Awakening one morning and realizing Chicago would be sweltering through another day of triple digit heat indexes, I blurted my thoughts out loud. “This humidity is killing me!” Luckily there wasn’t a more grammatically versed individual around to suggest I…
Over my 30 year career in comedy, I’ve been asked to perform at dozens of fundraisers where the sole purpose is to raise not just money, but also awareness. I’ve helped spread the word about the dangers of drunk driving,…
By now anybody with a social media presence, even MySpace, is familiar with Andy Byron. During a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts, the former CEO of New York-based tech firm Astronomer was caught on a “kiss-cam” canoodling with a woman who…
I live in a Chicago neighborhood teeming with residents born between 1997 and 2012. That’s a very formal way to say I’m surrounded by the Gen Z set. They are easy to spot — bounding along the sidewalks with yoga mats…
This column originally appeared as part of the Chicago Tribune syndicate Humor Hotel series The fish measured 35.7 inches from the snout to the tip of its tail. We caught it in the Chippewa Flowage, 15 miles east of Hayward,…
I need some new pals. Some new buddies. Some new friendships. Maybe it’s time to reach out to Mark Zuckerberg. I don’t mean I’m going to email zuck@meta.com or try other address variations, hoping I at least get an “I’m…
How to ruin your upcoming summer vacation in two words? That’s easy: rental car. Allow me to walk you through the most frustrating, time-wasting, price-gouging start to what was supposed to be a week of hard-earned R&R. Come along for…
The following interview was conducted by I Need a Speaker. In the buttoned-up world of corporate presentations, laughter is often the last thing on everyone’s mind. Yet according to Greg Schwem, The Corporate Comedian, injecting well-crafted humor into business settings isn’t…
Imagine you’re in a high-end retail clothing store browsing the latest fashions. Dismayed at the prices, you are about to leave when a store manager approaches you with an offer. A $5,000 check. Written on the spot. You can’t believe…
Why hire a professional corporate emcee? Plenty of corporate meeting planners and events team ask that question. Then they say… 🤔 “We’ll just have someone from the team do it.”💰 “It’s not in the budget.”🤷♂️ “What does a corporate emcee…
This column originally appeared as part of the Tribune Content Agency Humor Hotel series April 15, 2025 Somewhere there exists a team of dedicated employees who go to work every day in a nondescript office building and spend long hours…
So what exactly is a “corporate comedian?” If you’ve ever wanted an answer, you’ve come to the right place. Furthermore, if you’ve ever considered adding some laughs to your next business event, be it a sales conference, an awards ceremony,…
This column originally appeared as part of the Tribune Content Agency Humor Hotel feature April 1, 2005. It was one of those days Chicagoans like to call “Fake Spring.” At 5:30 p.m. temperatures hovered in the high 60s. Scores of…
This column orginally appeared as part of the Tribune Content Agency Humor Hotel package March 17, 2025. When it comes to breakfast, I am the opposite of a solomangarephobic. Bounce the word “solomangarephobia” off your therapist or that friend or…
One of the chemical compounds found in cannabis and hemp plants, CBD, as it is commonly called, is fast becoming the bitcoin of 2017 and the Donald Trump election of 2016: Everybody is discussing it, many are jumping on its back, but nobody knows whether or not it will have a positive impact on society.