Featured Artist: Environmental Economist and Stand-up Comedian Dr. Matt Winning

Posted on 29 October 2019

Introducing Environmental Economist and Stand-up Comedian Dr. Matt Winning: a hilarious and accomplished stand-up comedian, Matt Winning is the ideal speaker for any corporate event.

Dr. Matt Winning is a comedian unlike any other; a stand-up comic by night, by day he works as an environmental economist at the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources. Full of energy, quick humour and terrifying statistics, Matt’s Powerpoint based comedy sets both entertain and educate audiences, giving them a hilarious and shocking fast-paced look into the planet’s future if the human race doesn’t get its act together on climate change, along with tips about what we can do to make a difference.

What makes Matt unique is his suitability for both daytime an evening events; whether delivering an informative after-dinner performance or an amusing keynote climate change speaker, his topical comedy works in all sort of contexts and covers issues that every kind of company should be concerned with. He is also experienced at hosting awards ceremonies.

With many companies focusing on climate change and sustainability, it’s the ideal time to hire Matt Winning for your next after-dinner speaker, keynote speaker or corporate event comedian.

Check out his full profile here or get in touch to find out more.

TEDx Talk by Dr Matt Winning:

Make a Good Impression

Posted on 5 September 2019

If you’re looking to hire a comedian, one kind of performer that never fails to delight at corporate events is the impressionist. Here we are shining the spotlight on a few of Avalon’s spectacular artists available to book for corporate events.  They’re a great choice for after-dinner comedy and hosting awards ceremonies because, if you book an impressionist, there’s always something for everyone.

Jon Culshaw

Hire Jon Culshaw

Undoubtedly one of the UK’s best known and most respected impressionists, Jon’s enormous cache of voices make him the ideal choice for any corporate comedy set or awards hosting. Whether he’s performing to a group of 15 people in a private dining room or to 2000 delegates in a top London hotel, his quick audience interaction and legendarily impressive stand-up material have made him one of the most popular comics on the corporate entertainment circuit. Off stage, clients report he is a firm favourite when it comes to dining with the corporate guests and socialising with them after the show.

One booker remarked; “Jon was great…delivered a brilliant performance – exactly what we wanted. A true talent and pro – very happy. He then stuck around with guests and was a real gent. We are delighted to have hired Jon Culshaw and he will be a tough act to better next year!”.

Steff Todd

A new and exciting face in the stand-up comedy world, Steff Todd exploded onto the Edinburgh Fringe scene in 2019 with her debut hour “Reality Check”. Her topical take-offs of entertainment stars and reality TV contestants regularly go viral, amassing over 1m views online.  The Evening Standard named one of her quips in their ‘Funniest Jokes of the Edinburgh Fringe‘ and one reviewer commented, “ I have no doubt that Steff has a bright future ahead of her and Reality Check is an impressive debut”.

 

 

 

 

Luke Kempner

Rising star Luke has a background in musical theatre and a stage presence to match. Not only has he delighted audiences throughout the latest series of Love Island with his hilarious impressions and commentary, his solid material and quick audience interaction have made him a fast favourite with corporate audiences. Experienced at both after-dinner sets and hosting awards ceremonies, Luke has voices to suit audiences of all kinds – and will even teach a lucky delegate how to do impressions of their own on stage! A regular on TV and radio, and now on tour, one of Luke’s viral video ‘Downstairs at Downtown’ which featured a spookily accurate array of voices from the hit show Downton Abbey, served as the jumping off point for his first hit show “The Only Way is Downton”, which was described by the Telegraph as a “remarkable, tour de force… an hour of unalloyed pleasure.

 

And while we’re here, we couldn’t not mentioning the incredible political satirist Matt Forde! While Matt is best know for his cutting edge political satire, his Donald Trump impersonation is one of the most impressive in the business and he is regularly called on to delight corporate audiences of all kinds, combining sharp current affairs observations with brilliant impersonations. Matt’s other uncanny impressions include William Hague, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and Prime Minister* Boris Johnson.

*correct at time of writing

To hire Jon Culshaw, Steff Todd, Luke Kempner or Matt Forde as the entertainment for your next awards ceremony, gala dinner or function, get directly in touch with Avalon, their official management.

Avalon are the managers to the most successful and cutting-edge comedy performers in the industry. Together with ARG, the prestigious acting agency, we collectively represent an impressively varied roster of exceptional artists, many of whom are available to book for private and corporate events – from up-and-comers to household names. We place Avalon’s fantastic comedians, presenters and actors into commercial events: Gala dinners, Awards Ceremonies, PR Events, Product Launches, Private Parties – you name it, our artists have done it. To hire a comedian for your next corporate event, get in touch here.

FEATURED ARTIST: Alex Horne

Posted on 22 April 2016

ward winning comedian Alex Horne has established a reputation among critics, comics and audiences as a thoughtful and original stand-up comedian and writer.

Alex is the creator and host of comedy music show The Horne Section. Together, Alex and his five piece band create a heady mix of stand-up comedy, cabaret performances, outlandish musical talent and special guests. They began as a live show and were quickly commissioned for BBC Radio 4 series Alex Horne Presents: The Horne Section, which has now run for three series. The band has also accompanied Alex as guest host on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (Channel 4) and were the only band ever to hostNever Mind The Buzzcocks (BBC2). In 2014, they returned to the Edinburgh Fringe for their fifth consecutive year with new show The Horne Section: Milk The Tenderness.

Taskmaster, a new series devised by and starring Alex, has been commissioned by UKTV’s Dave channel. The six hour-long episodes will star Greg Davies in the role of The Taskmaster, who will set tasks to a group of well-known comedians and ultimately decide who wins. Alex will be playing his right-hand-man, coaxing the comedians to show how comic, creative and seriously competitive they are. Taskmaster started out as a live show, also devised by Alex, which ran at the Edinburgh Festival in 2010 and 2011. It is due to air in Spring 2015.

Alex is the host of iTunes chart topping and Chortle Award Nominated podcast Alex Horne Breaks the News (Dave). The show takes a look at the week’s big (and small) news topics mixed in with a smattering of statistical analysis, musical numbers and ad hoc features, and is now in its third series.

To date, he has taken nine solo shows to the Edinburgh Fringe including 2014’s Monsieur Butterfly, which earned him a Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination for ‘Best Comedy Show’. He has also released two books based on his critically acclaimed Edinburgh shows; Birdwatching watching in 2009 and Wordwatching in 2010.

Numerous TV appearances include two series as co-host of We Need Answers (BBC4),The Matt Lucas Awards (BBC1), Dara O’Briain’s School of Hard Sums (Dave), Dave’s One Night Stand (Dave), Celebrity Mastermind(BBC1) and The Games That Time Forgot, a documentary written and presented by Alex for BBC Four.

In addition to Alex Horne Presents: The Horne Section, radio credits include The Unbelievable Truth, Heresy,Wordaholics (BBC Radio 4) and The Guessing Game(BBC Radio Scotland), among many others.

Alex is available for bookings as a solo performer or alongside his band (and special guests) as The Horne Section.