Chris Bliss

Speaker, comedian, and Bill of Speaker, comedian, and Bill of Rights advocate Chris Bliss delivers intelligent and timely commentary on our world, in the tradition of American satire from Mark Twain to Jon Stewart. Jay Leno, who featured Chris repeatedly on the Tonight Show, has called him "one of the brightest comedians around," with the Washington Post adding that "If you're looking to laugh, you can't do much better than Chris Bliss."Chris was also one of the first surprise stars of the YouTube era, when his "Amazing Juggling Finale" video went viral to the tune of over 80,000,000 downloads. The video reprises the signature piece of his early career as an internationally acclaimed variety act, when he toured with artists from Michael Jackson to Eric Clapton. Its viral explosion resulted in British R & B icon Fatboy Slim asking Chris to star in his next music video, plus an invitation to join him on David Letterman's show for a memorable live performance with the Paul Shaffer Band.Chris's latest venture is the Bill of Rights Monument Project (MyBillOfRights.org), a nonprofit dedicated to creating monuments of the Bill of Rights across America. Chris started the project after discovering there wasn't a single monument to this cornerstone of our individual rights and liberties. That all changed on December 15, 2012, with dedication of the Bill of Rights Monument at the Arizona Capitol, a historic first for the State and the nation.The dedication garnered national attention, with coverage in both the New York Times and USA Today. It was the culmination of nearly seven years of hard work, which Chris now hopes will lead to a national effort to bring the Bill of Rights to all fifty State Capitols.It also capped off an exceptional 2012 for this unconventional entertainer, beginning with his first TED talk, "Comedy Is Translation", being posted on TED.com, where it's now been seen by half a million people. Then in May he produced and performed at the Phoenix Comedy Festival, at Phoenix Symphony Hall, featuring an unrivaled lineup of hall of fame comedians including Lewis Black and Bill Engvall, as well as legends Tommy Smothers and Dick Gregory. The event, one of the premier comedy concerts anywhere in many years, was a tour de force, raising over $140,000 for the Bill of Rights Monument.These successes were followed by invitations to speak at Images and Voices of Hope (IVOH.org), an annual summit of thought leaders from across the media spectrum that explores the impact of media messaging on societies worldwide, and Chicago Ideas Week, a citywide event "about the sharing of ideas, inspiring action, and igniting change to positively impact our world". The latter conference, in just its second year, has already presented luminaries from Bill Clinton to Tom Brokaw.The through line connecting all these dots is Chris's passion for communication. Whether it's his unique approach to juggling as a musical art, his scathingly funny comedy about the absurdities of our modern world, or his commitment to spreading awareness of our founding principles, Chris Bliss is continually searching for new approaches to old conventions, and fresh ways of expressing them. The result is entertaining and original presentations that are unfailingly fun as well as captivating, and always worth listening to.One thing is certain. To paraphrase his write-up in the Post, if you're looking to laugh and think, you can't do better than Chris Bliss.