Scott Dikkers Keynote Speaker

  • Founding editor of The Onion
  • NY Times bestselling author, winner of a Peabody and the Thurber Prize for American Humor
  • #43 spot on Time magazine’s list of the Top 50 “Cyber Elite” (1998)

Scott Dikkers's Biography

Scott Dikkers is the founding editor of The Onion and a New York Times bestselling author. His work has been awarded a Peabody, the Thurber Prize for American Humor, and dozens of Webby Awards. In addition, he earned the #43 spot on Time magazine’s list of the Top 50 “Cyber Elite” alongside such iconic figures as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and George Lucas.

He performs, writes, and animates the new weekly TV show, Scott Dikkers Around, available ad-free wherever you get podcasts.

His long career in comedy began with his syndicated comic strip, Jim’s Journal, which led to a New York Times bestselling book collection. After that, he founded the world’s first humor website, TheOnion.com. He’s served as The Onion’s owner and editor-in-chief, on and off, for much of the last 30 years.

Scott shares his humor-writing secrets in the best-selling How to Write Funny book series. The latest addition is How to Write Funny Characters. He mentors comedians and comedy writers via a series of online classes he developed through the Second City Training Center in Chicago. He offers workshops, live writers’ rooms, and free resources for comedy writers through the How to Write Funny website.

In his spare time, Scott is an accomplished voice actor who’s performed in many national commercials, video games and animated cartoons, including Saturday Night Live’s “TV Funhouse.” He’s also written and directed several award-winning short films, two feature films, Spaceman, and Bad Meat, and several novels. His latest is The Joke at the End of the World.

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Scott Dikkers's Speaking Topics

  • PEELING THE ONION

Scott tells the inside story of creating and branding the original fake news and leading a team of misfits to build a comedy institution without the help of seed money, followers, or a marketing budget.

  • THE FUNNY STORY BEHIND THE FUNNY STORIES

Scott takes audiences back to his beginnings as a poor farm kid who couldn’t tell a joke, and shares his misadventures building a comedy career by breaking every rule and fighting off lawsuits.

  • THE REAL STORY OF FAKE NEWS

Scott examines the mayhem of modern media and politics, detailing the hilarious challenges he faces creating satire in a world that—especially lately—feels more like comedy than reality!

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Videos of Scott Dikkers

Scott Dikkers Digital Summit Denver
The Onion’s Scott Dikkers Takes on Elon Musk
How to be funny l The Onion Co-Founder Scott Dikkers

Articles, Media & Podcasts

Books by Scott Dikkers

The Joke at the End of the World by Scott Dikkers
The Joke at the End of the World
How To Write Funny by Scott Dikkers
How to Write Funny
How To Write Funny Characters by Scott Dikkers
How to Write Funny Characters

Comments & Testimonials

"Yesterday was fantastic! Scott was great with our students throughout the day and kept his answers dynamic and different from session to session. We've received great reviews from our community. I have been a part of this series for a long time, and I have never seen the crowd so engaged and laughing the way they did last night. It was a great way to kick off our fall series."
Jacqueline Kelly Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
“An AMAZING talk... sharp, witty, and inspirational...one of the BEST TALKS we’ve ever had here.”
IBM
“Our audiences LOVE HIM... funny, insightful, and relevant. He never disappoints.”
Digital Summit
“It was A BLAST! He kept the audience engaged, he was funny and so relatable.”
Delta College

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