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Joel Cohen    

Emmy-Winning Writer & Producer for "The Simpsons;" Innovation & Creativity Speaker

Joel Cohen was born and raised in Calgary, Canada. A graduate of the University of Alberta (B.Sc.) and York University (M.B.A.), he has been a writer and Co-producer for the last twenty years on “The Simpsons.” Cohen has written 35 episodes of "The Simpsons," has won 3 Emmy awards, 3 Writer’s Guild Awards and also once scratched a lottery ticket and won a free ticket! (He won nothing on that free ticket but did learn a valuable life lesson).

In addition to writing several movies, TV and online projects, Cohen is also the author of the best-selling book “How to Lose a Marathon” and the mediocre-selling book “The Incredibly Inaccurate Biography of Andy Richter.”

He has also, for the last 20 years, been engaged as a speaker to groups, conferences and corporations around the world. Blending his experiences in the corporate world and his creative career, Cohen delivers unique and humorous insights on the creative process, group dynamics and a culture of innovation.

Speech Topics


The Simpsons: There's no "I" in "Innovation" (oh wait, there's actually two of them) Lessons in innovation from the most successful show in TV history

Joel Cohen is an absolutely hilarious, deadpan, quick-on-his feet speaker...perfect for any group that needs to enhance their innovation culture, but who prefer to laugh a little (okay, a lot) while learning how. Armed with inspired anecdotes and clips, he takes you into the fabled writer's room at The Simpsons to draw the links - and there are many - between maintaining a hit show and running a successful company. He asks, and then brilliantly answers, questions essential to the success of any industry. How do you manage group dynamics to get the best from your talent? How do you find, evaluate, implement, and even discard, new ideas? How do you chart a renewable path to innovation? And how do you overcome creative log jams? (Note: for actual, literal logjams, Cohen recommends a chainsaw...or even better, hiring a guy with a chainsaw).

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