Scott听Dikkers

  • Co-founding Editor, The Onion
  • 2024 SPEAKER

Scott Dikkers听is a #1听New York Times听bestselling author, comedy writer, and comedian widely regarded as one of the most influential pioneers in comedy history. His visionary leadership at听The Onion, his groundbreaking comic strip听Jim鈥檚听Journal, plus his multiple top-10 comedy podcasts have garnered him tens of millions of fans all over the world.听Rolling听Stone听named him one of its top 10 favorite writers.听Entertainment听Weekly听designated him 鈥渢he funniest person in America鈥 and placed him on the 鈥淚t List鈥 of the hottest celebrities in show business. He graced the cover of听Time听magazine as one the top 50 movers and shakers online. He鈥檚 the winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, a Peabody, and more Webby awards than any other individual or organization. Considered a one-of-a-kind comedy legend throughout the entertainment industry, he literally wrote the book on comedy, the bestselling How to Write Funny, which spawned a training center at the famed Second City in Chicago where he mentors young creators who have gone on to win Emmys, Grammys, and Oscars.

An accomplished stage presenter who performs stand-up and has appeared on national TV shows like听Late听Night听with听Conan听O鈥橞rien听and听Saturday听Night听Live,听Dikkers shares how he escaped a tough childhood through his love of comedy. A small, shy kid,听Dikkers听endured an upbringing marked by poverty, divorce, bullying, and even a suicide attempt at the age of eight. He found solace and inspiration from听Mad听magazine, which fed his passion and inspired him to create听The Onion. Dikkers听outlines his journey in his bestselling book 鈥淥utrageous Marketing: The Story of听The Onion听and How To Build a Powerful Brand with No Marketing Budget鈥. With听The Onion,听Dikkers broke the mold for branding and marketing, and he spells out his unlikely success with hilarious stories that will bring audiences to tears with laugher. More about substance than hype,听Dikkers makes clear how the creative process needs to be open, challenging, and engaging for teams and individuals to achieve their dreams.