like Jeremiah, Outer limits and Sliders.
Back home Roman recently guest hosted several episodes of CBC Radio's The Debaters and was featured in the TV series for the show. Roman's second Comedy Now special for CTV aired in 2011. Roman has appeared or starred in several TV series including CTV's Corner Gas, CBC's Made in Canada, CTV's The Holmes Show and on The Comedy Network's Just For Laughs Improv Championships and many more. For five years Roman starred in his own sketch comedy series on CTV and Spike TV called Comedy Inc. In 2004 Roman won a Leo Awards for his performance in CBC's Western Alienation Comedy Hour and has been nominated twice for a Gemini for performance in Comedy Inc. Roman hosted a Gala at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival on CBC and has performed two gala sets for The Halifax Comedy Festival also on CBC. Roman enjoys, water sports, raisins and some humans.
About
David Gerard is Silicon Valley's premier mystery entertainer. Hix mix of mentalism and magic has taken him around the world, garnering standing ovations from the world’s most sophisticated audiences.
David’s background is what truly makes him unique. After a decade working in tech marketing (Google, Discord, and more) David understands the nuances of corporate life and the modern corporate audience. David also recognizes each unique and diverse corporate culture, which allows him to tailor his performance for each group. There is simply no other performer who has the corporate background and stage credentials of David Gerard.
David has performed for hundreds of companies across a variety of industries, and has entertained CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg, Brian Chesky (Airbnb) and Marc Benioff (Salesforce). He also toured with the Broadway show The Illusionists and has consulted on three seasons of America's Got Talent.
About
Get Your Customized List of Speaker Ideas
Simply fill out the form below and we will be in touch with a customized list of ideas for your event.
It's that simple.
About
Our take: Your audience will discover how to improve their communication skills with colleagues and clients by using Vinh's ideas. Game changing.
Vinh talks about how leaders and teams can create and cultivate the RIGHT influence in our lives to make the difference between tremendous success or limited mediocrity.
Audiences leave inspired and entertained by how Vinh teaches leaders how to achieve the right mindset through a presentation interwoven with entertainment, magic and powerful messaging.
Vinh is a magician, powerful storyteller and CEO of Luminary Productions which produces exceptional video for individuals and companies all around the globe.
Past clients include: Intuit, American Equity, Microsoft, Flinders University, American Dental Education Association, Western National Group, NALCO Champion, and Tetra Pak.
Click Here to Watch Vinh's Virtual Presentation
Vinh Giang had only 6 months to graduate when he left his degree program in commerce and law to become an online magic teacher - ultimately building a hugely successful online business, 52kards, which now serves over 800,000 students around the globe. This earned him the award of Top Young Entrepreneur in Australia.
Vinh Giang’s real magic journey began when he finally understood what Robert Houdin (an amazing magician) meant when he said: “A magician is an actor playing the part of the magician.” Once Vinh understood the meaning behind this quote, he focused all his energy on studying the art of performance - and not the art of presentation. He has spent the last 15 years mastering the art of performance-enhanced communication - helping thousands of professionals worldwide to learn these skills.
Vinh is also the CEO of Luminary Productions which produces exceptional video for individuals and companies all around the globe.
Vinh’s presentations will bring out the magic in you! Prepare to be captivated by Vinh - as he:
- unlocks your mindsets - by presenting innovating concepts that produce deliberate and definitive action
- is an Entrepreneur who knows what it takes to lead and sell ideas
- is a Young Entrepreneur of the Year and award winning magician
- shares three key business ideas - and demonstrates them using the art of magic with on-stage audience participation
- creates a fun and highly entertaining atmosphere of illusion - where each key business concept is driven home in a truly profound and creative manner
- carefully crafts each performance creating the most powerful emotional experience for attendees - making the conference theme stick in their minds long after the event
“I believe that magicians are salespeople; they sell one of the most difficult products in the world. They sell magic - they sell the illusion. The way they’re able to sell magic is by working ridiculously hard. It takes thousands and thousands of hours to be able to sell the illusion, to be able to really sell the magic. Imagine if you applied the same mindset to your company - imagine if you applied the same dedication to your business - think about what you could achieve.” - Vinh Giang
Felipe Gomez
Virtuoso Pianist, Renowned Peak Performance & Entrepreneurial Mindset Expert
About
With more than 1,000 performances in 23 countries, Felipe Gomez has dazzled audiences at corporate events, association conventions, and global leadership conferences. His bold ideas, flawless delivery, and thought-provoking sessions consistently bring audiences to their feet in spirited standing ovations. He is the author of the best-selling book, Attitude-E: The Method for Being Entrepreneurial and Fulfilling Your Dreams. He also hosts “Thinking Out Loud,” a weekly interview program with global thinkers.
Today, companies are facing unique transformational challenges that demand innovative and audacious ways of creating a collective can-do mindset and a shared passion for reaching extraordinary performance. Felipe’s work has been delivered in over 23 countries which validates its global relevance and has received high praise from his clients and participants. You can be sure that Felipe will deliver a memorable, different, and fresh experience which will provide your clients with relevant, applicable and valuable content.
As a pianist since he was four, music has played a very important role is his life. That led him to find ways to blend it in his keynotes, leveraging the power of music to enhance his business and leadership ideas. Felipe Gomez has an MBA from the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland where he also did a program on Leading Digital Business Transformation. He is the author of Attitude-E, his bestselling book, hosts Pensando en Voz Alta, a weekly interview program and is currently writing his third book: Virtuoso. His Hispanic roots bring a global perspective to his presentations and valuable diversity to your event.
Felipe Gomez is an accomplished executive with over 25 years of global entrepreneurial and general management experience. He has led organizations like Compass Group and Farmacity and co-founded Azurian and Scala. Over the last fifteen years he has developed a solid narrative and portfolio of products and services that gives individuals, teams and organizations reliable and proven tools to shift their mindsets, and refine their behaviors to expand their thinking patterns, take risks, learn from failure and do what they do with mastery.
Bob Gray
Entertaining and Humorous Speaker, Teaches How to Train Your Memory for Business
About
Bob Gray is a recognized authority on memory systems who has spent the last twenty five years traveling the globe - entertaining and training corporations, governments and associations to adapt memory systems and communications for their particular needs. He has developed a series of sales-oriented personal development keynotes and workshops, which have been popular on six continents - as well as writing the best-selling book Right Brain Rapid Recall (currently available only in e-book format). Bob has also developed a new App called MemoryEdge - it's an invaluable tool for remembering the names, faces and important information of new clients, customers and acquaintances - even if you’ve only met them once! A must for any salesperson (downloadable from the AppStore).
Bob Gray discovered his first memory technique when he was seven. He was given a magic book that showed him how to remember a twenty-item list. Shortly thereafter he was called on to do the memory trick
at family parties and gatherings. Encouraged and motivated by praise at home - he began to find that memory techniques could have a valuable role in other aspects of his life. With a little ingenuity, he adapted the memory trick
to help him with his work at school. The reward was a significant rise in his grades.
Traveling and entertaining under the stage name of Backwards Bob the Memory Man
- Bob demonstrates the unique abilities that have netted him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. His many media credits include Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, The Steve Harvey Show, The Today Show, CBS News, and BBC One.
To date, Bob’s clients have included Wells Fargo, Ford, FedEx, GE, General Motors, Hilton Hotels, DuPont, and Great West Life - to name just a few.
About
For almost 20 years Adam Growe has been performing in radio, television and on stage. He has distinguished himself as a talented comedian and host in the club, corporate and multimedia markets.
Currently, Adam is the Host of Discovery Channel Canada's Cash Cab and is touring theatre venues with his Comedy & Quiz Showe. He is one of Canada's most accomplished stand-up comedians, starring in his own Just for Laughs Gala, as well as Comedy NOW!, on CTV and CBC's, COMICS!. Adam was also featured on Comedy Central's, Premium Blend in New York and CBS's, Star Search in Los Angeles. Adam has performed at the Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Sudbury Comedy Festivals.
Adam appeared in two seasons of YTV's, Monster Warriors, as well as numerous acting roles in TV movies such as, Shades of Black, the Conrad Black story. For many years Adam was the Host and Producer for TVO's live, on-air Membership Campaign.
Working for over a decade as an FM Radio Announcer, Adam continues to contribute humour segments to Laugh Attack, XM 153 and CBC Radio One's, Definitely Not The Opera.
Devin Henderson
Award-Winning Entertainer & Motivational Keynote Speaker on Resilience
About
Successful companies are the ones who never stop striving for excellence. The way they accomplish this is maintain a culture that fosters a commitment to risk and perseverance. For many leaders, the past few years have thrown a number of challenges and roadblocks in their way and they are eager to embrace a new mindset that will help them and their employees to define and strive for the best, while confident that something greater is always possible.
Award-winning performer Devin Henderson brings an unforgettable experience of impact and inspiration and helps people and organizations take a break from the worries of the day while breaking free from their perceived limits. He helps them to discover practices for maintaining mental strength and resilience to realize their greatness like never before. As a mental strength keynote speaker, his presentations are thoughtfully designed to challenge participants to defy the impossible and inspire them to reflect on their own seemingly impossible goals while equipping them with the mindset that sometimes failure is actually just a fork in the road to achieving greatness.
Devin’s energy on stage is contagious and the audience learns how his own constraints became inspiration to innovate, dream bigger, and function better. He shares why it’s so important to embrace The Possibility Mindset and uncover the new levels of potential that are available to each of them. He reminds participants that achieving greatness in work and life requires commitment, risk, perseverance and that it’s a daily, on-going process. Devin’s keynotes are wildly successful since he shares his messages via a unique combination of magic, storytelling and audience interaction while guiding them to the realization that each can learn to define their own vision of new possibilities.
Resilience may be an overused word since the pandemic, but Devin gives it a fresh new perspective. His audiences leave armed with invaluable practices and insights for building a bulletproof spirit and unstoppable ambition. Setbacks are no longer viewed as failures, but rather stepping stones that can be used along the way to achieve unprecedented success.
Jason Hewlett
“Promise Making & Promise Keeping” Hall of Fame Leadership Speaker
About
Jason Hewlett has delivered thousands of presentations over 2 decades, and is the only speaker in the world teaching leadership in a performance of uncanny musical and comedy impressions - utilizing the legends of stage. The Promise: Become a Legendary Leader and Discover your Signature Moves is a keynote presentation that feels like a show - with proven processes and immediately implementable takeaways to transform your business and leadership skills.
Why set a goal when we can make a promise? Promises are no small things. They’re commitments. Game-changers. Life-transformers.
Your event attendees will learn how to:
- Identify strengths, capacities, and potential - along with top 10 Attributes that will benefit their business leadership skills and create life-changing transformation at home
- Clarify team leadership roles and develop powerful Signature Moves that positively expand every engagement and interaction both within the team - and in the real world with customers, clients and sales!
- Magnify their understanding and belief that each of us has greatness within and a capacity to elevate everything in our wake with a Promise. To our organizations. Our communities. Our families and loved ones
Jason is author of the Facebook post entitled, “I Saw My Wife at Target Today”, which has been seen by more than 100 million people. A recent, and one of the youngest inductees in the prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame - his talks inspire leadership from the perspective of a Promise, while giving attendees an engaging, entertaining, and educational experience all in one.
With over 2,000 presentations for Fortune 500 companies and clients such as American Express, Delta Airlines, the Salt Lake Olympics, Experian, NuSkin, Younique, Coca~Cola and Wells Fargo, Jason Hewlett is your go-to solution for a keynote, entertainment and emcee.
A selection of Jason's accolades include being one of the youngest ever inducted with the CPAE Council of Peers Award for Excellence; he was invited to be part of a Middle East Tour in support of the US Military in Kuwait, Afghanistan & Africa; is author of Signature Moves: How To Stand Out In A Sit Down World; is recipient of the National Outstanding Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America, awarded to only 800 men in the history of scouting (Jason has also earned the Eagle Award); and is recipient of the prestigious Star Award from the SCERA Center for the Arts.
Jason’s hobbies include hiking in the mountains, writing music, playing with his kids, and staring at his wife. His greatest accomplishments all live within the walls of his home. He is a husband to the most beautiful woman in the world, Tami, and Dad to four incredible young children who serve as his inspiration and help deliver material for his presentations. As a family, the Hewlett’s donate over 20 hours per month in community service, volunteering, mentoring, outreach, and philanthropy to worthy causes in their home state of Utah.
Michael Kerr
Entertainer and speaker on health, reducing stress, and using humor in the workplace.
About
Michael Kerr (“The Workplace Energizer!”) is recognized as one of North America’s most prolific thought-leaders on inspiring workplace cultures. Michael’s known for his high-energy, humor-filled presentations that are packed with thought-provoking ideas on workplace culture, culture leadership, and how businesses and leaders leverage their humor resources to drive outrageous results.
Michael has traveled the world researching great places to work, so his ideas are based on real world examples – something audiences always appreciate because they can see that these ideas actually work! Michael’s Inspiring Workplaces blog has been recognized as one of the top-30 workplace blogs in the world, and his insights on inspiring workplaces have been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Business Insider, and scores of publications around the world.
He is also the author of 8 books, including, “The Jerk-Free Workplace: How You Can Take the Lead to Create a Happier, More Inspiring Workplace,” “Hire, Inspire and Fuel Their Fire: How to Recruit, Onboard, and Train New Employees to Live Your Culture Out Loud,” and, “The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses are Laughing All the Way to the Bank.”
Michael’s upcoming book will dive into how leaders can step up as truly inspiring culture leaders to build more resilient, collaborative, and service-focused cultures that drive outrageous business results. All of Michael’s presentations include a complimentary teaser video to help you promote your event, copies of his books as door prizes, a follow-up video reminding participants of the key messages and follow up action items, and follow up eResources, including the eBook, 401 Ways to Create a happier, More Inspiring Workplace Culture.
Victoria Labalme
Performing Artist and Performance Strategist for Top Leaders & Brands
About
Victoria Labalme helps people perform at their highest levels by unlocking their hidden genius and unleashing their unique creativity.
With more than 20 years in the Performing Arts - from Broadway to comedy clubs, landmark films to high-profile television - Victoria’s electrifying, custom-crafted Keynotes awaken innate talents in individuals and teams.
Her proprietary systems and strategies have been embraced by C-suite executives at Starbucks, Microsoft, PayPal, as well as Hollywood celebrities, best-selling authors, and top teams in over 700 organizations.
With breathtaking stage skills, gripping stories, and comedic highlights, Victoria takes audiences through a profound experience they'll never forget. Along the way, she shows people how to distinguish their brand, gain competitive advantage, focus their communications and achieve sustainable growth through a surprising blend of art and business.
Her creative projects have been recognized by The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, BBC, and ABC Good Morning America.
A graduate of Stanford University, Victoria is also a director and critically acclaimed film producer, the creator of two online learning programs, and an inductee into the Speaker Hall of Fame.
Colin Mochrie
Comedian and star of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and This Hour Has 22 Minutes. A Second City alumnus, corporate entertainer.
About
If you're looking for a night your attendees will remember for the rest of their lives, try Colin Mochrie on for size. Indeed, one-size-fits-all in Colin's unparalleled improv or stand-up show, tailored specifically to your event, that will leave attendees of all levels and backgrounds howling in the aisles. Cap off your conference with a night attendees and executives will never forget!
After getting his first laugh in a high school production in Vancouver, Colin set about the business of becoming a professional actor. After 4 years of acting training at Vancouver's Theatresports, Colin went on to spend 3 years with the famed Second City cast in Toronto. Then, his career took off on the world stage, first with his appearances as a regular on the British version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and afterward on the popular American television program of the same name, hosted by Drew Carey.
Colin spent two seasons as a cast member on popular CBC satirical television series This Hour Has 22 Minutes and has been involved in numerous other television shows, both in North America and beyond, including Supertown Challenge and CBC's Blackfly.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Colin & his wife Debra McGrath recently debuted their own motion picture Turnbuckle to rave reviews.
The Passing Zone
Award-winning Entertaining and Inspirational Duo with a Focus on Performance, Teamwork & the Power of Partnership
About
The Passing Zone is a renowned comedy act featuring Jon Wee and Owen Morse, who are experts on what it takes to be a high-performance team. Their partnership literally demonstrates trust, innovation, collaboration, communication and execution all with big laughs, wild stunts, and hilarious audience participation. After meeting at a juggling convention, and finishing college (Jon in economics and Owen in psychology) they began their professional journey, quickly winning the Silver and Gold Medals at the International Jugglers' Association Teams Competition. This success led to their debut on “The Tonight Show”, followed by another appearance due to Johnny Carson’s enthusiasm. Their film debut was in The Addams Family Movie, doubling for Raul Julia and Christopher Lloyd.
Showcasing innovation, leadership development, and teamwork through their presentations, they gained further acclaim performing at the Royal Variety Performance in London for then Prince Charles, on the Miss America Pageant and at The White House. They were finalists on “America’s Got Talent” in Seasons 1 and 11, showcasing their comedic and juggling prowess. Their television appearances include “The Tonight Show", "Penn & Teller: Fool Us” “MADtv,” “Penn & Teller’s Sin City Spectacular,” “Steve Harvey’s Big Time,” and regular slots on NBC’s “Today.” They also provided commentary for ESPN’s World Juggling Federation competitions.
Jon & Owen hold four Guinness World Records, have received the IJA’s Award of Excellence and are in the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame. Performing at corporate and association events, they are known for their clean, versatile act that appeals to diverse audiences. They customize performances to include company products and slogans, inspiring collaboration and creativity.
Mike Rayburn
Guitar Virtuoso, Motivational, Comedic and Entertaining Performer
About
Mike uses music and comedy to teach audiences how to become their personal best person by learning how to make "Virtuoso Decisions."
Audiences leave with the tools, and a simple, personalized action plan for becoming world class virtuosos in their own lives.
Mike is a world-class guitarist, keynote speaker, entrepreneur & innovator
Past clients include: Texas Pharmacy Association, Premera Blue Cross, Moneytree, Inc., Prosperity Financial Associates, Coldwell Banker Burnet, Apple Leisure Group and Orkin.
When organizations need innovation, change and peak performance, where do they go? Usually it’s to business leaders, authors, or famous sports figures. Rarely do they go to artists! Yet for artists, innovation, peak performance and change are their life blood. Being a mega-successful artist, as well as an innovative entrepreneur, Mike Rayburn is uniquely qualified to teach artistic principles in a business context, to give businesses and teams the edge they need to innovate and perform like virtuosos…and thus transform their success and significance.
Mike Rayburn is a TEDx Presenter who teaches innovation, change and peak performance using world-class guitar and humor to create a transformational experience and generate exponential results. He has headlined Carnegie Hall, Las Vegas, and performed more than 5,000 presentations in 20 countries on five continents. Rayburn is a music/internet pioneering entrepreneur, feature artist on Sirius/XM and Artist In Residence at High Point University. His more than 1000 corporate clients include most of the Fortune 100, 500, and the top five, including multiple presentations for Walmart, Exxon, Wells Fargo, Lincoln Financial, UnitedHealth, IBM, Siemens, Verizon, Ford, Nationwide, MetLife, PepsiCo, Chevron, Sony, Allianz, and Liberty Mutual.
Steve Rizzo
Corporate Comedian, Emcee, Motivational Speaker and Best-Selling Author.
About
Click Here to Watch Steve's Virtual Presentation
Steve Rizzo is ready to help, whether you need to motivate your sales & service team, improve employee morale, instill strong leadership skills, deal with stress, or embrace change - then his “Common Sense Success Strategies” will take your audience to the next level. As one of his clients said, “Never has my group learned so much and laughed so hard in one sitting!”
Once upon a time, Steve Rizzo was told by a guidance counselor that he didn’t have the intelligence for college. A few years later he was saddled with the dubious high school honor of being voted “Least Likely to Succeed.”
Steve went on to surprise everyone, including himself, by excelling with honors at the university and postgraduate levels. Eventually, Steve even taught English at his old high school and was a counselor for students with behavioral problems, proving once and for all that guidance counselors are not fortune-tellers.
Steve would go on to stellar success as a national headline comedian, and starred in his very own Showtime comedy special, earning him honors as a Showtime Comedy All-Star.
But the surprises didn’t stop there.
At the pinnacle of his stand-up career, Steve walked away from comedy to pursue his true purpose and passion - to show people how to shift their focus and way of thinking, to discover more joy and enthusiasm, increased productivity and greater levels of success.
Steve offers more than the usual nuts and bolts on how to succeed. He stresses the importance of enjoying yourself during the process of achieving your goals, and building a solid foundation to stand on when all else fails, because he absolutely knows that no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, attitude is everything.
When Steve Rizzo shares his blueprint for success with Fortune 500 companies and associations across the globe, he delivers a powerful message for living an extraordinary life, because he lives the “Common Sense Success Strategies” that has made him a member of prestigious Speakers Hall of Fame - an honor bestowed on fewer than 300 speakers worldwide since 1977.
Steve is author of the best-selling books Motivate THIS! and Get Your SHIFT Together. He is also a regular contributor for SUCCESS magazine and often called upon as the “go-to” guy on the topic of personal and professional development for many network, cable and radio media outlets.
Mark Schulman
World-Renowned Drummer; Author; Motivator; Expert, The Secrets of Rockstar Performance
About
Mark Schulman is a monster drummer who’s toured the world with some of the greatest rock and pop performers – before crowds as big as 225,000. He’s played with P!NK, Billy Idol, Cher, Stevie Nicks, Foreigner, Simple Minds, and others over his 32-year touring career. Mark is also amazing on another stage – as a speaker, where he delivers a rock show disguised as a keynote. “I’ve learned about the importance of attitude as part of the touring family with these great performers,” Mark says as he unpacks the secrets of rockstar performance. His presentations translate lessons learned during a remarkable career into valuable tips for organizations, teams, leaders, and those who want to be their absolute best.
Mark Schulman is a brilliant storyteller and performer who inspires audiences to engage and unleash their inner rockstar. Mark's first book, Conquering Life’s Stage Fright, shows people how to harness doubt, fear, and anxiety to perform at their best when it matters most. His next book, The Attitude Equation, is slated for early 2024 release. Mark is also a judge and coach on an all-new original music competition television show called BANDED on AXS TV.
Mark Schulman grew up in Los Angeles and is a classically trained cellist. As a teen, he played with the Los Angeles Junior Philharmonic. He later even played cello on the 2009/2010 P!NK tour. During his unprecedented career over the last 32 years, Mark has been a first-call drummer for world-class rock and pop artists. He was voted “Top 3 Pop-Rock Drummers” in the Modern Drummer Readers Poll in 2014 and was the featured cover
artist in the May 2019 issue of Modern Drummer. Mark did four record-breaking world tours with P!NK over 15 years.
Mark’s resume reads like a “Who’s Who” of international rock ‘n’ roll royalty, including acts such as Cher, Billy Idol, Foreigner, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, Beyonce, and so many other world-class artists. He has drummed with Velvet Revolver at Ozzfest and for a crowd of 225,000 at Glastonbury Festival with Simple Minds. Mark has appeared on nearly every American, European, and Australian variety show including the Grammy Awards, Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, American Idol, The Paul O'Grady Show, The X Factor, Wetten, dass..?, the ARIA Awards, and more.
Mark’s fan base extends way beyond the rock ‘n’ roll stage. Fans of his other career, as a top motivational speaker, exist at companies and organizations he’s spoken for, including American Express, Microsoft, IBM, DELL Cisco, Aveda, Kaiser, NCAA, SAP, and more. To date, Mark has performed over 2,000 keynotes, 1,000 music clinics, and for over a billion people.
Offstage, Mark is passionate about teaching and helping others. He was the chairman of Create Now!, a non-profit organization founded in 1996 to help change troubled children's lives through creative arts mentoring. A cancer survivor himself, Mark has also motivated children and teens through his work doing seminars with the Ronald McDonald House and benefits for the Teenage Cancer Trust in the U.K.
An active educator, Mark taught at the Los Angeles Music Academy and is one of the world’s most sought-after drum clinicians, hosting clinics around the world. Mark produced his first instructional DVD in his studio, A Day in the Recording Studio; A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Recording Great Drum Tracks for Drummers and All Musicians distributed by Hudson Music. The Mark Schulman Signature Snare Drum is one of the best-selling signature products in the history of GRETSCH.
In May 2023, Mark became a judge and coach for an all-new original music competition television show called BANDED. The show redefines the “build-a-band” concept and pairs up-and-coming artists with top coaches. Besides judging, Mark will coach one of the rock outfits.
Mark is also a music producer, trained audio engineer, and studio co-owner of West Triad Recording Studio in Venice, California.
Meg Soper
Corporate Entertainer and Motivational Humorist who Speaks on Resilience and Teamwork
About
Click Here to Watch Meg's Virtual Presentation
Meg Soper is a professional speaker and comedienne who combines a remarkable sense of humour with her unique perspective of life - to captivate her audience and provide them with a presentation filled with inspiration and entertainment. Across North America, Meg is highly sought after to energize events and inspire employees through keynote presentations, as an M.C., or through interactive workshops.
Meg has appeared as a keynote speaker and featured entertainer at conferences and corporate functions across North America and internationally. A veteran performer, she got her start at various comedy clubs across Canada, and over the years shared the stage with many leading comedy acts including Ray Romano and Ellen Degeneres.
With over 30 years experience in the health care industry and as a Registered Nurse in the Operating Room, she understands how your attitude affects those around you at home and in the workplace environment. Meg is co-author of the book, From the Stage to the Page - Life Lessons from Four Funny Ladies. She has appeared on the CBC Television Network, Women’s Television Network and Prime TV, as well as being featured in many radio programs and comedy festivals. Meg has a tremendous ability to connect with her audience and take every event to a higher level.
Her experiences as a staff nurse and operating room nurse - in major urban teaching hospitals and regional healthcare facilities - shaped her perspective. It taught her how humor can help us effectively deal with stressful situations in our personal and professional lives. Out of the pressure-packed environment of the hospital operating room and balancing two careers, Meg realized humor is extremely effective for dealing with stress and managing change.
And how better to motivate and entertain her audiences than through humor and inspiration? That’s why her unique brand of motivational comedy is referred to as “Humor with a Heart”. She inspires people to improve communication, deal with stress, and achieve better balance in their lives while establishing a healthy workplace and home life.
It all comes down to choices. We always have a choice about how we do our work, even if we don’t have a choice about the work itself. We choose the attitude we bring with us to work and to life, and the ability to decide whether any given day will be good or bad. If we have the ability to step back from a situation and see the humor in it, we quickly realize that life can be less stressful.
Speech Thomas
2x Grammy Award Winning founder & lead singer of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
About
Speech was born Todd Thomas in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The youngest of parents Robert & Patricia Thomas. He grew up on two sides of life: the ghetto of Milwaukee (one of the nation’s roughest cities for African Americans) and (Wauwatosa) Milwaukee’s suburbia. Speech learned how to draw from the pains and beauty of both. He would absorb the plights of his people and the retreat of a middle-class black boy in a primarily white neighborhood. He lost his grandmother to a heart attack and his older brother, Terrence Thomas to an Asthma attack within the same week, and through spirituality, learned to recalibrate his inner anger through dynamic music. To celebrate the lives of those he lost, he coined his sound “life music”. Speech wrote the hit song Tennessee as a dedication to his grandmother and brother. In the early nineties, Speech and his mother started the Terrence Thomas Scholarship and to date, the scholarship has raised over a million dollars helping young black students further their educations.
Speech started and produced the hip-hop group, Arrested Development. Based in Georgia, from humble and rural beginnings; they became a pioneering force in the music world. Arrested Development received two Grammy Awards (Best new artists & Best rap single 1993) for the album, 3 years, 5 months, and 2 days in the life of…” Their second album “Zingalamaduni” was met with critical acclaim and was also nominated for a GRAMMY award.
In 1995, the group disbanded and Speech signed a solo record deal with EMI. His first single “Like Marvin Gaye Said” shot to #1 on the Japanese Tokio 100 charts for 7 consecutive weeks. Speech has released 5 solo albums since, all of which have spawned Top 10 hit singles in Japan. His album “1998 Hoopla” and Spiritual People” (2000) were certified gold. “Spiritual People” was awarded the Best black music album of the year 2000 by the acclaimed ADLIB magazine. Speech supported each album with sold-out tours.
Speech has also toured as a solo performer with the United States Vice President Al Gore, First Lady Hillary Clinton, Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Youssou N’dour, James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic, Jason Mraz, Hootie & the Blowfish, and The Roots.
In 2020 Speech partnered with Resonant Pictures and Pipeline Entertainment to release the full-length documentary “16 Bars” where Speech goes into a maximum security jail to write music with inmates. This stirring documentary has won numerous film festival awards and is now available through Lightyear Entertainment on streaming platforms worldwide
Dan Thurmon
Author, Hall of Fame Speaker, and a Recognized Expert in Delivering Peak Performances.
About
Dan talks about how organizations can meet the challenge of helping their employees bring more energy to work and not only embrace change but see it as an opportunity to lead.
Audiences leave his dynamic presentations understanding how they can manage energy and time more effectively and adopt an off balance on purpose approach as a realistic and empowering way to excel at work and life.
Dan is a world-renowned Hall of Fame keynote speaker, author, entrepreneur, workplace performance expert, fitness advocate, and acrobat.
Past clients include: AT&T, Bank of America, Marriott, Microsoft, WalMart, Honeywell, Chase, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.
Click Here to Watch Dan's Virtual Presentation
Dan Thurmon isn’t just a world-renowned Hall of Fame keynote speaker. He’s also an author, entrepreneur, workplace performance expert, fitness advocate, and acrobat who practices what he preaches!
Known for delivering powerful, customized, opening and closing keynotes in jaw-dropping style, Dan uses every bit of his passion and ability to educate and inspire his audiences. The results and experiences are unlike anything any other speaker can offer.
Dan is known for delivering powerful, customized opening and closing keynotes in jaw-dropping style. He does handstands on podiums while discussing balance. He juggles sharp objects to teach principles of performance under pressure. He weaves through the audience on a six-foot unicycle to visually amplify principles for navigating change. Dan has been transforming fortune 500 teams to see change as as ‘an opportunity to lean into’ for 25 years.
What started as a means to fund a business school grew into a seven-figure business across 32 countries and six continents. Dan began his journey as an acrobatic performer for corporate events over 25 years ago. He soon moved beyond performance to incorporate motivational messages tailored to solve real-world business problems. Word-of-mouth helped spread the powerful impact of Dan’s keynotes and workshops, and he’s established a long list of fortune 500 clients.
Today, Dan continues to work closely with his clients to truly understand their challenges in business, leadership and teamwork. For Dan, his role goes far beyond just an energetic start or end to a meeting. He serves as a catalyst to inspire significant change within a business, especially during times of transition.
In his programs, Dan drives to the root of what’s holding clients back, and he tailors every engagement to address the specific needs of every organization. Whether it’s a live event or virtual learning experience, Dan’s dynamic approach and unique point of difference sets his programs apart and keeps him in high demand all year long.
Dan is a dedicated family man currently living in the Atlanta area with his wife Shay and their children, Eddie and Maggie. He is passionate about health and fitness, and enjoys playing golf, reading, writing and music.
About
Click Here to Watch Erik's Virtual Presentation
Erik Wahl is an internationally recognized artist, TED speaker, and No. 1 bestselling author. His breakthrough experience as an artist and entrepreneur has translated into making him into one of the most sought-after corporate speakers on the circuit today.
On stage, Erik’s keynote experience creates a dynamic multidimensional metaphor for how to systematically embrace innovation and risk. His message: disruption is the new normal and businesses must embrace creativity in a wholesale fashion, or risk being left behind. Erik’s presentation inspires organizations to be increasingly agile and outlines how to use disruption as a competitive advantage. Some companies will be disrupted others will choose to be the disruptor. Choose wisely.
His new book, The Spark and the Grind, activates the essential components of translating ideas into action. His breakthrough thinking has earned praise from the likes of top influencers in both art and business. Erik’s previous book, a bestseller called Unthink was hailed by Forbes Magazine as The blueprint to actionable
creativity, and by Fast Company Magazine as “provocative with a purpose.”
The Warhol of Wall Street, the Renoir of ROI, The Picasso of Productivity, the Jobs of … Well, Jobs.
Erik discovered an alarming truth early in his career as a partner in a corporate firm: organizations that encouraged the mental discipline of creativity did better than those that did not put innovation as a priority mission. So he set out to challenge companies to change their way of thinking.
In the meantime, inspired by street art, he became an acclaimed graffiti artist—though he has since stopped selling his works for personal gain, and instead uses his art to raise money for charities. His keynote is where his passion for business growth and art converge into a fascinating performance.
Erik’s list of clients includes AT&T, Disney, London School of Business, Microsoft, FedEx, Exxon Mobil, Ernst &
Young, and XPrize.
About
Benjamin Zander is the conductor of The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and a guest conductor around the world. With London's famed Philharmonia Orchestra, he is recording the complete cycle of Mahler symphonies for Telarc, recordings which have been received with extraordinary critical acclaim and several awards. Their latest recording of Bruckner's 5th Symphony was nominated for a 2010 Grammy, and has received critical acclaim both for the performance and Zander's now famous full-length disc explaining the music for the lay listener. They recorded their next release, Mahler's 2nd Symphony, in January 2012.
In 1967, Mr. Zander joined the faculty at New England Conservatory, where he taught an interpretation class, conducted the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, and conducted the conservatory orchestras. For the past 28 years, he was the Artistic Director of the joint program between New England Conservatory's Preparatory School and The Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts in Natick, Massachusetts.
Benjamin Zander has an extensive speaking career, traveling the world lecturing to organizations on leadership. He has appeared four times as a keynote speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he was presented with the Crystal award for 'outstanding contributions in the Arts and international relations.'
A true renaissance man, Benjamin is also co-author of The Art of Possibility, and holds a degree in English Literature from University College in London. As world-renowned leadership coach and highly in-demand keynote speaker, his presentations are interactive and innovative, and most of all - fun.
Zander was awarded the 2002 'Caring Citizen of the Humanities' Award by the International Council for Caring Communities at the United Nations.
Joel Zeff
Humorist, Author, and Dynamic Speaker on Teamwork, Change, and Leadership
About
Click Here to Watch Joel's Virtual Presentation
About Joel Zeff - Dynamic Collaboration, Leadership, and Change Speaker, Improvisational Humorist, and Author:
Since 1997, Joel has inspired audiences from Wells Fargo to Samsung to KPMG and even the IRS. Yes, the IRS. Joel is a masterful public speaker and a nationally renowned motivator, lifelong humorist and improvisational actor.
He connects to his audience with humor that has them laughing so uncontrollably that their mascara runs, their cheeks hurt, and their bellies ache. And he doesn't do it alone. Volunteers from the audience join him on stage and play an integral role in an improvisation game in front of hundreds or thousands of people—something the audience members have never done. He expects nothing less than their success. He expects the volunteers to focus and work together as a team; communicate effectively; positively support each other; and take responsibility.
Joel makes his audience laugh so hard that they forget about the corporate nonsense of conference calls, "strategic deliverables," PowerPoint presentations with upside-down triangles, or "paradigm shifts in a cross-functional organization." Make the Right Choice is conversational, funny, and very informative. Yes, Joel will make you laugh, but he'll also make you think. This presentation delivers a combination of inspiration, essential business knowledge, and significant ideas to help audience members reconnect with their own passion and success.
As discussed in his book, Make the Right Choice, Joel believes that we all encounter choices in our careers. We always have the opportunity to make the right choice to live a more creative, passionate, and productive life. How do you “make the right choice”? You can choose to provide opportunity. You can choose to provide positive support. And along the way, you can choose to have fun. It’s really that simple. Joel teaches us just how easy it is to make these choices.
When he is not speaking, Joel expresses his creativity as an actor, writer and comedian. He started performing professionally in 1992. In Dallas, he was co-host of The Movie Zone on UPN 21. He has appeared in dozens of commercials for numerous clients, including the Dallas Cowboys, Harrah's Casino, Mydiscountbroker.com, Time Warner Cable, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Eagle Country Markets, and Extraco Bank. He has appeared in hundreds of corporate videos. He has also appeared on CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. He has been featured in The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle, The Kansas City Star, and many other media outlets.