Craig Anderson: Remembering our couches Is the afternoon nap the key to saving our society? According to Craig Anderson, yes. Craig shares his knowledge on how you can become a more skilled and conscious napper, in the hopes that one day everyone will feel inspired to go out and seize the day… by sleeping through part of it.
Emmett Hall: The importance of unimportance Emmett Hall admits that he may not be important to you, but argues that after watching his 10-minute talk he will be. By placing his unimportance under a microscope, Mr. Hall demonstrates that he might actually be the most important person in the room. Trust us, this is important.
Kaitlin Fontana: Lady, please let your kid be weird…for me? A self-professed weirdo child, Kaitlin Fontana warns that without nurturing weirdness in kids the world wouldn’t have mega success stories like Lady Gaga or Mark Zuckerberg. She argues that parents need to stop squashing weirdness and let their child’s freak flags fly.
El Garzita: Confessions of a Mexican in Canada Vancouver’s very own cultural matador, El Garzita, presents a colourful case on the differences between Canadians and Mexicans. But at the end of the day, this truly Mexicanadian man suggests we are all ultimately the same.
Charlie Demers: Why natural selection is our enemy Vancouver’s comedian-laureate takes us on a hilari-scary journey through his experience with anxiety, suggesting that perhaps Charlie Darwin had it wrong: maybe evolution hasn’t given us the proper tools to survive and thrive in the 21st century.
KEN: The Speakers
We’re thrilled to announce the lineup of lecturers for the inaugural edition of the KEN Talks. Each of these individuals brings something uniquely unique to the KEN stage. Prepare to learn important things from these learned humans.
Charlie Demers
Charlie Demers is a stand-up comedian, novelist and essayist. In addition to having performed at the Just For Laughs festival and as a regular guest on CBC’s ‘The Debaters,’ he is the author of the books ‘The Prescription Errors’ and ‘Vancouver Special,’ that latter of which was shortlisted for the Hubert Evans BC Bookprize for Non-Fiction.
Kaitlin Fontana
Kaitlin Fontana is an award-winning writer, improviser and comedian from Vancouver, BC. Sometimes she makes stuff up and performs it. Other times, she writes it down. Still other times, she does a lot of research and thinking, and writes down real things. Regardless, she makes her living in the most wonderful and strange ways. The last time Kaitlin participated in a CBC pilot, she was naked. This time? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see.
kaitlinfontana.com twitter.com/kaitlinfontana
Craig Anderson
Craig Anderson has been performing comedy in Vancouver and across Canada for the past 5 years. He is member of the Canadian Comedy Award-nominated improv troupe The Sunday Service, as well as Ghost Jail Theatre. He also produces Ladies & Gentlemen Comedy, The Hero Show, as well as the webseries “Mental Beast” and “With Friends Like These”.
bronxcheercomedy.com twitter.com/amillioncraigs
Emmett Hall
Emmett Hall considers himself somewhat of a nomad in the Vancouver comedy community. You’ll often find him involved with Bronx Cheer-produced events, or gallivanting with the heavy metal comedy trio known as the Knights of the Night, and as the established music man and podcast producer behind the Sunday Service comedy troupe. By day he makes television cartoons to preoccupy children from their imaginations.
emmetthall.blogspot.com thesundayservice.ca
Alfredo Garza
Alfredo Garza, better known as El Garzita, came to Vancouver 11 years ago from a small border town in Mexico looking for fame, fortune and a lothario lifestyle. He has found none. But a life dedicated to making music, DJing, drawing and saying “Yes” to any invitation that comes his way has left him with a plethora of funny stories that will leave you shaking your head in disgust.
