News - Greg Shapiro

ONLINE EVENTS – YOU STILL NEED ONE PERSON IN THE OFFICE

December 14, 2021

When it comes to online events, surely we remember the Best Practice lessons from the previous lockdown -? So far, not so much. Please, for the sake of your own events, do not make it 100% WorkFromHome!

Greg Shapiro New Video Series: ‘DutchNews of the Week’

December 7, 2021

“The headlines are from DutchNews.nl; the punchlines are from me.” So begins every episode of my new weekly video series ‘DutchNews of the Week.’ DutchNews.nl already has a daily newsletter and a weekly podcast. So I thought: “Why not a weekly video as well?”

Greg Shapiro Volunteers for Autistic Kids Project, Gets Killed

November 30, 2021

So then they showed me the script. They said it was inspired by me. How flattering! ...It’s about a washed up Trump joke comedian, who dies onstage and then dies in real life. Wowzers, no one does Dutch honesty quite like students on the autistic spectrum. I died laughing.

Greg Shapiro Guests at the ‘SNL of the EU’: The Schuman Show

November 22, 2021

For years, I've been wondering why the EU doesn’t have a late night comedy show. I’ve even been trying to make one myself since 2014. But now there’s a new kid on the block: the Brussels monthly series called The Schuman Show. You see, Robert Schuman is one of the founders of the European Union. And The Truman Show is a movie from the 90s. Together, this is apparently enough to generate a full audience in Brussels, as I found out when I took part in October.

Greg Shapiro Hosts TFG Event at Prinsenhof Delft

November 11, 2021

I was asked to host an annual dinner for an IT trade association at a historic location: the Prinsenhof in Delft. Where Willem van Oranje - the founder of the country - took his last breath in 1584. Even if my event would be a disaster, it couldn’t be worse than that.

3 Reasons Why Dutch Honesty Is Better

October 13, 2021

Dutch people are known for being ‘direct’ – which is an indirect way of saying ‘rude.’ At least that’s how I have experienced Dutch directness as an American expat. But the longer I live in Nederland, the more I appreciate how Dutch folks tell it like it is. Here are 3 ways Dutch Directness is better than the alternative.

Unofficial GREG SHAPIRO OCTOBER BENELUX Tour

October 6, 2021

October has turned into a busy month, as I have accidentally assembled a list of Dutch cities where I'll be performing. (And at least one date in Brussels...) But the big news is: I'll be featured in CABARETFESTIVAL PEPER in Den Haag. Organized by Theaters Diligentia & Pepijn, this current events festival calls itself 'De Lachspiegel van de Samenleving,' ie 'Holding a mirror to today's society.'

Greg Shapiro’s Book Available Again on Amazon

September 30, 2021

I'm really happy how this book turned out. The first section revisits the Netherlands of 1994 when I first arrived, and then it delves into the typical Dutch stereotypes via my favorite first-hand stories. The second section is called How to Be Dutch: all the questions that SHOULD be on the Dutch citizenship exam. And the third section is a selection of Dutch names that do NOT translate well into English.

Greg Shapiro ‘How to Be Dutch’ at NBTC Netherlands Bd of Tourism & Conventions

June 28, 2021

I was asked to give a reading from my book The American Netherlander: 25 Years of Expat Tales. It's a module I like to call 'Culture Shock Therapy.' And we had a 'bubble' set - everyone on set had to have a negative Covid test. And between the speakers and the crew, there were just enough live bodies to be able to play to audible laughs.

Greg Shapiro: NPO Radio1 Comedy News Correspondent

June 23, 2021

First came the US elections in November 2020. Then came Trump claiming the entire election was fake - and leaving the White House anyway. Next up came the Dutch national elections in March, 2021. De Tweede Kamer Verkiezingen. And my friends at Dutch NPO Radio1 asked me to do a CNN-style report from the polling stations in the Netherlands. In Dutch! Ik zei JA.