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GREG SHAPIRO RETURNS TO PEPIJN

GREG SHAPIRO RETURNS TO PEPIJN

10 June, 2023

Greg Shapiro Shows / TV Appearances

Greg Shapiro returns to host Pepijn’s Comedy Club in English for Season 2023-24.
Shapiro’s first season hosting at Theater Pepijn featured top comedians, sold-out theaters and great reviews. Additionally, next season will feature extra dates:

CLICK HERE FOR DATES IN 2023-24

See below for some quotes from the latest review:
(full article here: https://artstalkmagazine.nl/comedy-in-english-at-pepijn-in-the-hague/ )

‘STAND-UP COMEDY IN ENGLISH AT PEPIJN IN THE HAGUE’

Michael Hasted, ARTS TALK MAGAZINE  14th April 2023


Stand-up comedy is a funny thing; funny peculiar – and, of course (hopefully), funny ha-ha. This was demonstrated last night at the Theater Pepijn comedy club in The Hague which was staging its now regular English comedy night. …consisting of comedy ambassadors from America, China, Romania and India. That in itself could be the basis of a good joke – “An American, an Indian and a Romanian walked into a pub . . . “, but I digress.

Greg Shapiro as Host of Pepijn’s Comedy Club in English

The evening was MC’d by the doyen of English language comedy in The Netherlands, American Greg Shapiro. His relaxed, easy-going style got everyone in the mood and this was continued by the first act, Mohna Joshi, an Indian lady of a certain age who one would have thought was a very unlikely candidate for stand-up. But although much of her act was about her sex life and problems distinguishing between her vibrator and the TV remote control, it was all very laid back and in the best possible taste. More aggressive, but equally focused on her sex life, was Romanian Luana Elena Matei. The second half of the show consisted of Sid Singh and Weina Ma, the only, and I say this with no fear of contradiction, young Chinese lady performing stand-up comedy in English in The Netherlands.


(photos: Greg Shapiro)

I had rather gone off small club stand-up in the UK because it got rather too boisterous, too much drunkenness and too much vulgarity but last night at the Pepijn was a very civilized affair.  …One thing that puts some people off in stand-up is the fear they will be picked on, with the comedian insulting or humiliating them. Nothing like that last night; it was a really good atmosphere and everybody had a good night out. More English nights are planned at the Theater Pepijn so if stand-up is your entertainment of choice, there you go.

Previous shows in Comedy Club Pepijn: 
https://gregshapiro.nl/blog/greg-shapiro-pepijns-comedy-club/

Greg Shapiro’s shows this month: 
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-upcoming-comedy-shows/

Greg Shapiro Saves the Climate

Greg Shapiro Saves the Climate

GREG SHAPIRO SAVES THE CLIMATE – 60 minutes of Climate Good News

Netherlands Tour 2024-25

In the Netherlands alone, there are solar-powered cars, wind-powered trains, garbage-powered trucks – and homes heated by cow poop (warning: contents are not vegan). Comedian Greg Shapiro shares an hour of uplifting environmental game-changers and asks “Why aren’t we ALL doing this?”

TALES FROM THE EXPERT

Shapiro’s day job is hosting events for Dutch green startups and leaders in sustainability. Greg has hosted events for: offshore wind, lab-grown meat, garbage-powered trucks, a sustainable chicken farm, the European Sleeper train, Extinction Rebellion – and even for Shell. Come hear the stories from the front lines – and behind the scenes. Warning: audience members may include activists and innovators such as Mark van Baal (Follow This), Olivier Wegloop (Kipster), or David Rossati (Climate Law, VU).

“Yes 90% of climate news is bad. But if you ignore the 10% that’s good, you’ll go 100% crazy.” – Greg Shapiro

Preserve your mental health and come see GREG SHAPIRO SAVES THE CLIMATE.

AUDIENCE REVIEWS:

“Important and Inspiring.”

“Climate news stories making you realise it’s not all bad. Amusing and uplifting.”

“Climate theme is great. Also the ‘look out for greenwashing’ angle. Appeals to the sceptic in me.”

 

Greg Shapiro (Boom Chicago, Comedy Central, ZDF) is best-known as the voice of the ‘Netherlands Second’ video. Meanwhile, he has written and performed 6 solo shows including Leaving Trumpland and How to Be Orange. As author, Greg has written books such as How to Be Dutch: the Quiz and his latest The American Netherlander: 25 Years of Expat Tales. He is a proud contributor to Boom Chicago Presents the 30 Most Important Years in Dutch History.

Greg Shapiro Saves the Climate Utrecht

Reviews for Premiere GREG SHAPIRO SAVES THE CLIMATE:
https://gregshapiro.nl/blog/shapiro-premieres-climategoodnews-show-2/


For more of Greg’s Solo Shows, see the ARCHIVE

https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-web-archive/

Greg Shapiro Tours Berlin

Greg Shapiro International Tour Hits Berlin

5 June, 2023

I’ve taken my international standup set to Brussels, to Paris, to Zurich… and so many comedian friends have told me: “You have to check out the English comedy scene in Berlin. There are so many shows! You can do 2 or 3 a night!”
What they meant was: “You can do 2 or 3 shows a night… and make about €30!”

Of course I took the train. Because I’d heard bad things about DB Deutsche Bahn, so it’s good for material. And quickly enough a German passenger claimed my seat (good luck trying to reserve a seat via Dutch rail…)

 

 

Indeed, the train to Berlin was way overcrowded. And when we arrived at Berlin Central Station, there was big welcome sign for all the English-speakers: “Travel if you dare.” Wilkommen!

I played my first show at a bar called Oblomov (in Neuköln), for the enigmatic stage animal Rohit Bhatia.

What a loving little audience! And as soon as we were done, the bar crowd spilled over into our room and put on music, but not for dancing. They were just standing in the stage lights and posing. It was like they were doing a parody of Mike Meyers from Saturday Night Live: “And now is the time on ‘Sprockets’ when we dance.” The bartender explained it to me this way. “Amsterdam is wild, but Berlin is weird.” Keep Berlin weird.

 

 

 

Friday night my international set killed – KILLED! In fact, I had two gigs – meaning I had to get from a bar in West Berlin to Comedy Cafè in East Berlin. And this was a highlight of my trip: I rented an e-bike and jetted through town at twilight.

  It felt like all of Berlin was one big green space – with apartments and shops in between. (And indeed, someone said Berlin is the greenest capital city in Europe.) I even tried out some jokes about biking in Berlin – on the Sonnenallee – and the audience gave an audible “Oooh!” Because “No one dares biking on Sonnenallee!” Well, this Amsterdammer does.

On Saturday I checked out Cosmic comedy, where I hope to play in October. On Sunday I played The Wall Comedy Club, and one of my favorite things to do is to take portraits of the other comedians onstage and send them after the show. My final show was for EastWest COMEDY in front of a familiar red curtain.

It was very warm while I was in town, so I found myself wearing my trademark suit and tie, but with shorts instead of suit pants.

Someone described me as a human mullet. “Business up top, but party down below.”
Doing my part to KEEP BERLIN WEIRD.

See you in October, Berlin! I’ll be touring a double bill with Ken Parsons.

COME SEE MY NEW SOLO HOUR GREG SHAPIRO SAVES THE CLIMATE -?
https://comedyhuis.nl/shows/greg-shapiro-saves-the-climate-early-show/

FOR MORE GREG SHAPIRO STANDUP, click here:
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-upcoming-comedy-shows/

Greg Shapiro Summit Standup 'Summit for Democracy'

Greg Shapiro Summit Standup


Greg Shapiro Summit Standup

21 April 2023

Was that me performing standup in a global livestream called Summit for Democracy? Yes, it was. introducing a new category of performing: Greg Shapiro Summit Standup.

Greg Shapiro Summit Standup, performing for Summit for Democracy

I got a call from a friend who works at the Dutch foreign ministry. Was I aware of this ‘Summit for Democracy’ thing? It’s an initiative of the Biden White House, to push back against authoritarianism worldwide. There are various themes hosted by different countries, and the Netherlands gets to host the Freedom of Speech.

Would I be willing to perform three minutes of standup for this Summit for Democracy livestream? I said yes. “But,” he said, “the livestream might not be live in America, because they might want to censor some of the content. In fact, you want want to make a joke about that…” Oh, believe me I did.

I said: “I was told that this Freedom of Speech livestream was originally NOT going to be live in the United States, because they might want to censor some of the content. …Censoring the content? About the Freedom of Speech? Ah, America! We’re almost 250 years old, and still trying to grasp the basic concept of irony.”

Greg Shapiro Summit Standup comedy at Summit for Democracy

“Censoring content is very hot in America right now. On the Far-Right, you’ve got people banning books because they talk about homosexuality, or they suggest that slavery might have been racist. And then on the Far-Left they’re censoring books because they use the N-word, or they’re written by Roald Dahl. Oddly, banning books is one thing that could unite the Far-Left and Far-Right in America. And then we will have truly learned the meaning of the word IRONY.”

You can watch the 3-minute monologue here, BUT please note the students sitting behind me were apparently instructed: YOU WILL BE ON CAMERA! DO NOT LAUGH! 

 

THE SUMMIT FOR DEMOCRACY LIVESTREAM

The entire Livestream is worth a watch. Did you know how many initiatives are already in place to push back against anti-democracy disinformation? Samantha Power (USAID) explains. The Dutch Foreign Minister talks about ‘PersVeilig’ to protect journalists from harm. And Amanda Bennett talks about how Voice of America & Radio Free Europe are a vital source of news, even in Iran.
Here’s a teaser for the livestream (I’m in it briefly):

 

+ You can watch the whole live stream here:

 

CLICK HERE for more about Summit for Democracy events.

https://www.government.nl/ministries/ministry-of-foreign-affairs/activiteiten/summit-for-democracy

 

ALSO – GREG SHAPIRO’S POLITICAL COMEDY SHOW ‘PEP & GREG SAVE AMERICA’ AT BOOM CHICAGO:

Review: ‘Pep & Greg Save America’

Book Review: 'Shapiro Funny'

Book Review: ‘Shapiro funny’

Book Review: ‘Shapiro funny, informative’

22 March, 2023
ArtsTalk Magazine reviewed my book again! This time it was for their online supplement, and it’s an all-new review.
My third book debuted in 2020: THE AMERICAN NETHERLANDER: 25 Years of Expat Tales.

Greg Shapiro's New Book The American Netherlander

Click here for the: 

ArtsTalkMagazine Colour Supplement

(pages 18-20)

Below is an excerpt:

Greg Shapiro: The American Netherlander. Book Review

by Michael Hasted. November, 2022

“The book is full of apposite observations, canny advice, witty asides and some nice cartoony illustrations. It could well have been entitled The Netherlands – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly because, like the Dutch, it does not pull its punches.
“Greg takes us, chapter by chapter, through the different aspects of Dutch life and how to cope with – sorry – appreciate them. We learn of course about about sex and drugs and the ubiquitous coffeeshops. We find out more about bike etiquette. And …serious though it is, the Zwarte Piet subject is treated in an easygoing, unpreachy, unjudgmental manner.

“The last section of the book re-utilizes Greg’s previous book How to Be Dutch: the Quiz. This section is both funny and informative. Again, this is broken down into sections like bikes, health care, politics and … err… Zwarte Piet.

Book Review ‘Shapiro funny, informative’

“There is even a ‘Oh, I never knew that’ section which lists, in rhyming couplets, things we never knew were Dutch. Like half the place names in New York City, LED lights, multinationals Philips and Shell, the microscope, the discoverers and namers of New Zealand, etc etc.

“To round it all off there are pages of photos of shop signs taken by Greg over the years, showing how Dutch can produce names and words that we English speakers find amusing. For example a hair dresser called Down Under Hair or the Bad Hotel or the Dutch senator called Tiny Kox. You’ve got to love ‘em.

“The American Netherlander provides us with lots of information about the Dutch persona and way of life and is the result of not only Greg’s personal experiences and insights but a lot of thorough research as well . Oh and the laughs, don’t forget the laughs.”

To buy the book, click here: 
https://hollandbooks.nl/product/the-american-netherlander/

For more Greg Shapiro Reviews click here:
https://gregshapiro.nl/media/theater-reviews-for-greg-shapiros-latest-shows/

pep & greg save america

PEP & GREG SAVE AMERICA

PEP & GREG SAVE AMERICA at Boom Chicago Theater
8 March 2023


Pep Rosenfeld (SNL) & Greg Shapiro (‘Netherlands Second’ video) are back at Boom Chicago – to save America! And also to make fun of Marjorie Taylor Greene. This political comedy show dares to make the argument: it’s safe to be proud of America again! In fact, that’s our only option – if we want to beat Trump in 2024. (yes, it’ll be Trump.)

The 2024 election is already underway.
-Will Trump be replaced by someone worse?
-Will Joe Biden survive until 2024?
– AND (Will FOX News survive until 2024?)
Inspired by Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy series, Pep & Greg Save America proposes 5 simple changes that could make a HUGE difference – and they make it funny. Pep & Greg have done 10 political comedy shows so far, with their patented mix of standup comedy and improvisation. As in their previous hit show Trump Up the Volume.

And this time we brought a friend! Pep & Greg Save America features songs and improvisation by the critically-acclaimed Stacey Smith and Sacha Hoedemaker.

Pep Rosenfeld: in addition to his work at Boom Chicago, Pep was also nominated for an Emmy for his work at Saturday Night Live.
Greg Shapiro: Greg is known as the host of Boom Chicago’s Comedy Central News, as well as the voice of Donald Trump in Arjen Lubach’s viral video ‘The Netherlands Second.’

REVIEW: PEP & GREG SAVE AMERICA AT BOOM CHICAGO

as seen in ArtsTalkMagazine.nl
“JOKES WERE WELL-SCULPTED AND WIDE-RANGING.”
“ENGAGING WITH THE AUDIENCE, THEY WERE QUICK, PROVOCATIVE AND PUGNACIOUS.”

PRAISE for Pep & Greg’s previous Boom Chicago shows:
‘Sharp satire and world class improvisation’ – De Volkskrant.

‘Five stars! Greg and Pep have an incredible charisma and are very funny…. Sassy Stacey’s super singing is the icing on the cake.’ — D Robbinson, Trip Advisor
‘Superior. Hilarious satire’ – Theaterkrant.nl
|‘Greg is a scarily real fake Trump’ – Het Parool

 

TICKETS: CLICK HERE
https://boomchicago.nl/pep-greg-save-america/

 

More Greg reviews? Click here:
https://gregshapiro.nl/media/theater-reviews-for-greg-shapiros-latest-shows/

Fun for the whole family! (Last time, these folks brought 3 generations.)

Greg Shapiro Shows / TV Appearances

Greg Shapiro SHOWS / TV Appearances

Greg Shapiro Shows / TV Appearances
15 February, 2023

By popular demand! You now have a one-stop shop for all my Greg Shapiro Comedy Shows – and TV appearances.

SHOWS

Good news: I now have all my upcoming comedy dates on one page: standup / improv / solo shows.
(Some seasons I have a proper theater tour with a whole season full of bookings, known months in advance. …This is not one of those seasons.)

This season I’m picking up ad hoc gigs on a month-by-month basis, mostly in the Netherlands. Mostly standup comedy spots. Also comedy improv shows, mostly at Boom Chicago.
BUT – sometimes I pick up a show in Paris, just because I’m passing through.
FOR EXAMPLE:
22 Feb. PowerPoint Comedy Show Wed, Mar 22, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
La Pomme D’eve
1 Rue Laplace, Paris 75005
calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/r/week

And yes, I’m in tryout phase for my new solo show: Dutch to the Rescue. Early previews are great so far!

Greg Shapiro New Solo: ’DUTCH TO THE RESCUE’
Who do you call when you need a sea wall? The Dutch.
Which country’s thriving with sea levels rising? The Dutch.
Who brings you luck when your container ship’s stuck? The Dutch.
When it comes to Climate Change, the Netherlands has a lot of answers to world’s challenges. But they don’t like to talk about it. Yes, Dutch people are producing the world’s first solar-powered car, creating lab-grown meat, cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch… but they don’t like to brag. The Netherlands is like a superhero obsessed with their secret identity.
Enter Greg Shapiro, who’s been living in the Netherlands long enough to be proud of the Dutch – and still American enough to not care how l out he is about it.

CLICK HERE FOR DATES (I’ll update them on a monthly basis):
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-upcoming-comedy-shows/

TV Appearances

“Didn’t I see you on TV?” The answer is: MAYBE, yes. Here is a one-stop shop for everyone wondering if you actually saw me on television – or if you were thinking of Screech from Saved by the Bell.

Here you have a bunch of clickable videos with Dutch American comedian me on – mostly Dutch – TV. Of course there’s the ‘Netherlands Second’ video (scroll down to bottom). But most of these clips are me appearing as myself. And – since I am The American Netherlander – these clips are partly in English, and partly in (bad) Dutch.
Find my TV Appearances page in the MENU under MEDIA – or click here:
https://gregshapiro.nl/media/theater-reviews-for-greg-shapiros-latest-shows/

Also – you can go to Greg’s YouTube channel and view the Playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLccmkVw5sINqpr3yX4Ex1CeXm8FaIThKo

Buy my wife's book - Droomhuis by Inez de Goede

BUY MY WIFE’S BOOK!

Inez de Goede Releases Her First Novel: DROOMHUIS

Full disclosure: Inez de Goede (aka Inez Shapiro) is my wife – and manager. And now she is a published author! I am so proud – allow me to brag a bit.


Droomhuis is (currently) in Dutch: “an ‘Escape to the Country’ story – with a dark edge.”
A woman drives to France on a mission to clean up the old family vacation house. The abandoned house is full of triggers for her anxiety issues. (What must have happened there?)
Flash back to the little girl in the mid-70s, whisked away by her mother and step-father to the middle of nowhere to start their lives anew. But what was the mother thinking? Next we hear the perspective of the mother. These three voices take turns telling the story, unraveling the mystery of what exactly happened to the step-father?

Don’t speak Dutch but still want to help? See below.

THE MAKING OF

It was like 2002 when Inez first finished her book, as an autobiography about growing up in France. Eventually she rewrote the book as fiction, and we like it way better now.
But who would publish it? After finishing the rewrite, Inez took a year or so to gather up the courage to ask a contact at a publishing house: Uitgerverij Orlando, specializing in Dutch female writers. Publisher Jacqueline Smit agreed to read the manuscript, but she promised to tell the truth if she didn’t like it. Jacqueline later said “I was desperately afraid that the manuscript would be amateurish, and I’d have to say so. But after reading one page, I was overjoyed: ‘this woman can write!’”

Another Orlando writer is Racheda Kooijman, who bought the book at the launch party. She started reading it and literally could not put it down. At the end of the next day she wrote “My house is a mess, and I didn’t get groceries. But I had to finish this book!” 

REVIEWS

Author Stella Bergsma also wrote a review: 
‘De wereld heeft meer verhalen nodig van vrouwen. Zeker over het grensoverschrijdende gedrag van mannen. Dit is zo’n verhaal. Zintuiglijk en poëtisch geschreven. Kwetsbaar en krachtig. Ongemakkelijk en onvermijdelijk.’ – Stella Bergsma
(translation)
“The world needs more stories from women. Especially from women who tell the truth about sexually abusive men. This is such a story. Sensual and poetic. Vulnerable and strong. Challenging and unforgettable.”

https://www.uitgeverijorlando.nl/inez-de-goede-droomhuis/

HOW TO HELP – even if you don’t speak Dutch.

Just do a Google search for INEZ DE GOEDE + DROOMHUIS.
And if you have time, search as well on Amazon + Goodreads.
Every search helps!
Thanks

PePijn's Comedy Club

PePijn Comedy Club JANUARY

GREG SHAPIRO HOSTS PePijn Comedy Club JANUARY – IN ENGLISH
12 Jan., 2023

So much talent developing in the English-language comedy scene in The Netherlands! And I get to curate it for PePijn’s Comedy Club. Here’s the Best-of the January edition:

(Yes, I’m wearing a mustache. I hate it! I had to grow it out for a film role. Coming soon…)

(previously…)
I am lucky enough to be programming one of these English comedy nights, in one of my favorite little spaces: Theater PePijn in The Hague. Normally reserved for solo shows and Dutch ‘cabaret,’ it is known among comedians as one of the best spaces to perform.

 

The January show:

SJOERD SCOTT.

He’s a black man from the Caribbean – but his name is Sjoerd. The jokes write themselves. Yet the magic came in his crowd work: “Are you two together? I hope so, because she’s got her head on your shoulder. Sir, if she’s NOT with you, please blink three times.” Plus: “How did you two meet? At work? So: ‘unprofessional?’ Should someone be calling HR?

KEN PARSONS.

Ken is a folk-singing comedian, who is not afraid to talk about mental health issues during the holidays. Hence, he introduced a new song called “Bipolar Christmas.” Ken is also a Dutch teacher, and his roast of the Dutch language is legendary. And – as a former squatter – Ken knows all the best places to organize his many comedy shows.

JACK HEYJACK. Stepped in as our 5-minute spot. He talked about being legally blind. (After the legally deaf Lara Ricote last month, I can see a pattern developing.) If I can make him stick to material about the realities of blindness (and playing the kazoo), he’ll be all right.

KENDRA BORGEN.

Our headliner for the night! “Anybody doing any New Year’s Resolutions? Because statistically, 80% of people fail by Day 8. And the rest of us fail by Day 12. …That’s today!” Kendra also talked about trying to get in shape after the Covid lockdown: “The only 19 I got was kilos. I gained so much weight, I went from NOT being in an at-risk group – for getting the early vaccine – to being IN the at-risk group.”

Theater PePijn was established as a tryout space for the bigger names in Dutch theater and ‘cabaret.’ You can still find big name artists for a tiny little price, as they try out new material.

THE NEXT DATES FOR PEPIJN’S COMEDY CLUB – IN ENGLISH

13 April, 2023.
I’ll announce the comedians on the January lineup in early April.
https://www.diligentia-pepijn.nl/agenda/4432/Various_Stand_Up_Comedians/PePijn%27s_Comedy_Club_But_in_English


CLICK HERE FOR MORE GREG SHAPIRO STANDUP:
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-web-archive/

 

PePijn Comedy Club JANUARY

Greg Shapiro in 'Conference Matters'

Greg Shapiro in ‘Conference Matters’

Greg Shapiro in ‘Conference Matters’ Magazine

Finally, a magazine dedicated to Sharing Best Practice in the (Corporate) Events Sector! Conference Matters Magazine. I was happy to be interviewed for Conference Matters, and Jeroen Mirck’s questions were so good I love him now. Here’s a preview of the interview. Please do click the link and subscribe to the magazine, if you care about quality events.
https://conferencematters.nl/en/greg-shapiro-humor-can-be-the-safest-option-for-serious-events/

STAND-UP COMEDIAN GREG SHAPIRO: ‘EVEN FOR SERIOUS EVENTS, HUMOR CAN BE THE SAFEST OPTION’
CONFERENCE MATTERS MAGAZINE, 18-11-2022

By Jeroen Mirck

Greg Shapiro is a Dutch American comedian who gathered world fame with his vocal impersonation of Donald Trump in the viral ‘Netherlands Second’ video. He started his career as a member of the comedy group Boom Chicago and became a popular speaker at business events. “Humor is the safest option at a serious business event.”

Greg Shapiro was seven years old when he saw the first season of Saturday Night Live. “That’s when I knew I wanted to be a comedian. And I found out that John Belushi, Gilda Radner and Bill Murray all started their careers at this one theater called The Second City. And it was in my hometown, Chicago! ‘The Second City,’ as in ‘New York first, Chicago second.’ …It was indeed my destiny.”

Did the viral video of your Trump impersonation in the Dutch tv show of Arjen Lubach change your life?

“Totally changed my life, bigly. Hyuge! Hahaha. I don’t know if the ‘Netherlands Second’ video changed my life, but I did enjoy hearing that it was used by the Dutch foreign ministry for trade missions! Personally, I used my Trump impression for a whole standup show – as well as for conferences like The Next Web. We interrupted the show with screens saying ‘Donald Trump Live by Phone’ and had me doing a voiceover from offstage. Then Trump would improvise his reaction to how the conference was going so far. It’s a formula we used many times since!”

 

When is humor a good recipe for a serious business event?

“Humor is always good. Even during a serious business event, humor can actually be the safest option. I recently hosted an event where the CEO wanted me to create an informal atmosphere – a ‘safe space’ for the audience to feel comfortable asking the difficult questions. And sure enough, someone asked about accusations of ‘greenwashing.’ The CEO gave a serious answer and admitted that in the past few years the accusations were partly true. And that’s why they’d appointed their first-ever Chief Sustainability Officer. Once he was done, I turned the humor back up to 100% by saying that if anyone complains about Dutch companies not being green enough, remind them that Shell Oil is now located in the UK.”

What is your expert advice for hosts and speakers who want to be funny?

“Good news! You don’t have to do anything – just be yourself. As we say in improv comedy, ‘Truth is funnier than fiction.’ All you need is a good co-host to help you be yourself. You need a good wing man!”

Greg Shapiro in in ‘Conference Matters’
https://conferencematters.nl/en/greg-shapiro-humor-can-be-the-safest-option-for-serious-events/
——-

Click here for Greg Shapiro on being a Cheerleader for the Netherlands, in Speakers Academy Magazine
https://gregshapiro.nl/blog/greg-shapiro-netherlands-cheerleader/