Clean Comedian and Funny Keynote Speaker for Corporate and Charity Events in Philadelphia, Bucks County, Montgomery County, Chester County, Delaware County and surrounding areas. That means you, Jersey.

Also great for temples, churches and synagogues, awards dinners, government and military groups, alumni associations, country clubs, fund-raising events, law firm client events and even private parties. And for any of the big universities there. I went to one of them.

 

About Me

Clean comedian Shaun Eli smiles down at the audience as he takes the stage and puts the microphone stand to the side
Shaun Eli on stage at the Emelin Theatre in New York

I’ve been a professional stand-up comedian for more than eighteen years and a lot of what I do is clean, corporate stand-up comedy. Before that I was a banker. I attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where I majored in marketing and economics. Unlike most of my classmates I had no interest in finance. I wanted to work in marketing. Alas I rather sucked at job interviews and ended up in finance. Strange, I know. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it.

I went on a date with a woman who talked me intro trying stand-up comedy. I started by taking the course she recommended. Six years later I said adios to the day job and started working full-time as a comedian. Or as I sometimes like to refer to what I do for a living, standing on a box and talking into a stick.

Having gone to Penn for four years I’m familiar with Philadelphia, even though my mom doesn’t love Dietz & Watson, I’m not sure if Big Marty Really Does Sell Carpet Cheaper and I will never go on record expressing a preference for a particular cheesesteak place. I understand that whiz is the appropriate cheese for a cheesesteak but I just can’t bring myself to order it anymore. Provolone is good, American cheese is okay. With, of course. By the way I recently did two corporate shows in Philadelphia and each time I visited one of the famous cheesesteak places. Neither one thought it was funny when I got to the front of the line and said “I’ll just have a salad.”

I’ve been profiled in The New York Times and my group The Ivy League of Comedy was profiled in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Yes, that was a long time ago. I’ve been a comedian for almost two decades. Lots of other press about me on my Press Page.

 

About my shows

Now I get paid to make jokes about my former employer, about job interviews, and anything else that’s happened to me that I can make funny. If you’ve ever gotten a parking ticket in the City of Philadelphia you have to hear my story about that. Even if you live in Bucks County, or Montgomery, or Chester, or even in northern Delaware, you probably drive into Philadelphia from time to time. So if you want to learn how I beat a parking ticket, and laugh about twenty times during the story, hire me for your organization.

Other important things I sometimes mention on stage include Dr. Ruth, serving on jury duty in NYC, comedy in Northern Ireland, my top-notch head of hair, a South African safari (giraffes are cool and hippos are mean) and why my DNA says I’m a dog. Also my parents, dating, and touring as a comedian performing on five continents. Don’t be that impressed- everybody starts with one, and there are two I haven’t gotten to yet. And yeah, I actually tried really hard to get to perform on Antarctica.

Like a whole lot of comedians I’m Jewish, and I frequently perform for Jewish organizations like Jewish Community Centers, temples and synagogues. I sometimes have a few Jewish references when I’m doing shows for secular groups, but it’s not a lot and you absolutely will understand all the jokes- it’s not like you have to be Jewish to get them.

If you want to see what I’m like on stage watch my stand-up comedy videos. Like I said at the top of the page my shows are also great for houses of worship, awards dinners, government and military groups, alumni associations, country clubs, fund-raising events, law firm client events and even private parties. Clean stand-up comedy is great for all sorts of groups and events. I guess that’s why you’re here. Thank you for coming.

 

Funny Keynote Speaker

I can be either a live funny keynote speaker or a funny virtual keynote speaker. I’m not a motivational speaker. I won’t get people riled up but I will get them laughing for my entire time on stage. If I tell my story about fighting a parking ticket in Philadelphia I may get people excited to fight for justice. Okay, parking ticket justice. Hey, everybody’s got to start somewhere. If you’re looking for a funny keynote speaker I’m your guy. So if you want to call me a corporate keynote speaker that’s fine with me. As long as I get paid to make people laugh I’m happy. And you will be too. I’m way funnier than your average humorous keynote speaker, because I’m a stand-up comedian. Not a guy who just has a few jokes mixed into a serious talk.

Your audience will arrive full of enthusiasm for my keynote speech because I can provide you with video of me on stage that you can share with them in advance. They will depart happy and grateful and will be talking about the event for days if not weeks.

I have hours of material so I should be able to link my keynote address to the theme of your event, company or industry. With a business background I may understand your industry quite well, especially if it’s banking or finance (I was a banker for 20 years before becoming a full-time stand-up comic), accounting (my father was an accountant and I have accounting jokes and stories), advertising or marketing (I majored in marketing at Wharton), insurance (I was an actuarial assistant for a couple of years), aviation (I’m a licensed, instrument-rated pilot) or boating (former rower and dragon-boat racer and I have a rather useless New York State boating license).

Also law. Though I’m not an attorney lots of people seem to think I’m one. I served for 17 months on a federal grand jury, I have at least one pro-lawyer joke and I am 1-0 representing myself in New York State Supreme Court. I sued a home improvement contractor and beat the heck out of a trial attorney using the two most powerful weapons in my arsenal: humor and sarcasm. I also wrote an article for the New Jersey Law Journal on attorneys who became comedians. And in addition to not being an attorney I’m also not from New Jersey.

I love answering audience questions after a keynote speech. It gives me the chance to be spontaneously funny, to learn about what audiences are curious about, to tell stories that are fun and funny but don’t necessarily fit into either a stand-up routine or keynote speech. Audiences love it too. It’s like a backstage pass.

One thing to note: I speak. I may pace a bit. I tell jokes and very funny stories. I don’t use Powerpoint. I don’t need slides. Just a good sound system with a hand-held microphone (not a mic stuck to a lectern). Proper lighting also helps.

Back before I was a comedian I was a banker and was chosen to be the keynote (closing) speaker at an international conference on risk management. The speakers before me were from more prestigious companies. They had a lot of data to present and used a lot of slides. This was a bit anxiety-inducing until I realized that their extensive, detailed data and slides were a drawback. It was too much detail and was both rote and confusing. I was the opposite- I presented a case that was both interesting and easy to understand. Nobody was distracted or confused during my talk. I was the one who drew the most questions because I held their interest. And yes, they invited me back to be the keynote speaker again the next year.

 

How to hire me

Happy to answer any questions. It’s one way I can learn more about what people are looking for and what their concerns are. I’m inexpensive because I’m not greedy. I like to perform. Email Shaun (at) Brain Champagne dot com, or call or text me at (914) it’s-funny (914) 487-3866.