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What was YOUR worst job ever?
I just posted a great story by guest author & comedian Ron Tite about his worst gig ever. The pain of the situation just cracked me up, and made me want to give the guy a hug. I’ve been there. Comedians suffer like … well, if you’ve never been in front of 400 people who hate you, you just won’t understand.
Ron also makes a good point that, like music, there are many different types of comedy.
Even if a stand-up is the right choice, there are countless
kinds of stand-ups just like there are countless styles of music. Choosing the wrong type of stand up is like selecting a Marilyn Manson tune for a wedding procession (although I’m sure there are Goth brides out there who would like nothing more than to walk down the aisle to “This is the Sh*t”).
I haven’t met Ron in person, and I’ve never seen his stand up comedy. But I can tell you that, after reading this article, I felt like we were brothers.
What do you think? What is your worst gig ever? Comment baby!
(Need a comedian for your event? Go to the contact page and let’s talk!)
Cheers,
Brad Montgomery
Comedian, Fan of Ron Tite, Lover of Good Comedian Stories
Tim Conway has to be one of the best sketch comedians ever. I grew up watching him, Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman make each other laugh.
What impresses me about this clip is that it holds up. It is still funny today. (And how many shows from the 70s can we say that about? Happy Days? No way, Fonzy!
As a professional speaker and comedian, I love watching how he cracks the other actors up, and how their laughter makes the sketch even funnier. He’s funny on his own, but with the his team members busting up he is hilarious. The other folks laughter turns the sketch from good to great.
This fact is relevant to us in our search for a fun business culture. Laughter begets laughter.
If you want to ramp up the fun in your office and the humor in your workplace, you can start by laughing more yourself. And if you are a leader or manager, make sure that you make certain others feel safe laughing around you. Employees are often nervous about letting loose in front of their boss: don’t let your people fall into this trap around you. If you are laughing the hardest, your employees will follow. Trust me on this.
Back to Conway: The fact that Conway was so “in the moment” and authentic makes me think he’d be a
killer professional speaker. Can you imagine having him as your motivational keynote speaker? Heck yeah! Imagine him (and his team of comedians) do one of these killer sketches and then connect the learning points to corporate America. I know he would have the convention or meeting on the edge of their seats because he is so funny. But I bet when he connects his communication skills, timing, teamwork and ability to deal with constant change to the business and corporate culture, he’d hit it out of the park. I know I would pay to see it.
The bad news is that Conway isn’t a pro speaker. The good news is that I know a motivational speaker that would love to fill in for him. : ) (“Hey mom! Pick me!”)
Technorati Tags: Comedians, Motivational speakers, humorists, Tim Conway, Funny, Sketch Del.icio.us Tags: Comedians, Motivational speakers, humorists, Tim Conway, Funny, Sketch
When I coach others about how to be funny, I teach saver lines. 
Basically, these are jokes that you tell after a joke goes bad to “save” the situation.
Johnny Carson was the king of savers. I just found this video….check out the master.
If you are a comedian or speaker and are looking for presentation and humor tips, this is a guy to learn from. Looking for more tips? Try BradMart.
Comedian magician (and pal) Michael C. Anthony just did something very cool. As he was on the road working for a college in Mississippi where after the show he went to visit three different shelters for those who lost everything during the hurricane.
Michael took it upon himself to do some magic for the folks in the shelter. I loved it! Not only did he go visit, but he shared the skill he has taken years to hone and shared it with those needing it most. He told me that the folks were bored stiff and probably would have reacted to nearly anything. But I know Michael, and he is a one of the nations most professional magicians… and so I know that he shared something really special.
Way to go dude! Way to share the laughter, the humor… and the magic!
click out my work as a corporate comedian magician
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Everybody’s a comedian | Entertainers Go Corporate
By Courtny Lingle, Denver Business Journal
“I was always sort of goofy,” said Brad Montgomery with a genuine smile and a giggle straight from the gut. In his profession, being goofy is an asset.
Montgomery is one of a growing number of people around the country using humor to spice up conventions and the workplace and relay important messages to corporations via jokes, stand-up and improvisational comedy, humorous anecdotes and even magic.
Montgomery, a Denver local and self-proclaimed “funny motivational speaker and humorist,” says these days people seem to need humor more than ever.
“People need to be coached into remembering that life rocks,” said Montgomery, who has been speaking to audiences in Denver, Colorado and across the country for about 15 years.
With a bad economy, massive layoffs and the anniversary of Sept. 11 hanging like a thundercloud over people’s heads, a joker like Montgomery might be just what the doctor ordered – and a creative way for companies to achieve success.
Colorado funny motivational speakers like Montgomery say adding a humor to a meeting, convention or training session can be a phenomenal way to boost morale, get a message across or just lighten the mood to make a long, boring day of meetings a little more bearable.
Chris and Tim O’Shea of Experience Productions said humor and improv can make for better relationships between co-workers.They’ve performed in front of companies as big as Hewlett-Packard and Travelers Express.
“It really helps you to see your colleagues in a different light,” Chris O’Shea said. “It really helps with building morale. You have a different relationship after you’ve laughed together. When you have laughed together, you work together better. You have a common experience that’s based on something positive.”
The husband-and-wife team said humor is sometimes the best way to get a message across. “It helps employee retention,” he said. “People think, ‘This company is fun and sometimes funny, I don’t want to leave.'”
Montgomery said bringing using humor and laughter can also be a good way to soften the blow of problems that affect a company, such as layoffs, and a great way to deal with change.
Montgomery recalled speaking to a group of health care employees in Los Angeles who were facing major changes in leadership coupled with the introduction of a new software.
“I put that change back into perspective,” said Montgomery, who began his program by introducing himself as the new president. “Change is going to happen anyway, so you might as well laugh about it.”
Most of the people doing corporate motivational humor have a background in comedy and or theater. But as Kevin Fitzgerald described it, “Corporate entertaining is very different than club work because of the nature of the beast.” Fitzgerald is a veterinarian for Alameda East Veterinary Hospital and appears frequently on Animal Planet’s reality TV show “Emergency Vets.” He also works as a stand-up comedian and corporate entertainer. Fitzgerald said that diversity of audience is a major difference, because often the only thing people have in common is work. There are other challenges to entertaining in a work environment, such as political correctness and fear of offending someone.
“Can it be funny when the sun’s up?” Fitzgerald asked. “Can it be funny if people don’t have drinks in front of them? Can it be funny if they’re sitting next to their boss?” He said it’s also more difficult because they do not go to a meeting or conference expecting to laugh. “They didn’t ask for comedy, they have to be there,” he said. “They’re not with their friends, they’re with the people they work with. But they’re desperate to laugh.”
The great thing about humor is that when it is done well, it reaches everyone from the 60-year-old veteran about to retire to the 22-year-old newbie starting his first day on the job, Fitzgerald explained. “The best humor touches all of us,” he said. “They both laugh if you do it right.”
Colorado funny motivational speakers and humorists entertainers said that because of a growing awareness of the effectiveness of this approach and the increase in the number of conferences and conventions coming to Denver, the corporate entertainment industry is flourishing.
“I think people are tired of just hearing the boss speaking,” said Fitzgerald, noting that the local demand for corporate entertainment has gone up tremendously. “Denver has really taken off as a nationally recognized destination for conventions,” he said.
The O’Sheas said that while business was down for a short while after Sept. 11, that tragedy seems to have increased people’s desire for this sort of program. “I think there’s certainly a greater appreciation for it,” Chris said. “For us, the demand is going up.” Ireland said she attributes the growth in popularity of her programs over the past 10 years to changes in our society.
“I think that there is more anger out there because we have so many more stressers in life today,” she said. “And I think sometimes [companies] get to a point where they’re having a large turnover and people are going to employers and requesting these kinds of seminars.”
Montgomery said he thinks the future of funny motivational speakers looks bright. “The industry is recession proof,” he said. “Even when things get bad, people want to laugh and need to laugh. Even when the economy is good, people still have problems.”
Montgomery noted that while the industry is growing and business is good for him and many of his colleagues, there are still people in his line of work who are not as busy. However, he said he believes the growth in demand and, therefore, higher expectations on the part of corporations seeking entertainers will “weed out some of the people who aren’t as good.”
While Montgomery, Ireland, the O’Sheas and Fitzgerald have all been speaking and entertaining for several years, the greater demand for programs like theirs has meant more comedians and speakers entering into the industry at the local and national levels. But many say the nature of the industry dictates the more the merrier. “Probably a company is only going to have me in once,” explained Ireland. “So we’re not really competing against each other. It’s not like the world of acting where there is only one part. There’s plenty of work for everybody.”
Tim O’Shea said the network of corporate entertainers in the Denver area is a tight-knit group of people who often share clients and celebrate each other’s successes. “A lot of our ‘quote-unquote’ competitors are our friends,” he said.
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Brad Montgomery is a Colorado funny motivational speaker and humorist comedian. He presents his inspirational and motivational keynotes across Colorado and the United States.
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Related links:
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Brad Montgomery , Certified Speaking Professional Humorist Motivational Speaker, Comedian, Author, Husband, Dad, Astronaut-Wanna-Be
Brad Montgomery never planned to be a nationally recognized humorist motivational speaker, business comedian, publisher and author. He planned to be a lawyer. After graduating with a political science degree from Brown University Brad intended to be a magician for one year and then start the serious part of his life with the study of law. To date, he is still waiting for the serious part of his life to begin.
Birth of a Motivational Speaker…
After getting his start as a corporate entertainer (performing comedy and magic), Brad now speaks to corporations 
and associations who need a lift, bringing laughter & magic blended with a simple yet powerful message about connecting a positive work culture and life to an excellent work product. Brad laughs and explains, “Mostly, my clients ask me to remind them to lighten up … because happiness will help them in life — and at work.”
Brad has earned his Certified Speaking Professional designation, which is the highest earned award from the National Speakers Association. (Fewer than 7% of humorists and speakers world wide have earned the CSP.) Corporate clients include Kraft, Proctor & Gamble, IBM, General Mills, Allstate Insurance, Merrill Lynch and Honeywell. Many associations have also praised Brad’s work including the Alzheimer Association, the Utilities Service Alliance (a nuclear energy association), The American Payroll Association, and the California Teachers Association.
What? Humorist Speaker and Author?
Brad joined John Gray (of Mars/Venus fame) and Mark Victor Hansen (of Chicken Soup renown) to write Mission Possible. He has also coauthored and published Humor Me: America’s Funniest Humorists on the Power of Laughter. The book is filled with tons of motivational speaker humor and to date has sold over 100,000 copies. He is also published, edited and co-authored the follow-up book, Humor Us: America’s Funniest Speakers on the Power of Laughter.
Brad is a Funny Motivational Speaker, urging his audiences across the country to lighten up and to remember that our lives are filled with humor and magic. He helps associations and corporations manage change and improve morale. Brad reminds groups that “Life is Fun & Funny. And Filled with Magic.” By the looks of things, his clients agree. Folks use him to kick off conventions with a bang, close ’em with a laugh or to lift them up somewhere in between. His audiences completely enjoy his entertaining, inspirational and motivational speeches and 
leave his keynotes with a spring in their steps. After Brad’s humorous keynotes audiences feel great about themselves, great about the meeting or convention, and hopeful for the future.
Brad lives in Centennial, Colorado – a suburb of Denver – with his attorney wife. (Brad assumed that the next best thing to being a lawyer was tricking one into marrying him.) Although he is proud of his many awards and national credits, he’s convinced that his best tricks so far are his three small kids.
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Related
Brad’s Family
Brad’s motivational speaker blog
Brad’s Most Requested Motivational Speaking Topic
Pics of Brad
What Makes Brad Unique
Brad’s Speaking is 100% Guaranteed
Brad Montgomery: Clean Comedian Speaker
You Can’t Afford Taking a risk on a Corporate Comedian. Your Event and Your Audience are Too Important to Chance a Not-Funny and Not-Appropriate Hack
Brad has already proved himself in front of audiences from Lockheed Martin to the CIA (yes, that CIA). From the State of Colorado to Microsoft. Isn’t it time you add yourself to this list of raving happy clients?
Hey! This comedian speaker is Funny! And Clean. Corporate Comedian Brad Montgomery dazzles ’em with Award-Winning boy-next-do. Turn him loose on the weary multitudes and before you know it, you’ll hear laughing and guffawing and the happy cry that meeting planners love to hear: “Hey, down in front!”
“Brad’s awesome comedy and insights set a positive tone for the entire conference. I haven’t laughed so hard and felt so good in a long time.”
-Unemployment Insurance Center. State of Utah.
Comedian Brad Montgomery is:
- Proven. Guaranteed. Yes, seriously.
- Hilarious
- Experienced. Just ask the Air Force, Western Union, and Kenneth Cole Fashions.
- Funny. (Yup, we mentioned already, but this is why you’re here!)
- Crystal clean. Grand Mother clean.
Brad’s Show is:
- Award winning magician and comedian
- Deft at audience interaction
- Worked in 50 states and on 4 continents
- Perfect for audiences of 50 to 5000
- Free of sexual, racial, & political references. Trust us… EVERYBODY will love it.
What Now?
Stop dilly dallying and call us right NOW to schedule Brad for your organization! Questions? We’ve got answers. Now…contact us.
Call 303.691.0726
Wow…that sounded kinda bossy, huh? But seriously, why wait? Call us now and let’s get this thing on the calendar. Your team will be thrilled. We promise.
Comedian Speaker & Humorist Brad Montgomery
Rave Reviews East Coast, West Coast, No Coast
Brad has paid his dues. For corporate and association audiences large and small coast-to-coast. Brad’s done all that and more. From Boardrooms to Banquet Rooms all across the country, businesses call on this comedian to give their corporate proceedings a welcome lift. Gloom disappears. Quarterly forecasts brighten. Quotas are magically within reach. Suddenly, the world is a much better place. It happens whenever and wherever comedian Brad steps on stage and says, “Watch closely!”Audiences all over the country recognize a seasoned performer when they see one, and that’s why they hoot and howl and clap and stomp when Brad performs. And why they ask him to come back and do it again year after year.
Brad has cracked-up and entertained thousands of groups including Kraft, USA Today, Miller Brewing, and the American Payroll Association. Call him today to find out why they keep bringing him back!
Special corporate comedian shows “Just For Us!”
Brad customizes his corporate comedy presentation. Woven into his routines are quips about The Buzz around your Water Cooler. Your biggest competitor. The manager who wears those awful ties. Comments about the company golf tournament. The executive who is late for meetings. Brad’s shows are unique because your audience is unique. Make your life simple If you crave a hilarious show packed with baffling mystery, and “gobs” of audience participation, a show that was built just for your audience, then you’ll love a hot steamy mug of Brad Montgomery’s Freshly Brewed Magic & Comedy. Make your life simple: Just book Brad.
“Brad could pick up on the attendees’ reactions better than any comedian speaker I’ve ever seen. He is perceptive. Excellent — and very funny! — program.”
-Marla Ashley Missouri Child Support Enforcement
What is a corporate comedian?
Let’s face it. Life today is complicated at best. It’s often difficult. And it is sometimes… well… yucky. All we need to do to confirm our stresses is to look over the front page of the newspaper and we know that what we really need is a good laugh. Companies and associations turn to corporate comedians to provide their employees with a break from the difficulties of the times. Whether they need to give their folks a break from a day of learning important – but often dry – information from industry corporate motivational speakers, or they want to make them feel appreciated and valued, or if they want to kick-off or close a convention with a bang, a corporate comedian can be the answer.
“Hilarious! Never laughed so hard at any conference before.” — Tennessee Human Resources Association
Brad Montgomery is a very funny – and very clean! – corporate comedian and speaker. He knows how to take a group of well-educated, sophisticated, been-there-and-done-that people and shake them right out of their chairs. And he works clean – that means nobody is offended.
“Outstanding and hilarious. The customization made it special.” –USA Today
What’s the difference between a comedian and a “corporate comedian?”
That’s an easy one. A corporate comedian is a comedian who is clean, safe and appropriate for today’s business audiences. It’s a comedian who can make convention and meeting audiences howl with laughter w/o some of the “blue humor” that is so common in nightclubs. 
Brad Montgomery puts it this way: “A corporate comedian’s show is safe for everybody. When I work my clients expect it to be funny without it being offensive. And I mean offensive to anybody.”
Brad leaves out any references to race, sex, gender,.. you get the idea. “Not only do we not need those topics to make them laugh, but I figure that the meeting planners and I don’t ever want to get a letter about something on the edge or near the margin of inappropriate humor. I keep it absolutely crystal clean and safe…. I don’t want the headache. And I know the last thing my meeting planners are letters from the attendees complaining about this and that. It just isn’t worth it….
There are so many ways to use humor without anybody making anybody uncomfortable besides… if I make them laugh so hard they are crying, who’s gonna notice that it is clean and safe anyway?” Brad’s theory is that a great corporate comedian is so funny that folks never notice that the show is clean. “Sure, I occasionally have folks from the audience thank me for keeping it clean. But the truth is that most people don’t notice it. They would absolutely notice it if I was cursing my way through the after dinner entertainment, but when it is clean they are free to focus on the fun.” Brad continues, “If the main comment the audience makes is that I didn’t curse or talk about sex I think we’ve missed the point. They should simply say, ‘That comedian cracked me up!”
“Made us laugh non-stop.” — US Bank
Clean Corporate Comedian – Good Enough for Grandma!
“I think I’ve more or less failed if the only good thing about my program that folks can comment upon is that I didn’t cuss. I want them laughing and laughing hard…. And the fact that it is a show that is clean enough for everybody from my 94 year old grandmother to my 4 year old son shouldn’t be the main point,” says Brad. “As I tell folks all the time… not only is my program funny and inoffensive to my grandmother, it is funny and inoffensive to everybody’s grandmother!” Corporate comedian motivational speaker Brad Montgomery also considers himself a business humorist and funny motivational speaker.
“A million laughs!!” –Miller Coors Brewing Company
What?! A corporate comedian who does magic too?
Magic is also a big part of Brad’s programs. “I got my start years ago as a magician. I did night clubs and cruise ships; and I did over 250 college performances. But now much of my time is spent working as a corporate comedy magician to associations and corporate audiences all across the country.“ “The magic is something that I’m proud of,” continues Montgomery. “I’ve won awards for my magic and I’m proud of it. At the same time, I don’t mind telling you that most of the folks in my audience never leave talking about the amazing tricks. Instead, they are all talking about how funny the show is.” Brad uses his corporate magic as a tool to get to a more personalized comedy. He gets folks from the audience out of their seats and up on the stage to help with the magic tricks. The magic happens to them and by them, which is really popular with his convention audiences.
But the best part, according to Montgomery, is the comedy that happens during the interaction between him and his audience “volunteers.” “I basically start to interview them while they are with me up on stage. We talk about their jobs, their industries and their joys and concerns relating to their occupation. We also end up talking about the meeting itself: the food, the hotel, whatever is going on.” The result is hilarious. The comedy resulting from this interaction is impromptu, funny, and always surprising. Sure, the start of the whole interaction is the magic tricks… but the result is way more than just a baffling magical illusion.
The result is corporate entertainment that cannot be repeated. “One reason performing is so much for me is because I have no idea what folks are going to say on stage, and therefore there is no way to prepare. Sure, I’ve had years of experience and can rely on that for help. But in the end it is all a surprise. I love that on-the-spot element of comedy. But I know the audience loves it too. They love that their comedian is making up a huge bulk of the show in front of their eyes. And they love that they are getting a show created just for them and that the next night, when I’m a comedian in Pittsburgh working for Plumbers, or in Arizona working for corporate accountants, or in Indiana working for insurance sales folks… you get the idea… they know that nobody will ever get the same show that they are seeing. It makes this form of corporate comedy fresh, exciting, and really funny.”
Brad Montgomery customizes his comedy program to meet his clients’ needs… exactly. Part of the process of booking Brad includes educating
Clean Corporate comedian
Brad about your group so that he can customize and tailor his program to each group’s specific challenges, hot-buttons, and inside jargon. “Not only does tailoring my comedy make the programs more meaningful for the folks in the audience; it makes it funnier! Sure, we can joke about stresses at work in general… but when we talk specifically about – for example – filling out the Year End Form 123C, people really relate. And the laughter is all the much better for it.” —- If you are looking for a Colorado comedian for any of our 50 United States… you’ve come to the right place!
Although this comedian speaker is based in Denver, Colorado, (and considers himself a Colorado Comedian) he takes his funny comedian speeches and motivational comedy across the United States and across the world. He has worked in 48 of the 50 states, but ends up working in some states more than others. He most frequently performs in Colorado –hey! He lives there! –Florida, (heck… it seems that he’s performing in Orlando every other week as a Florida Comedian and speaker!) California, Las Vegas, Chicago, and New . Looking for some clean corporate comedy? … Just Book Brad.
Go to the contact page.
related links:
Freshly Brewed Magic & Comedy
Is the humor safe? Is it clean? Isn’t comedy too risky?
