Baby Got Backstory BGBS 005: Matt Kazam | Laughing At Business
Matt Kazam is a headlining comedian in Las Vegas. With 29 years of experience, he has performed more than 6,000 shows in 42 states and seven countries. Matt founded They Laugh You Win which leverages his experience and the power of humor to provide the highest level of corporate entertainment, innovative and entertaining training programs, and face-to-face marketing content. Matt’s energetic style, witty observations, and unassuming charm are the driving forces behind his unique and hilarious comedy and learning events. Through humor, Matt has taught thousands of people and helped hundreds of companies accomplish their goals. After all, we all like to laugh, even at work, because it feels good.
You’ll Learn…
- Matt was introduced to comedy while still in the womb; began performing for family and friends at 3 years old and started making money from it at age 6
- Humor in business – not about your sense of humor, but understanding how to make others laugh; think about your audience first and yourself second
- Can maintain your core essence and be authentic, even if you tweak your routine for the audience to increase engagement, build trust, and make a connection
- As a shy, chubby child growing up in New York, Matt could either learn how to fight or learn how to be funny; used comedy as a defense mechanism
- Create a career in comedy by understanding the science of it; only two reasons why people laugh – commonality and superiority
- Matt’s Obstacles: Getting fired, his venue being blown up, and overcoming Guillain-Barre Syndrome; find humor in dark moments to make situations better
- 40 is not the New 20: Matt’s show is not just his story, but “our” story; good comedians look at the world like it’s a funny place, great ones don’t
- Matt uses comedy to do good; performs at hospitals and other places where people are in need of comic relief
- They Laugh You Win: Humor is a form of verbal and non-verbal communication; it’s the universal language
- Being funny can be taught; funny lives inside all of us, and we’re born comedians
- Three Rings of Stand Up Comedy: Public speaking, performing, and joke writing
Resources
Quotes by Matt Kazam:
“I’ve been using the power of story pretty much my whole life, so I understand why it’s valuable.”
“Something I learned pretty early on is that it didn’t really matter about my sense of humor. It was about me understanding, how could I make them laugh.”
“If you use humor, people are going to be way more empathetic toward your cause.”
“Back then, if you weren’t funny, they cut off your head. Now, if you’re not funny, they give you an HBO special.”