Stand-up Comedian for your Banking / Wall Street / Finance / Insurance / Investment Industry / Hedge Fund /Credit Union Industry Event, Party or Seminar
Why hire a stand-up comedian when you can hire THE stand-up comedian? I’m Shaun Eli and I used to be a banker but now I get paid to make people laugh. I made some great trades on Wall Street but leaving Wall Street for the stage was by far the best trade I ever made.
Or maybe I should say laughing all the way FROM the bank.
Shaun Eli is America’s best and top comedian, as ranked by every single poll, survey, statistical sampling, scientific measurement, canvas, study, ballot and election. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it (and if you’re wondering why I put this here, feel free to ask).
I have an industry background- I spent almost two decades in finance, including portfolio and risk management for three international banks. I started performing comedy while working in finance, and eventually became a full-time comedian.
Invest in your Happiness. Hire stand-up comedian Shaun Eli for your event!sm
My non-comedy resume includes two years in insurance as a property & casualty actuary, three years at a non-bank financial company and eighteen years working for three different banks in both fixed-income investment and risk management. I was a pioneer in the credit derivatives industry, the inventor of several financial products including the double derivative. I was responsible for the two largest portfolio acquisitions in the history of real estate opportunity fund financing (also known as capital call subscription deals).
I also worked in sports lending, synthetic securities, bank loans, credit lines and letters of credit, leases, bonds, repos and asset-backed securities. So yeah, I probably understand your company or industry way better than the average comedian.
I have hilarious stories about working in banking but don’t worry, it’s not your company that I’ll be making fun of. Oh yeah, I also have a degree in marketing and economics from Wharton, if you’re snobby about that sort of thing. And more recently, a master’s degree in applied positive psychology from Penn. But really you should be hiring me for my comedy skills:
Read a transcript of the video
Read the video transcript
My father is 94 years old, and on Tuesday, last Tuesday, I took him to a new doctor for the first time...
which I've had to do a lot lately...
because he keeps outliving all the old doctors.
(laughter)
And when you're 94 and you see a new doctor, before the physical exam, the doctor just asks some questions to see how the patient's doing mentally,
because some 94 year olds are starting to slip. But not my father. My father's a retired
accountant and he is as sharp as ever.
Now I know doctors are smart, but doctors are, like, science smart. My father's a retired
accountant and he's accounting smart, and there's a difference.
So the first question the doctor asked my father, he said, If you had a dollar, and you took away 35 cents
(laughter)
how much would you have left? My father said, If I had a dollar, and I took away 35 cents
(laughter)
I would still have a dollar...
(big, sustained laughter)
because I'm the one who took away the 35 cents.
(laughter)
Accountant 1, Doctor 0.
(laughter)
“Shaun Eli did an amazing job performing virtually for our department. He had us laughing from the start, engaging with the audience and kept us laughing the whole time. And after he finished he told us stories from his career and answered our questions, without ever stopping being entertaining. I imagine it’s not easy to make a small audience of only a dozen people laugh on a screen but he was wonderful!”
Mike Savage
Managing Director
Charles Schwab
“Shaun was SUPER. Not only did he do a phenomenal job emceeing our corporate function but with his corporate background he completely understood our complicated business and what we needed from an emcee for the launch of our unique event. And after the event he took the initiative to stick around and discuss the logistics with our participants so he could make suggestions to make the event even better the next time we do it.”
Kayvan Farzaneh
Senior Manager
VSC Consulting
“Thank you so much for appearing at our fundraising dinner. Everyone loved you and really appreciated your being there. From the minute you hit the stage you had us all roaring with laughter! The feedback we’re getting from everyone is terrific. You were original and clever as well as quick-witted in dealing with the audience, and you were an absolute pleasure to work with.”
Mitch Baum
Chairman
Burgers for Autism
Garden Academy
(school for children with autism)
“We had Corporate take a look at your agreement, some changes were made, but they wanted me to pass along they LOVED your humor and never laughed so hard working on a contract.”
Carla Brady
Manager of Resident Services
Erickson Living
“Shaun is stupendous! We spent a little over an hour on the phone to come up with some jokes for my company’s e-commerce site. I was amazed at how quickly he thought of funny things for us to put on our website to keep it interesting and draw attention to our novel products. His comedy was not just about the products themselves- he even came up with a joke to boast about the low price we are charging. Shaun’s price for his expertise? Very fair and reasonable. Need original comedy for your business? Hire Shaun.”
Jacqueline von Edelberg
Founder & Chief Feline Officer
Scratch Out Scratchers, Inc.
Mistakes event planners make when hiring a corporate comedian
I will make sure that your event is tons of fun. I’ve been a stand-up comedian for over twenty years, I have a business background and I founded the company that’s the leading independent producer of clean stand-up comedy for theatres. So in addition to showing up to your event and making people laugh I’ll also help you set up the room so it’s optimized for comedy- which may mean figuring out the best lighting and how to set up the chairs and tables for the performance- everything to give you the great show you deserve. Because little things can make a big difference, as you’ve probably seen in your business.
Questions? This website has my contact information all over it but to make it easy for you:
Shaun (at) BrainChampagne (dot) com
Shaun Eli Liberty Comedy Corp.
Call or text (914) it’s-funny (914) 487-3866
Highlights
- Profiled in The New York Times
- Wrote jokes for opening monologues of three late-night talk show hosts for almost 20 years
- Jay Leno cited one of Shaun’s jokes as the type of smart comedy he liked to include in his opening monologue (Fortune magazine interview)
- Performed on Netflix and Amazon
- Wharton-educated, with a master’s degree in positive psychology
- Tours with Armed Forces Entertainment
- Headlined shows on six continents (so far- if you can book me for Antarctica, please do!)
- Writes jokes and consults on humor for companies and other organizations
FAQ on my banking career and comedy for the financial industry
How do I find, book or hire a comedian for a banking, credit union, Wall Street or financial conference or event?
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To hire a comedian for a corporate or financial event, you should specifically be looking for a corporate comedian, someone who is versed in what content is and isn't appropriate for your event. And if you can find someone like former banker Shaun Eli, he will guide you through exactly what you need to know to make the comedy part of your event tons of fun. Sorry, for the rest of the event, that's on you and your event planners.
Would a comedian work for our financial advisory firm's client appreciation event?
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I'm a clean corporate comedian and I would be an excellent addition to your client appreciation event. With my more than a decade in banking, I know how to make your clients laugh. I made people laugh when I was a banker, and I'm way better at it now!
What should a bank or Wall Street firm look for in a comedian for its holiday party?
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For a bank, fund or Wall Street firm’s Christmas or holiday party, you should choose a comedian who knows where you draw the line and won’t go anywhere near it, who won’t embarrass anyone, and who understands the room. I’m Shaun Eli, and I spent almost two decades in finance before becoming a full-time comedian, so I have experienced the same challenges and stresses that you have. Whether it’s your employee holiday party, a year-end party or a holiday event for clients, stand-up comedy helps people relax, have fun and relate to each other with a shared experience. And, should something go wrong, nobody's better than a comedian at responding in a positive manner, redirecting everyone's focus and keeping the event fun.
Do you perform for credit unions and insurance companies too, or just banks?
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Of course. I've performed in a barn, you think I won't perform for a credit union or an insurance company?
What did you do in banking?
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In banking, I started out pricing leases, then trained as a credit analyst. I was an aviation lender. Then I did credit risk management for a bank's trading products, including hedge funds. Everybody wanted to know my bank's secret for extending credit to hedge funds. I can tell you, but it'll cost you. Then I went to a bank that was on the forefront of credit derivatives, and I invented some new structured products including the double-derivative. I just realized that farther up the page I already talked about this in more detail. None of this is funny.
What is funny?
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What's funny is that now I get paid to make fun of the people I used to work for. If they'd paid me better I might still be there.
What's special about stand-up comedy for the financial industry?
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Almost nothing is special about stand-up comedy for the financial industry, except if you hire me for a corporate show I probably understand your industry and if I do crowd work (what comedians call talking to the audience in a back-and-forth, instead of just performing jokes and telling stories) I might find something funny in the give-and-take. Also you pay really well, right?
What did you major in at Wharton?
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Again, not funny, but at Wharton I majored in marketing and economics. My marketing 1 professor was a really good teacher, and that may have been the reason I chose marketing. Alas, he also turned out to be a really, really horrible person and last I knew he was pretty far into a very long federal prison sentence for unspeakable crimes. Really. Also not funny.
You consult on humor?
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Yes, I do consult on humor. A few people have paid me to talk about comedy or write jokes for their business or political campaign. So far, nothing in the financial industry. You can be the first.
What are virtual comedy shows like?
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Virtual comedy shows are a lot of fun, and I don't have to leave the house. Most comics hate them because they can be challenging, but I quickly figured out why they were challenging, and how to make them work well. I've had some great zoom shows, and they're fun for me too.
What's with the Q&A?
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At a lot of my shows I do a Q&A, taking questions from the audience at the end, it's fun for them and it's fun for me too.
Is comedy a good way to end a conference on a high note?
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Comedy is absolutely a great way to end a conference. What's more fun than laughing? Also, studies have shown that having fun at an event helps people retain knowledge longer and gives them fonder memories of the event. Why wouldn't you end your conference with a comedian?
Can you emcee our financial conference or awards dinner?
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Yes, I'm an experienced emcee and I'd be delighted to emcee your event. I even wrote this piece on why the emcee is so important.
More FAQs about hiring a comedian, booking details and the day of your event
More FAQs about corporate comedy and corporate comedians
More FAQs about Shaun Eli and stand-up comedy
Mistakes event planners make when hiring a comedian
Executive Summary
Banker turned professional corporate comedian Shaun Eli has hilarious stories about banking from his days working in finance. He’s hilarious, he’s headlined shows on six continents, and he’s THE comedian for you to hire to entertain at your financial conference/industry event, client or employee outing, or private party. Hire him now.
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