Greg Schwem

Greg Schwem

Comedian, Host, Emcee

GREG SCHWEM

The Chicago Tribune recently proclaimed Greg Schwem, “King of the hill in the growing world of corporate comedy.”  His humorous take on the 21st century workplace and work/life balance has landed him on SIRIUS Radio, FOX News, the Huffington Post and the pages of Parade Magazine, along with opening concert slots for headliners including Celine Dion and Jay Leno. More than just a business humorist, Greg is also an author, award winning greeting card writer and nationally syndicated humor columnist, recognized by his peers from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists for outstanding humor writing in 2014. But Greg is first and foremost a corporate entertainer.  If your company or association wants to laugh at today’s fast-paced business world, and learn that laughter motivates employees in good times and bad, look no further than Greg Schwem.

A graduate of Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism,

Greg never envisioned a career in comedy. Instead, he settled in Florida, becoming an award-winning reporter for NBC-owned WPTV in West Palm Beach. But the comedy bug bit Greg hard and he returned to his hometown of Chicago, where he honed his act in nightclubs. When he began inserting material about business and technology into his act, audience members approached him and said, “You really should come down to my office and tell those jokes.” Behold! A new approach to comedy was born.

Greg’s show provides a hilarious look at today’s corporate environment and the latest tools used to conduct business. Indeed, Greg’s client list includes such corporate heavyweights as McDonald’s, Microsoft, Motorola, Discover Card, IBM, Verizon Wireless, United Airlines and Cisco Systems. What sets Greg apart from other corporate entertainers is his ability—and willingness—to customize material for his audience while working within the parameters of the corporate environment. That means no profanity or politically incorrect material. “That’s never been a part of my show anyway,” says Greg.

When Greg hits the stage he already has perused the company’s Internet site, combed the internal message boards and even sifted through numerous PowerPoint presentations. “There is no such thing as too much information,” Greg says. “I know corporate audiences like to laugh at themselves so the more ammunition I get, the funnier it will be. Just don’t give me a 10-K report. There is NOTHING funny about that.”

Greg’s preparation always includes a conference call with company executives and, in some cases, an onsite visit. The personal touch strikes a chord with clients. “The fact that you came up to our facility beforehand to get a feel for our culture and how we operate proved to be very beneficial, “ said Skyline Display President Bill Dierberger. “I have never seen some of our corporate folks laugh as hard as they did.”

After a performance for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Human Resources VP

Barbara Low said, “Your comments and insights were spot on, relevant and incredibly funny. Our employees wanted more!”

Some customized material from past shows:

For Cisco Systems – Your website says you are the “world leader” in your field. Aren’t all companies the world leader in something?  I’ve been doing corporate comedy for 15 years and I have yet to work for the “regional follower.”

For the Western Veterinary Conference:  One of your breakouts is entitled “Help, my reptile can’t get up!”  How would you even know if your reptile had fallen down?

For Allied Electronics:  You sell something called an Arbitrary Waveform Generator. Does that mean sometimes it generates waveforms and sometimes it doesn’t?

Besides customized material, Schwem entertains audiences with stories about tedious business meetings, Smart Phone addiction, “frequently” asked questions and his fascination with the American Girl Doll company. His second book, The Road to Success Goes through the Salad Bar:  A Pile of BS (Business Stories) From a Corporate Comedian, was published in September 2015 by Motivational Press.  Schwem is also the author of Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons from a Low-Tech Dad. And yes, those are his kids on the cover.