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
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 Extension
“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
PreviousNextPreviousNext
(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 Dan Hudak for booking (shows free for good causes).
David Misch is a screenwriter (“Mork & Mindy,” “Saturday Night Live,” “The Muppets Take Manhattan”), 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 world (Canada, Mexico, England, Ireland, France, Italy, Malta, New Zealand, Australia, Burbank) enlight-
ening people, frequently virtually, 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 usually 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.
His unique perspective makes him a sought-after
speaker on the subject of humor.” – ChatGPT
Major Venues Include… (V=virtual viewers)
CULTURAL
92Y (Picks: The New Yorker, Time Out New York) (10 appearances)
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, middle)
Lotos Club (New York; Mark Twain Dinner)
Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum (Claremont McKenna College)
Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies (multiple: Los Angeles, NYC)
Pacific Palisades Democratic Club
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) (multiple) (upcoming)
The Laugh Stand (Sydney, Australia) (100+) (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
Electronic Arts (Vancouver, Canada)
The Ethics and Aesthetics of Stand-Up Comedy (Bucknell University)
Midwest Popular Culture Association (St. Louis)
SATE (Themed Entertainment Assoc.) (Savannah Coll. of Art & Design)
Universal McCann (Los Angeles)
COMEDY CLUBS / FESTIVALS
Austin Film Festival (full house)
Burbank Comedy Festival (multiple)
Dirty South Improv (Chapel Hill, NC)
Finest City Improv (San Diego)
The Groundlings School (Hollywood; master class) (annual)
Nowhere Comedy Club (multiple)
San Diego Comedy Festival
The Second City (Chicago; master class)
PROFESSIONAL
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 (annual, 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)
Tufts University
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
Johns Hopkins University
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 Mass., Boston (V 100+) (course) (multiple) (upcoming)
University of Miami
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (multiple)
Vanderbilt University
Wesleyan University (course)
National Programs
Oasis Everywhere (multiple) (upcoming): 7 partners – Albuquerque, San
Antonio, San Diego, Bethesda, St. Louis, Syracuse, Rochester
Osher Online (course) (annual) (upcoming): 11 university partners
including Arkansas, Richmond, Northwestern, Washington, San Diego
State, Florida International, Utah, El Paso
National JCC Alliance (multiple) (upcoming): 50 partners including Palm
Beach, Portland, Chicago, Houston, Bay Area, Boulder, Toledo
back to top
