What’s the process for becoming a Funny Fake Motivational Speaker? After 10 years working as a standup comedian, I was on the road 150 days a year. I love performing but the condos and cheap hotels left a lot to be desired.

Every comic has road stories from the early years of their career. One time, for example, I got put up in a waterbed hotel in Massachusetts. For 4 days and nights I was stuck in zero degree weather with no car and the nearest food a mile away. And of course, the bed took up the whole room.

Strangely, most comics look back at those days through rose-colored glasses. And so do I. They were tough but those gigs made me tough. And I learned to handle all kinds of audiences all over the country.

I have been lucky enough to make a living doing something I love. And, I’ve  been lucky to find my way into the corporate comedy circuit as a funny fake expert speaker. But the transition from standup comedian to getting booked as a clean corporate comedian was a big challenge.

Helping a Friend become a Funny Fake Motivational Speaker.

When a friend was asked to be a funny fake expert at a corporate event, he asked for my writing help. I’ve always been known as a good comedy writer. Early in my career, a not yet famous but well respected Jerry Seinfeld told me, “You’re a good writer.” And he added, “I don’t just say that to anyone.”

So, I helped my friend and he sent me a video of his show and I saw my future. I knew that being a funny fake motivational speaker was a perfect fit for my skills. I found what I’d been looking for without even knowing it ever existed. So first, I asked for, and got permission from my friend for his okay.

I knew I could write clean material suitable for high-end corporate events. And I was confident I could carry myself as a convincing expert. Plus, I’ve always had the ability to keep a straight face while saying things that are ridiculously far fetched.

A Friend Helps Me Become a Funny Fake Motivational Speaker.

But I didn’t know if being a funny fake expert keynote speaker was in fact even a viable profession. It took me a year to find out. Then another good friend got offered a hospital show, where they wanted a funny fake healthcare speaker. That friend was Ray Romano and he passed that show on to me.

I posed as a health care advisor to then Governor Mario Cuomo. Truthfully, I was as nervous as I’ve ever been. Particularly, since I’d spent thousands of dollars making brochures to promote my new funny fake expert talents before I had even done one. As I was waiting to go on, I was seriously questioning if I had the guts to pull this off. It turns out I did. With the help of inside information from the hospital president, I got 200 doctors and administrators laughing hard.

Bigger Gigs. 

Companies like Dell, IBM, United Technologies, Rolls Royce, and The American Bankers Association, all hired me as a funny fake expert keynote speaker or as a funny motivational speaker.

As for the hospital, well they grew as well. In 2 years, they went from one struggling hospital to 5 and they brought me back to entertain at their first group event. Best of all, the New York Times sent a photographer to take photos for my upcoming profile. So it all came around full circle.

Writing As a Clean Corporate Comedian

When I first started as a funny fake expert keynote, it was like inventing the wheel for each show. I basically created a whole new act every time. My 2 secret weapons are my preparation and research. And since each industry is different, I wrote tons of clean corporate comedy material.

I have since performed as a funny motivational expert for companies in tech, law, energy, finance, insurance, media, telecom, healthcare, real estate, home products, and many more. Strangely, I even performed for a company that manufactured breast implants.

It’s Fun Making  People Laugh as a Fake Expert Speaker.

As a funny fake motivational speaker, I love having the element of surprise whenever I perform. it’s like having a magic trick I’ve practiced for 30 years. So, I get to surprise a group of strangers with my targeted humor about their business.

War Stories: An executive messes up my introduction

One time, the executive doing my introduction went way off script. Instead of reading the prewritten fake intro I had given him positioning me as an industry expert, he blew my cover. He said, “We have some great entertainment,” and then read part of my actual bio revealing me as a funny fake expert. In short, he gave away the whole premise of my act.

I was floored. And I had about 60 seconds to figure out a fix. When I got the podium, I said, “I’m sorry, there was a misunderstanding. I’m not the entertainment. But there is a comedy juggler who will be on after me. And while I do use humor in my speech, I am actually consulting with your CEO on your new products.”

Somehow it worked. But I was in shock over the executive’s carelessness. By the time I was done, the audience realized that there was no comedy juggler. Fortunately, they had a good enough time that they didn’t care.

The association president over-imbibed.

I was hired by a Canadian real estate leasing association called FRPO. My cover was to come in pretending to be from Revenue Canada, which is their IRS. During dinner, my contact, the president of FRPO, was 3 sheets to the wind. So he decided to have some fun at my expense.

How to lie, bluff, delay or fake my way through dinner while acting as a funny fake expert.

He began asking me tough questions and even invited the rest of the  table to join in. I parried and deflected, and all the while, kept kicking him on the legs. It was actually quite hilarious. I know enough about every industry I’m working for to answer tough questions or bluff. But I was being peppered by the whole table. And, everyone enjoyed watching me squirm. Finally, after about 20 minutes we all wore each other out.

So,I took out my mini tape recorder, placed it on the table and said, “ I am actually from Revenue Canada and I’ve been recording you. I’m going to the rest room, but please feel freely while I’m gone. Just know that you are all going to be audited.” They burst into laughter and there were no further questions when I returned.

After my speech, I asked the president, “What would you have done if I had cracked?” I added, “You’d have had no entertainment.” He replied, “I just wanted to see how you’d react,” and laughed and laughed some more.

Want to see how a true professional psyches himself up for a show?