Laughing Matters Council
Meet our Laughing Matters Council Members!
Why We’re Different… Laughing Matters
Humor can reshape our cognitive processes, allowing us to dismantle mental barriers and embrace new perspectives. Leveraging the power of humor, we induce neuroplasticity, fostering unexpected creativity and ideation.
The Laughing Matters Council brings together distinguished industry leaders with an eye for workplace culture and breakthrough thinking to guide Peppercomm and its clients in using the principles of humor to drive long-term business success.
The Philosopher
Luvell Anderson
Luvell Anderson is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Affiliate Faculty in African American Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at Syracuse University. His research lies principally in the Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Humor, and Philosophy of Race. He is co-editor of the Routledge Companion to the Philosophy of Race and the forthcoming Oxford Handbook on Applied Philosophy of Language. Luvell is finishing a book on The Ethics of Racial Humor, forthcoming with Oxford University Press, and Philosophy of Race and Racism: The Basics, to be published with Routledge.
The Advisor
Clayton Fletcher
Meet Clayton Fletcher, the NYC comedy guru! From Hulu to Sirius/XM to MSNBC, he’s everywhere, spreading clean, clever humor without the shock. He’s taught more wannabe comics (and thousands of brave businesspeople) how to unlock the prodigious power of truth in comedy and has served as Peppercomm’s Chief Comedy Officer for over a decade.
The Connector
Malcolm Frierson
Malcolm is a Visiting Assistant Professor of African American Studies at Loyola Marymount University. His research zooms in on the political landscape of African American comedy, spanning from the Civil Rights Movement to the present day. Malcolm’s book, “Freedom in Laughter,” published by SUNY Press, has been hailed for its ability to illuminate “the connections between artistic expression and activism as a mutual exchange in the process of continuing to enlighten, inspire, and transform a painfully divided society.”
The Culture Guy
David Horning
David Horning is the founder of Water Cooler Comedy, the creator of the 8-week leadership program “7 Steps To Reframe Retention And Create A Killer Culture.” Unlike other leadership speakers and consultants, David’s 9 years of comedy, speaking, and outsider consulting experience brings an outside-of-the-box, hands-on approach that is unafraid of asking the challenging questions that help leaders disrupt the status quo to face uncertainty, adversity, and change with a resilient, open mind.
The Improviser
Liz Joynt Sandberg
Liz Joynt Sandberg is a comedy writer, performer, director, and educator. She serves as the head of the Comedy Arts program at DePaul University, and performs regularly in Chicago and beyond with various improv groups. She is also a lead designer and facilitator for The Second City Works where she collaborates with clients like Harvard Business School, Thrive Global, Google, Microsoft, Swing Left, Indivisible, and others to leverage an improvisational mindset to solve real-world problems
We live in a time when laughter, comedy and humor has never been more important to everyone’s wellness.
Our weekly dose of humor + business!
We believe the magic happens when wit and wisdom join forces. Wit + Wisdom explores concepts that can help a leader or brand stand out (and hopefully brings a 😊 to your day)
