Speaker

 

 

 

“We laughed until our stomachs
hurt and our notepads filled;
we left with our comedy elevated.”

Caleb McNight, Austin Film Festival

Austin Film Festival / Photo: Jack Plunkett

 

 

“David shows how, why and when comedy
works, and connects laughter to our
nervous awareness of our own mortality.”

Glenn Entis
VIEW Cinema Conference (Torino, Italy)

VIEW Cinema Conference

“David did a top-notch job sharing his
expertise on comedy. The students truly
enjoyed the presentation and it was
great to have him with us.”

Lyn Pusztai, The Second City (Chicago)

“Superb; entertaining, informative and witty.”

Gloria Lauri Lucente, University of Malta
The Second City (Chicago)

Walt Disney Studios

 

 

“A wonderful romp – fascinating,
funny and thought-provoking.”

Cat Aboudura, The Smithsonian Institution

 

David greets two fans at the Smithsonian

 

 

“David weaves a lifetime of experience into
a day-long seminar which is not only
informative but truly entertaining, a
testament to his storytelling skills.”

Elliot Grove, Raindance Film Festival (London)

Raindance Film Festival

 

 

“A brilliant talk which packed the room on a rainy New Haven day, and sent  the audience home smiling, laughing, and enlightened.”

Jordan Plotner, Yale University

New York Public Library

 

 

“David enthralled the large audience with a perfect balance of comedy history and his own finely-tuned sense of humor. Whether hearing him speak, engaging him in conversation, or reading his
book, you too will be enthralled.”

Ann Spector, St. Louis Book Festival

St. Louis Book Festival

 

 

“Outstanding – an impressive overview of the
logic (or lack thereof) of comedy. Fantastic
speaker and very entertaining.”

George Mather, Oxford University

Oxford Unversity

 

“David knows funny, teaches funny, is funny.
His insightful presentation had our students
alternately rapt and in stitches. Thank
goodness he brought peroxide.”

Jon Stahl; Chair, Dept. of Cinema and
Television Arts, Cal. State Northridge

KPCC Crawford Family Forum (Pasadena, CA)

“A wonderful, delightful class;
we were lucky to have it.”

Anousheh Shayestehpour,
UCLA Lifelong Learning

“A beautiful program, a great response.
We were proud to  host.”

Melanie Macchio, 92nd St. Y (NYC)

The Whizin Center (Bel Air, CA)

 

“Really insightful”
“Very entertaining”
“I loved it and would sign up for more”
“Hilarious and inspiring”
“David was extremely knowledgeable”
“Amazing breakdown of the mechanics of comedy”
“Highly recommended”

Groundlings (Hollywood) students

The Groundlings Theatre

“It takes a serious mind to analyze comedy.
It takes a funny mind to appreciate it.
David Misch is of two minds.”

Jason Alexander

“David is one funny motherfu**er.”

Penn Jillette

SATE / Themed Entertainment Association
Savannah (GA) College of Art and Design

“An evening filled with mirth
and joy and startling insights.”

Hal Ackerman, Dept. of Theater,
Film and Television, UCLA

“A deft mix of film clips and witty commentary.”

Mirra Bank, The Actors Studio (NYC)

il Circolo dei Lettori, in the 17th-century
Palazzo Graneri Roccia (Torino, Italy)

 

 

“A fantastic speaker with a thought-
provoking presentation that engaged
and entertained the audience.”

Rodney Taviera, United States
Studies Centre, University of Sydney

University of Sydney

 

“Anyone who can engage and hold the attention
of my jaded Advanced Screenwriting class knows
whereof he speaks. David did for over two hours
and left them wanting more.”

Ron Osborn, Art Center
College of Design (Pasadena)

David meets a top executive
at Lucasfilm (San Francisco)

“‘The Shame of Satire’ was brilliant, funny, insightful, and sparked a terrific dialogue. David
is tremendously witty but also a profound
thinker, placing the world of comedic writing
and performance in the context of society. Any
student of writing, sociology, psychology or just
human nature, will enjoy David Misch.”

Ken Lazebnik, Pepperdine University

“The Ethics & Aesthetics of Stand-Up
Comedy” Conference; Bucknell University

 

 

“David’s illumination of the foundations
of comedy is wonderful and inspiring.”

Patricia Meyer, American Film Institute

 

Santa Monica Library, with wave-form of a laugh

“David had the audience laughing from start
to finish to post-presentation Q & A.”

John Dowell, Midwest Popular
Culture Association (St. Louis)

“A true satire scholar.”

Chris Gray, Houston Chronicle

Annenberg School For Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California

 

“David shows why comedy is funny
and how the smallest difference can
make a huge impact. All writers,
actors and comics need to see this!”

Vinny Valdevia, DSI Comedy Theater
(Chapel Hill, NC)

 

California State University, Northridge

 

 

“Fantastic; knowledgeable, fun and entertaining.”

Michelle Camacho
The Grammy Museum (Los Angeles)

 

The Grammy Museum

 

 

“A sell-out crowd, lots of laughing and learning about why and how comedy works; both grad students and faculty got a lot from the evening.”

Alan Kingsberg, Columbia University

Sony Pictures

 

 

“A fascinating journey, filled with laughter.
The audience loved David’s program.”

Craig Davis
Chicago Public Library

California Women’s Conference (San Diego)

 

“Wonderful; a sold-out venue and the audience laughed throughout. While David’s quick wit
and insight kept people entertained, it was
matched by his good-natured personality.
Can’t wait to do it again!”

Samantha Klein
Palm Beaches Book Festival

West Hollywood Book Fair

 

 

“A witty night weaving the history,
culture, and need for comedy.
A must for anyone who loves to laugh.”

Aimee Koller, Virginia Beach Book Festival

Youngstown (Ohio) Jewish Federation

 

 

“Informative, thought-provoking
and extremely funny.”

Andrew Newman
The Magic Castle (Hollywood)

The Magic Castle

(Click either side for more photos/quotes)

We laughed until our stomachs hurt and our notepads filled; we left with our comedy elevated.”

Caleb McKnight, Austin Film Festival

Austin Film Festival
Photo: Jack Plunkett

“David shows how, why and when comedy works, and connects laughter to our nervous awareness of our own mortality.

Glenn Entis, VIEW Conference

VIEW Conference (Torino, Italy)

“David did a top-notch job sharing his expertise on comedy. The students truly enjoyed the presentation and it was great
to have him with us.”

Lyn Pusztai, The Second City

Walt Disney Studios

“A wonderful romp – fascinating, funny and thought-provoking.”

Cat Aboudura
Smithsonian Institution

David greets two fans at
The Smithsonian Institution

“David wove a lifetime of experience into a day-long seminar which was not only informative but truly entertaining, a testament to his storytelling skills.”

Elliot Grove; Founder, Raindance Film Festival, British Independent Film Awards

Raindance Film Festival (London)

“A brilliant talk which packed the room on a rainy New Haven day, and sent every student and professor in the audience home smiling, laughing, and enlightened.”

Jordan Plotner, Yale University

New York Public Library

“David enthralled the large audience with a perfect balance of comedy history and his own finely-tuned sense of humor. Whether hearing him speak or reading his book, you too will be enthralled.”

Ann Spector, St. Louis Book Festival

St. Louis Book Festival

“Outstanding – an impressive overview of the logic (or lack thereof) of comedy. Fantastic speaker and very entertaining.”

George Mather, Oxford University

Oxford University

“David knows funny, teaches funny, is funny. His insightful presentation had our students alternately rapt and in stitches.

Jon Stahl; Chair, Dept. of Cinema and Telev., Cal. State Northridge

KPCC Crawford Family Forum (Pasadena, CA)

“David’s witty, insightful presen-
tation delighted the audience. It was a pleasure to have him at 92Y.”

Alicia Harris-Fernandez,
92nd St. Y (NYC)

The Whizin Center (Bel Air, CA)

“Really insightful”
“Very entertaining”
“Highly recommended”
“Amazing breakdown of the mechanics of comedy”
“I loved it”

Groundlings students

Groundlings Theatre (Hollywood)

“It takes a serious mind to analyze comedy. It takes a funny mind to appreciate it. David Misch is of two minds.” – Jason Alexander

“Misch is one funny motherfu**cker.” – Penn Jillette

SATE / Themed Ent. Association
Savannah College of Art and Design

“A deft mix of film clips
and witty commentary.”
Mirra Bank, The Actors Studio

“An evening filled with mirth
and joy and startling insights.
Hal Ackerman; Dept. of Theater,Film & Television, UCLA

il Circolo dei Lettori, in the 17th-century Palazzo Graneri Roccia (Torino, Italy)

“A fantastic speaker with a
thought-
provoking presentation
that engaged
and entertained
the audience.”

Rodney Taviera; United States Studies Centre, Univ. of Sydney

United States Studies Centre,
University of Sydney

“Anyone who can engage and hold the attention of my jaded Advanced Screenwriting class knows whereof he speaks. David did for over two hours and left them wanting more.”

Ron Osborn, Art Center
College of Design (Pasadena)

David meets a top executive
at Lucasfilm (San Francisco)

“‘The Shame of Satire’ was brilliant, funny, insightful, and sparked a terrific dialogue. David is tremendously witty but also a profound thinker, placing the world of comedic writing and performance in the context of society.

Ken LaZebnik, Pepperdine University

“The Ethics & Aesthetics of Stand-Up Comedy,” Bucknell University

“David’s illumination of the foundations of comedy is inspiring.”

Patricia Meyer
American Film Institute

Santa Monica Public Library,
with the wave-form of a laugh

“David had the audience laughing from start to finish to post-presentation Q & A.” – John Dowell, Midwest Popular Culture Association Conference  (St. Louis)

“A true satire scholar.”
Chris Gray, Houston Chronicle

Annenberg School For Communica-
tion and Journalism, Univ. So. Cal.

“David shows why comedy is funny and how the smallest difference can make a huge impact. All writers, actors and comics need to see this!”

Vinny Valdivia, DSI Comedy Theater (Chapel Hill, NC)

California State Univ., Northridge

“A fantastic lecturer; knowledgeable and entertaining, perfect for
the subject!”

Michelle Camacho
The Grammy Museum

The Grammy Museum (Los Angeles)

“A sell-out crowd, lots of laughing and learning about why and
how comedy works; both
grad students and faculty
got a lot from the evening.”

Alan Kingsberg, Columbia University

Sony Pictures

“A fascinating journey, filled with laughter. The audience loved
David’s program.”

Craig Davis, Chicago Public Library

Cal. Women’s Conf. (San Diego)

“Wonderful; David’s quick wit and insight kept the sell-out crowd entertained throughout. Can’t wait to do it again!”

Samantha Klein
Palm Beaches Book Festival

West Hollywood Book Fair

“A witty night weaving the history, culture, and need for comedy. A must for people who love to laugh.”

Aimee Koller
Virginia Beach Book Festival

Youngstown (Ohio) Jewish Fed.

“Informative, thought-provoking and extremely funny.”

Andrew Newman, The Magic Castle

The Magic Castle (Hollywood)

(Click dots for more photos/quotes)

Now appearing through Zoom

Contact Frank Entertainment for booking (free for good causes).

Get David’s more-or-less monthly emails; click here and say something like “Me.”

David Misch is a screenwriter (“Mork & Mindy,” “Saturday Night Live,” special consultant on “The Muppets Take Manhat-
tan”
), author (“Funny: The Book,” “A Beginner’s Guide To Corruption”), teacher (his own courses on comedy at USC and UCLA), playwright (“Occupied,” in development at the Skylight Theatre in Los Angeles) and blogger (HuffPost). He’s also a recovered comic folksinger (“Somerville”) and comedian (opening, long ago, for Billy Joel and Talking Heads).

David travels the virtual world (Canada, Mexico, England, Ireland, France, Italy, Malta, New Zealand, Australia, Burbank) enlightening people, often consensually, with multimedia talks about comedy. He speaks on tons of terrific topics at a vast variety of venues, from the Smithsonian Institute to the Austin Film Festival to Oxford University: colleges and comedy clubs; cultural centers and corporations; libraries, lifelong learning programs, private seminars, movie studios and media conferences; airport terminals, DMV offices and supermarket checkout lines (the last three are generally less formal appearances).

His talks contain copious comedy clips, from Chaplin to Chappelle, Keaton to Key & Peele, the Marx Brothers to Monty Python, and have been highlighted in The New Yorker, Denver Magazine, the Houston Chronicle, and L.A. Weekly.

While difficult to work with (he requires a bag of green M&M’s before every appearance and they must be manufactured on-site), David is deeply sensitive to his audiences. “If only one person here learns something about comedy,” he has said, “I’ve failed miserably. But I’m keeping the money.”

 

It takes a serious mind to analyze comedy. It takes a funny mind
to appreciate it. David Misch is of two minds.” – Jason Alexander

“David is one funny motherfu**ker.” – Penn Jillette

“David is known for his contributions to the world of comedy and
his insights into the craft of writing and creating humor.” – ChatGPT

 

                                    

 

Major Venues Include… (V=virtual viewers)

CULTURAL
92Y (Picks: The New Yorker, Time Out New York) (10 appearances)
Austin Film Festival (full house)
Joseph Campbell Foundation (Los Angeles)
Colorado Chautauqua
Ethical Society of St. Louis
Grammy Museum (Los Angeles)
KPCC Crawford Family Forum (Pasadena; full house – see left column,
     middle)
Lotos Club (New York; Mark Twain Dinner)
Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum (Claremont McKenna College)
Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies (multiple: Los Angeles, NYC)
Philosophical Research Society (Los Angeles) (President’s Class)
Skirball Cultural Center (LA Weekly; sold out) (multiple)
Smithsonian Institute
 (see left column, bottom)
SummerFest (Fort Collins, Col.) (“Best Things To Do,” Denver Magazine)
Whizin Center (L.A. Times, L.A. Weekly (multiple, inc. 300+ people)

INTERNATIONAL
CineStudio (Paris)
The Laugh Stand (Sydney, Australia) (talk given counter-clockwise)
McGill University (Montreal)
Oxford University (addressed as “Lord Misch”)
Raindance Film Festival (London) (multiple) (upcoming)
San Miguel Literary Sala  (Distinguished Speakers Series) (multiple)
Trinity College Dublin
United States Studies Centre (Sydney, Australia)
University of Auckland (New Zealand)
University of Malta
VIEW Cinema Conference (Torino, Italy) (multiple)

CONFERENCES (Featured Speaker) / CORPORATE
Adobe Inc. (San Francisco; Distinguished Lecture Series)
California Women’s Conference (Long Beach)
Colorado State University; Perceptual and Cognitive Illusions Psychology
     Conference
Electronic Arts (Vancouver, Canada)
The Ethics and Aesthetics of Stand-Up Comedy (Bucknell University)
Midwest Popular Culture Association (St. Louis)
SATE (Themed Entertainment Association) Conference (Savannah
     College of Art & Design)
Universal McCann (Los Angeles)

COMEDY CLUBS/FESTIVALS
Burbank Comedy Festival (multiple)
Dirty South Improv (Chapel Hill, NC)
Flappers Comedy Club (Burbank) (multiple)
Finest City Improv (San Diego)

The Groundlings School (Hollywood; master class) (multiple)
     (upcoming)
Nowhere Comedy Club (online) (multiple) (upcoming)
San Diego Comedy Festival
The Second City (Chicago; master class)

PROFESSIONAL
Member, Entertainment Industry Association of Consultants and Editors (eiACE)
Actors Studio (New York City)
Alliance For Jewish Theatre
American Academy of Dramatic Arts (Hollywood)

American Film Institute (Hollywood)
DreamWorks Pictures
Lucasfilm (San Francisco; Lucasfilm Speaker Series)
The Magic Castle (Hollywood)
Museum of Television & Radio (New York)
National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (New York)

Script University (multiple, V 100+, inc. Tierra del Fuego)
Sony Pictures
Story Expo (Los Angeles)
Walt Disney Studios
Writers Guild Foundation (Los Angeles; sold out)
Writers Store (Burbank, CA) (multiple)

ACADEMIC
Columbia University (Carla Kuhn Speaker Series; full house)
Cooper Union (New York)
Emerson College (Boston, Los Angeles)
Harvardwood (Harvard University entertainment industry alumni)
The New School (New York)
Pepperdine University (W. David Baird Distinguished Lecture Series)
San Francisco State University (inaugural Jack Oakie Foundation lecture;
     full house) (upcoming)
Tufts University (multiple) (upcoming)
University of Southern California (course, class)
University of Texas at Austin (private)
Yale University (lecture; Master’s Tea – both full house)

LIFELONG LEARNING
Bucknell University (V 100+)
Carnegie Mellon University
Dartmouth College
Duke University
Oasis Everywhere
Johns Hopkins University
National JCC Alliance (50 partners); also Bay Area, Boulder, Chicago,
     Houston, New Jersey, Palm Beach, Portland, Scottsdale, Toledo
Tufts University(multiple, inc. V 100+)
University of California Los Angeles (course) (multiple, inc. V 100+)
University of California San Diego
University of Chicago
University of Denver (V 200+, DU’s largest Zoom event)
University of Massachusetts, Boston (course) (multiple) (upcoming)
University of Miami (upcoming)
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (multiple)
Vanderbilt University
Wesleyan University (course) (multiple) (upcoming)
          Through Osher Online (course) (multiple), including…
Florida International University, Northwestern University
, San Diego
State University
,
University of Arkansas, University of Richmond,
University of Texas El Paso, University of Utah

back to top

Interviews

 

RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
(London)
A brief biography
(video; 4 min.)

Also, an Instagram Live!
interview
(video; 33 min.)


OFF-RAMP, with John Rabe
Hank Rosenfeld
KPCC, Pasadena (radio; 4 min.)
Partial transcript and photos


FOX25

FOX 25 (Boston)
Gene Levanchy (TV; 5 min.)


DINNER PARTY DOWNLOAD
Brendan Newnam, NPR (5 min.)


MischBodden
KPCC CRAWFORD
FAMILY FORUM

Alonzo Bodden
(video; 6 min. or 90 min.)


For Ms. Erin G. Bragh:
MONCRIEFF; Sean Moncrieff
Radio Ireland (14 min.)


MartinsonMisch

MARTINSON TALKS BOOKS
(TV; 3 parts, 28 min.)


MartinsonMisch

AUTHORS ON THE AIR
Pam Stack (podcast; 36 min.)


Smithsonian

D.C. IMPROV for The Smithson-
ian Institute;
“The Other Side”
(podcast, Ep. 18; 42 min.)

 

AUTHOR
AUTHOR
Jewish Book Council Network Author Tour (14
     c
ities)
Libraries: Boston*, ChicagoLos AngelesNew
     York*, Santa Monica (LA Weekly; (*full
     house)
Minneapolis Jewish Humor Festival (Twin Cities
     Pioneer Press: “Literary Event of Week”)
Palm Beaches Book Festival (two same-day
     sold-out appearances)
Printers Row Lit Fest
 (Chicago Tribune)
St. Louis Jewish Book Festival (175 fpeople on
     a weekday morning)
West Hollywood Book Fair
Willamette Writers Conference (Portland;
     multiple)
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