"Business School... in About an Hour?"
Shaun Eli
jokes about kindergarten, his parents and some of the Ten
Commandments."
I'm a Wharton-educated stand-up comedian. My new show "Business
School... in About an Hour?" debuted recently at the American Embassy
in Vienna and opens for previews in NYC next week-- FOR ONLY EIGHT
DOLLARS (plus a two drink minimum).
Show dates:
Monday 12/1 6PM
Wednesday 12/10 7 PM
Friday 12/19 6 PM
Friday 1/9 6 PM
all at don't tell mama cabaret
343 West 46th St NYC
When I went from Wall Street to the comedy clubs (after a decade and a
half of also freelancing as a comedy writer for such people as Jay
Leno) I noticed a lot of similarities between the world of comedy and
the world of money. And that a lot of my jokes could serve as
examples or lessons in business, in addition to making people laugh.
After a minimal amount of thought and the proper amount of Champagne I
decided to combine business school and comedy into a one-man show.
Using examples from the life of a stand-up comedian and jokes from my
corporate comedy act I can guide people to run their businesses more
intelligently, more efficiently, less stressfully, more profitably and
joyously. But more importantly I can make the audience laugh a lot.
Educate? Sure. But laughter is the priority.
After the show diplomas are offered to the audience. What other show
offers that kind of value? And more– while the show's in previews the
unemployed and recent blood donors get in for free.
Here's what one of the Embassy folks had to say:
"You certainly helped alleviate some Monday blues! I never would have
considered how principles of risk management are applicable to being a
stand-up comedian," said Lindsey Hamilton, Community Liaison Officer
at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna. "This clever routine should be perfect
for New York executives! Keep up the great work!"
Some lessons from the show:
On consultants: "I think if a woman has five tattoos, one of them
should be her email address... so you can write and tell her what you
think of the other four. You can pay a consultant a lot of money for
advice on how to improve your business.... Or you can just open your
mail. Your unhappy customers will tell you what’s wrong, for free."
"You think you have a tough job? I have to make accounting funny for
five minutes."
"Have you seen this anti-drug billboard? A photo of a disgusting gas
station bathroom, with the headline 'No one thinks they’ll lose their
virginity here. Crystal meth changes that.' The ad’s very effective,"
jokes Shaun, "...at selling meth to 16 year old boys. The lesson?
Point of view matters. Teenage boys are not picky about where they
have sex so this ad isn’t scaring them, it’s encouraging them. You
have to get out of your own frame of reference and think like your
customers."
Reader's Digest referred to me as one of the country's smartest
comics, and Jay Leno said that I write the type of smart comedy that
he likes to include in his opening monologue (more about me on the bio
page of www.BrainChampagne.com).
You can find more info on the show here:
http://www.brainchampagne.com/resources/School.pdf
Patricia Martin Steward
<missin...@BrainChampagne.com> wrote:
>"You can learn a lot about how to run your business from a guy making
>jokes about kindergarten, his parents and some of the Ten
>Commandments."
For instance, that he posts spam from Google groups.
Doesn't endear you to us, son.
--
"This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids;
to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental
truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt,
and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can." President-elect Barack Obama, November, 4, 2008
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
Shaun Eli
for $8 (and free admission for people providing proof of unemployment
or recent blood donation) with advice on how to earn more money and be
entertained at the same time. Not like 80% of the postings here which
really are random spam; I'm a frequent reader and sometime poster on
this newsgroup, and really, whether I use google or something else to
post to usenet, or even have an aol or webtv email address... not
particularly relevant (of course the Obama signature to your posting--
equally irrelevant).
I mean, it's not like I posted it on a newsgroup dedicated to home
repair or shoes or something...
Sincerely,
Shaun