Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Schwem.
Greg, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started performing stand up comedy at Prospect High School in Mt. Prospect, IL. I graduated from Northwestern’s Medill School of J0urnalism but continued performing comedy, mostly on campus. I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, spent five years as a newspaper and then a television reporter, but returned to Chicago to try stand up full time. My material about technology was noticed by the Chicago Tribune, which dubbed me, “comedy with a byte.” Eventually I began being asked to perform at corporate meetings, conferences, etc. Today, I perform exclusively for the corporate market, with clients that include Microsoft, Cisco, McDonald’s, IBM and Southwest Airlines.
Since 2011 I have written a weekly, nationally syndicated humor column for Tribune Content Agency. I have authored two Amazon best-sellers, “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and “The Road to Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS (Business Stories) From a Corporate Comedian.” My TV credits include Comedy Central, VH-1 and the A&E Network. I have opened concerts for musical acts ranging from Keith Urban to Celine Dion.
I am currently developing a web series, tentatively entitled, “A Comedian Walks Into an Airbnb.”
Has it been a smooth road?
Show business? A smooth road? Maybe if you’re Ashton Kutcher. That dude landed a TV sitcom on his first audition! But for most people, myself included, it’s been a challenge but one that has proven very gratifying. I’m lucky to have a found a niche – corporate comedy – that very few comedians or speakers care to enter. Show business is all about standing out from the crowd. I feel I have done that.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I do stand up comedy and humorous business speaking for business meetings, either for individual companies or business associations. I also host, or MC events for corporate events. In short, I provide much needed entertainment for serious, often boring meetings. I’m most proud of the fact that I CAN provide that service, and that my audience knows how to laugh at itself. That’s very refreshing in these times.
On that note, what sets me apart from others in my field (and there are very few) is that I research my audience and write jokes about their company culture, the products they sell, their website, etc. But I don’t set out to trash anybody; it’s all done in good taste, which is why audiences can laugh as opposed to getting pissed off. That’s a skill I think very few comedians have when it comes to performing in a business setting.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Chicago is the perfect city if you want to be a comedian. Plenty of established clubs and underground venues to mine your craft. Sure, there are a lack of “industry types” here, unlike LA and NYC, but that’s a good thing if you want to be a comedian. The reason? You don’t have to worry that there is an agent, manager, sitcom producer, etc. in the room; therefore, you don’t always have to do your “best material” over and over again. Chicago allows you to experiment and “find your voice” onstage.
As a corporate comedian, there is no real city where you should be based. I travel extensively for my job so it really doesn’t matter where I’m based.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gregschwem.com
- Phone: 630-243-0349
- Email: grschwem@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregschwem/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FansOfGregSchwem/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/gregschwem
- Other: youtube.com/gregschwem
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