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Matt Kazam - The Humor Scientist Bio

Meet the Humor Scientist: Matt Kazam

With more than 30 years’ experience and over 6500 performances as a professional stand-up comedian and Las Vegas headliner, including thousands of corporate events, Matt Kazam is THE expert on the science of humor. Matt’s expertise lies in teaching corporate leaders and sales teams, in every industry, how to develop lighthearted communication skills, transform company culture, and make punch lines improve bottom lines.

 

Whether as a keynote speaker, corporate trainer or conducting a live or virtual learning event, Matt has a unique ability to teach the science of humor and the tools of stand-up comedy into an effective applicable program for any profession. From lawyers to doctors, teachers to corporate leaders, activists to actors, everyone can benefit from using humor and the acquiring the skills of a stand-up comedian.

 

Matt has been a corporate trainer for the past 17 years, as well as a guest lecturer at The Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, DC. In these programs, he provides continuing education on public speaking and humor, for some of the country’s leading thinkers, professionals, and artists.

 

In 2016, Matt founded They Laugh You Win, LLC to offer his personally designed corporate training courses to tap the science of humor in the areas of communication, public speaking, leadership and sales. Post pandemic, Matt has answered the call of the market and expanded his offerings to include using humor and laughter to improve employee wellness and experience, mental health, and corporate culture by providing engaging virtual workshops, courses and experiences.

 

As the mood of the country is changing, the workplace is looking for innovative solutions to old problems and companies across the board are embracing Matt’s latest offering in the Diversity and Inclusion space: How to Use Your Words. As Matt explains: 

"It’s a bi-product of what I teach in my Joke Writing Workshops. The science of Joke Writing forces us to become a wordsmith. To vet, analyze, and choose the perfect word not only to get a laugh, but also not to offend. If there is a victim in the joke and it is not you, don't tell it.

I teach my students how to effectively and strategically use humor to win in all aspects of life. Turns out those teachings are a powerful way to connect us all to the words we use and celebrate our diversity and include everyone in the joke."

The son of an immigrant Iranian Muslim Father and an American Born Russian Jewish Mother, Matt is the living example of diversity and inclusion. As he jokes in his hit one man show “Every Thanksgiving the families would get together and there was a Holy War going on in the living room”.  Growing up and showing up every day since has given Matt unique perspective that he applies to both his comedy and his teachings.

 

At the age of 10 Matt saw his first comedy show in Las Vegas at the legendary Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He knew right then that was what he wanted to do with his life. In 2014 Matt’s boyhood dream was realized and amazingly at the same iconic property where the dream was born, the Riviera. Matt’s one-man comedy show, “40 Is Not The New 20,” was an instant success. Becoming a Las Vegas “must see” show month after month. He was the last headliner to perform at the Riviera that saw the likes of Frank Sinatra and Elvis rise to fame. 

Citation

The Humor Scientist Featuring Matt Kazam. Meet the Humor Scientist. ​ Harvard Public Health Review. 2021. Available at HPHR.org.