The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau
A speakers bureau that represents the best original thinkers,
writers, and doers for speaking engagements.
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A speakers bureau that represents the best original thinkers,
writers, and doers for speaking engagements.
The antidote to our political polarization? Laughter.
Iranian-American comedian Negin Farsad is one of the sharpest, funniest voices on the political scene today. The author of How to Make White People Laugh and a frequent panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, Negin proves that laughter is the best antidote for our divided political landscape. Her work—including the award-winning comedy documentary The Muslims Are Coming!—has been called “honest and heartfelt” (WIRED) and “smart, funny, and fascinating” (The Wall Street Journal). In fresh, accessible talks on the news of the day, she uses humor to bridge the gap between “us” and “them,” and shows us how we can learn to laugh together.
“Farsad’s fresh and funny voice is perfect for presenting tactics to fight anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S., and her work is intriguing and enjoyable to read.”—Publishers Weekly
In her feature film, The Muslims Are Coming!, Negin Farsad took a group of Muslim-American comedians on the road in Middle America to do shows, meet the locals, and counter Islamophobia through jokes. The film features Jon Stewart, Lewis Black, Janeane Garofalo, David Cross, and Rachel Maddow, to name a few, and won a humanitarian award from the Arab-American Institute. Negin’s book, How to Make White People Laugh, was called “frank & hilarious” by Salon, while the Austin Chronicle calls her a “master humorist who is equal parts academic and amusing.” The memoir-comedy-manifesto was nominated for a Thurber Prize for Humor.
She continues some of the themes in her book on the podcast Fake the Nation, a political comedy roundtable that is a Vulture critic’s pick and was nominated for a Webby Award, and in her column for The Progressive —an online magazine championing grassroots politics, human rights, economic justice, and a reinvigorated democracy, among other things. Negin is a regular panelist for NPR’s weekly current events program Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! and Neil deGrasse Tyson’s StarTalk.
Negin has a dual Masters in African American Studies and Public Policy from Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs, and worked as a senior policy advisor for the City of New York. She was named one of the 50 Funniest Women by Huffington Post and one of the 10 Best Feminist Comedians by Paste Magazine. She has appeared on Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show, A&E’s Black & White, and various programs such as CNN and MSNBC.
Negin has also written and developed series for MTV, PBS, and Nickelodeon. She wrote, directed, and starred in the 2016 feature release 3rd Street Blackout—a rom-com set in the blackout after Hurricane Sandy and featuring Ed Weeks from The Mindy Project, Janeane Garofalo, and John Hodgman. She also wrote, directed, and produced Nerdcore Rising, a comedy about nerdcore hip-hop which has been an official selection of festivals worldwide, earning Best Film, Best Director, and Audience Favorite awards.
As a standup comedian, Negin has performed far and wide, from Town Hall on Broadway to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Her other shows include The Dirty Immigrant Collective, Bootleg Islam, and The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A Romantic Comedy. Queen Rania of Jordan commissioned Negin to make a video as part of a series combating Muslim stereotypes—a series that won the first ever YouTube Visionary Award.
I just wanted to say thank you for all of your efforts with our speaker event. Negin was wonderful! Her workshop was very informative to students and her keynote was so great! She had the audience engaged and laughing the entire time! We actually had the best turnout that we've had since we have been giving these events. Besides being a talented comedian and speaker, she is extremely sweet and full of personality and style!
Villanova UniversityFounder of the "I Matter" Poetry and Art Competition Teen Vogue 21 Under 21 Honoree Winner of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author of On Juneteenth Harvard Law Professor MacArthur Genius
Cognitive Scientist Expert in the Fields of Language and Cognition
Host of the Peabody-Winning Netflix Docuseries High on the Hog Founder of Whetstone Media and HONE Talent
Founder of the "I Matter" Poetry and Art Competition Teen Vogue 21 Under 21 Honoree Winner of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations
New York Times bestselling author of Charged New York Times Magazine staff writer Political Gabfest co-host
Author of Grit, the #1 New York Times Bestseller | Pioneering Researcher on Grit, Perseverance, and the Science of Success
2024 Nobel Prize Winner | 3rd Most Cited Economist in the World | MIT Institute Professor | Bestselling Co-Author of Why Nations Fail and Power and Progress
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Creator of The 1619 Project | Executive Producer of the Emmy Award-Winning 1619 Project Hulu Docuseries | MacArthur Genius
Nike's Former Chief Marketing Officer | Author of Emotion by Design
CEO of The Atlantic | Former Editor-in-Chief of WIRED
If you think there’s nothing funny about the political landscape we’ve found ourselves in, think again. Negin Farsad is helping us all find the humor in our current events—and showing us how, even in our polarized moment, laughter can still help us find a way through.
Negin is an Iranian-American comedian whose work has been called “smart, funny, and fascinating” (The Wall Street Jou...
Negin Farsad has devoted large parts of her career to comedy that breaks barriers, particularly as it relates to Islamophobia, immigrant rights, and bigotry.
As a policy advisor for the city of New York, she worked on the city’s campaign finance initiative, a program that pushes for a level playing field for candidates who aren’t made of money. She took that know-how into her comedy with...
Negin Farsad is an accomplished comedian, writer, and filmmaker. How did she get into this business and stay in it long enough to drop the day job? Negin knows exactly what the pitfalls are, how to avoid them, and how to make a living in an industry that A) not only has a monetization problem (summed up by “the internet”) but B) is extremely “dude-heavy,” with only 8% of above the line function...