Corporate Comedy, Corporate Comedians, Event Entertainment & Funny Keynote Speaker

Clean Stand-up Comedian Shaun Eli for your Serious Corporate Event?

Hire a comedian? A funny keynote speaker? Of course you should. Why wouldn’t you?

Corporate events should conclude with entertainment, in-person or virtual.

Book Shaun Now

    No matter how much your attendees love their work, 
    professional comedy entertainment will enhance your conference.

  • Laughter is a shared experience that brings people together.
  • Because studies have shown that humor helps people retain what they’ve learned.
  • Because massive laughter at your event is like the fine wine or delicious dessert that helps you appreciate your gourmet meal even more.
  • Because there’s no rule that says that a closing keynote speaker has to be serious.
  • Because studies have shown that people value experiences more than we value possessions. The pleasure we get from buying something new wears off very quickly but a pleasurable experience lives on in our memory. A comedy show is a great, fun experience!


    Read about Health and Business Benefits of Humor and Corporate Comedy FAQs

 

Accounting humor stand-up comedy Doctor vs. Accountant #Doctor #Accountant (FYI the accountant wins)

 

Is it appropriate to have comedy at your serious event?

That depends. Is the entertainer making balloon animals and singing silly song parodies? Or is he a hilarious Wharton-educated, award-winning economist & former bank vice president pleasing your audience with clean, smart comedy? Comedy that may include content specific to your industry. For example, it’s not just financial companies that use principles of risk management. So do stand-up comics!

Entertaining stories from the life of a comedian can show how he uses risk management to further his objectives and counter obstacles on the way to achieving his goals.

 

What is a corporate comedian?

A corporate comedian is a stand-up comedian whose material is not just clean but also appropriate for corporate events. He or she knows that what goes over at a comedy club isn’t necessarily suitable for a corporate conference or holiday party. Who knows that no matter what someone might tell him at the event, making fun of the company or boss isn’t acceptable. Who acts professionally both on and off stage. And who knows that ripped jeans, sneakers and t-shirts aren’t proper for your event.

Shaun is not a mainstream comedy club comic who tries to clean it up for corporate events. He’s a clean theatre comedian who has headlined shows on five continents, has written monologue jokes for the hosts of three late-night TV shows and has been profiled in numerous national magazines and major newspapers including The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Christian Science Monitor. Before becoming a stand-up comedian Shaun worked in finance for twenty years, after receiving a degree in marketing and economics from Wharton. He has been a professional comedian for 20 years and has 30 years of professional comedy-writing experience.

 

audience applauding for Shaun Eli at the Emelin Theatre
Shaun Eli at the Emelin Theatre in New York

Read testimonials
Read over a dozen newspaper and magazine articles about clean comedian Shaun Eli
See him live on stage or watch his videos

Many corporate and organizational conferences end with entertainment. Not just to make the conferences more fun and make people want to come back…people retain more if they’re entertained & enjoy themselves at an event.

For more information or to hire Shaun, email Shaun at BrainChampagne dot com
or call or text (914) it’s-funny (914) 487-3866

Adding comedy to your conference doesn’t just make it more fun,
it makes it more powerful.

Make your event
More powerful       More fun       More memorable       More talked-about
And make your attendees want to come back next year.


Some topics Shaun may cover in his corporate comedy performances

      • Creativity: Clever, maybe even sneaky, problem-solving
      • Quality
      • Tolerance & Adapting to others
      • Fighting the system to improve it
      • Drunk elephants
 

Health and business benefits of humor

 

 

FAQs about Corporate Comedy, Corporate Comedians and Event Entertainment

How long will you/he/she/they perform for?

That’s mostly up to you. We recommend no longer than a half-hour for a corporate event. Your attendees have probably already spent most of the day sitting around listening to other people talk. Twenty minutes can be fine. I can do well over 90 minutes if it’s appropriate.

What are the advantages of choosing a comedian for corporate entertainment or for a conference?

Your attendees have probably been sitting and listening to serious presentations all day. They need comic relief. Even serious movies have at least a joke or two to lighten the tension.
Studies have shown that laughter improves retention- people remember more when they’ve laughed. They will also have more positive memories of your event. And laughter is a common bond that will improve employee morale.
(Read specific scientific studies proving health and business benefits of humor)

At what point in the evening should we have the entertainment?

Towards the end- after dinner is best. It’s not great to have people eating and concentrating on food when they’re listening to a comedian. There’s no pause-and-rewind at a live show. Whether it’s before or after your speeches/awards presentation is up to you. Different comedians have different preferences.

Can the comedian write custom jokes for our group?

We can. Expect to pay a lot extra for that, as writing jokes takes time. Especially jokes we can’t test out and hone over several comedy club performances.
But you don’t need custom comedy. If the comic can make one or two jokes about your industry at the beginning, and maybe one more reference towards the end, the audience will leave thinking “Wow, that was all about us!”

How much does it cost to hire a comedian?

There are a lot of variables that go into pricing a performance. More famous comedians are more expensive- and that level of fame might be important to you. But it doesn’t necessarily mean a better performance. There are a lot of super-hilarious comedians you’ve never heard of. Other variables that affect cost include the night of the week (weekends are generally more expensive), how many attendees are expected, how far the comedian has to travel and whether it’s a for-profit or charity event. So- the best way to find out is to ask!

Will the comedian’s act be dirty?

I sure hope not. You should absolutely, positively have a conversation about what you think is inappropriate before hiring a comedian for a corporate or charity event. I’m a clean comedian. I think comedians should know their audience. But what a non-clean comedian will probably say is, you hire me, you get me. You should know who I am.
I disagree with that, and if there’s a disappointment there’s fault on both sides. Avoid all that by discussing it in advance.

How will the comedian dress?

When I started in comedy someone told me that a comedian should dress at least as well as the audience. I agree. If the audience is in suits then a guy showing up in torn jeans and sneakers looks out of place.
I generally wear a dress shirt, sports jacket and dark jeans. That’s usually enough to blend in, but if you are all wearing suits and ties (or the female equivalent) and you think I should too, you should tell me that in advance. I own more than enough clothing.
And here’s something I discovered from working in comedy clubs, something that most comedians haven’t figured out: If a comedian dresses even a little bit better than the other comedians, even boots, a polo shirt and nice jeans vs. sneakers, a t-shirt and lighter-colored jeans, he gets heckled/interrupted/talked back to much, much less frequently (I say ‘he’ in this case because I haven’t done the research to see if this is true for women too, but few female comics dress sloppily on stage).

Can or will the comedian make fun of our CEO?

My thought on this is that it’s not a good idea. You may think your CEO is a good sport but very few people like being made fun of. If the CEO wants to appear approachable then he should be self-deprecating. Don’t hire someone to make fun of him.
(I say he/him because studies have shown that male bosses who are self-deprecating are seen as more approachable, but female bosses who are self-deprecating are sometimes seen as weak. And please don’t shoot the messenger.)

What is a corporate imposter?

A corporate imposter is someone introduced as a leading expert on something related to the company. But they don’t actually make sense. As they continue to get more and more ridiculous the audience is confused until they realize they’re being put on.
I don’t like this. To me it’s basically one long joke that’s making fun of the audience. I’ve been offered a bunch of money to do this and I’ve always turned it down.

What technical requirements do you have?

Absolutely a sound system. Even for a small group the microphone gives us a level of authority. A hand-held mic is best. Not one stuck to a lectern. A lavalier mic (the kind clipped to clothing) is not a great idea. We’ve all heard stories of someone who went to the bathroom and forgot to turn off their mic. Ideally also stage lighting and an elevated stage.

Can the comedian emcee the evening?

Most good comedians are experienced at emceeing events. Ask. I am. I emcee a lot of comedy shows and other events.

Are there different types of comedians?

There are several ways to categorize comedians: clean/not clean, political/non-political. Impressionists. Musical acts. High energy/low energy. Physical comedians. One-liner comedians. Story-tellers. Observational comedians. My act is a combination of stories and short one-liner type jokes.

Do comedians talk about politics? Will they offend our guests?

I don’t do political comedy unless there’s a specific reason to. I quickly learned that doing political material will turn off at least a third of the audience, and there’s really no reason for that.

How do we contact you?

You’re already on my website! Email Shaun at BrainChampagne.com or call or text (914) 487-3866 after 10 AM NY time.

Bring corporate comedian Shaun Eli to your conference or event.
For much less than you thought possible.
Book him without any hidden agency or speaker fees. Get all the credit for hiring a comedian at a great price.

Email: Shaun at BrainChampagne dot com
Call or text (914) it’s-funny (914) 487-3866 for more information.

More information: Intelligent corporate comedy: information on how to hire corporate comedians