Judy Carter

Ten years ago Judy Carter formed Comedy Workshop Productions, a school for wanna-be comics. Carter also produces the annual California Comedy Conference, which is attended by top Hollywood VIPs including executives from HBO, Warner Bros, William Morris Agency and others. She is the author of Standup Comedy: The Book (Dell Books, 1989) which has sold over 150,000 copies. Carter's lastest book – The Comedy Bible (Simon & Schuster; September 2001) – is the definitive guide to making a career out of making people laugh.

Carter's expertise at teaching others to use comedy to transform their lives and careers has created a nationwide demand for her as a corporate and college speaker and workshop leader. An outstanding motivational speaker, Carter has inspired thousands of people to use humor to deal with change, increase sales and punch up speeches – in short, to turn problems into punchlines.

Carter's success in corporate comedy has generated feature stories in the Wall Street Journal, LA Times, New York Times and Success Magazine. She has brought her "don't get mad, get funny" philosophy to Fortune 500 companies such as Boeing, Lucent Technologies, Fedex, Blue Cross and Pacific Bell. They have found her "tell-it-like-it-is" (only funnier) approach advantageous when tackling sensitive issues like downsizing, layoffs, and dealing with diversity.

Her pioneering approach to turning "problems into punchlines" has been profiled on CNN, ABC World News and Oprah. She recently sat on Tom Peter's Board of Directors and is a popular speaker at the American Society for Training and Development conference which caters to professional trainers and speakers.

Carter has also organized a wide variety of fund-raising events, such as "HIV: Humor is Vital," -- a comedy workshop for people living with AIDS. In addition, she has worked with groups such as Wellness Community cancer patients and Cedars Sinai social workers.

In addition to mastering comedy, Carter is a professional magician, being one of the first women to work at the prestigious Magic Castle in Hollywood, creating quite a stir with her "death-defying" escape from her grandmother's girdle. Carter is also a passionate snowboarder and phenomenal matzo-ball soup maker. Her cat and two dogs allow her to share their home in Southern CA.