FAQs

Who is HUMOR GURU - JOHN D. CANTU

John Cantu was a former co-owner and producer for the "Holy City Zoo Comedy Club," and produced shows with comics such as Robin Williams, Paula Poundstone, Dana Carvey, Will Durst, and literally hundreds more.

Cantu's first love was coaching - helping beginners break-in with a minimum of sweat, pain, and anguish; as well as providing professional guidance for the journeyman performer/speaker/writer.

While running the "Holy City Zoo", Cantu began teaching comedy writing and comedy performing. In the mid-eighties, he began working with Patricia Fripp, past president of the National Speakers Association, to help her increase the effectiveness of her humor in her presentations to such clients as Ford Heavy Truck, Levi Strauss, and IBM.

Cantu co-presented workshops with Fripp on presentation skills and humor. Other alumnae of Cantu's seminars and classes include Malcolm Kushner (Humor consultant & author "The Light Touch"; & "Public Speaking for Dummies)," Mike Iapoce, author of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Boardroom, Stu Silverstein M.D. (Humorist speaker on medical topics), Mark S A Smith (Co-Author "Guerrilla Trade Show Selling," & "Guerrilla Teleselling") and Orvel Ray Wilson (Coauthor "Guerrilla Selling").

John Cantu has also collaborated with Malcolm Kushner, on consulting work for corporate clients such as South Bay Water District and International Data Group Inc.

As a professional speaker Cantu has given presentations to organizations such the IRS - Austin, Texas Branch, National Speakers Association - San Francisco & Sacramento chapters, Deloitte & Touche San Francisco and Sacramento branches, and San Francisco University MBA program.

Cantu is said to have helped launched the career of more working comics and comedy writers than any other comedy coach in the San Francisco Bay Area. As one performer said to Cantu, "I can't scratch my nose in a comedy club greenroom without bumping my elbow into at least one or two other comics who've worked with you."

Cantu had more than twenty years comedy/humor/performing experience:

Comedy Coach: Stand-up students are now headlining in clubs and performing on television
Writing Coach: students have written for major comics and have also written books.
Performer: Three years as a stand-up comedian and numerous appearances as an actor on stage, in film, and video;
Producer: Nightclubs, radio, and television.
Public speaker: Has spoken before many San Francisco Bay Area organizations;
Publisher: Has published and edited several newsletters;
Trainer: Produced hundreds of weekly comedy writing and comedy performing workshops;
Writer: Written for Ad agencies, cartoonists, comedians, greeting card publishers, public speakers, has written freelance
                articles about humor, comedy, and comedians.

Cantu has been quoted in Business Week, San Francisco Examiner, and Writer’s Digest. He’s been featured in Just for Laughs, Richmond Independent, San Francisco Business Times, San Francisco Chronicle (multiple articles) and The San Jose Mercury. Michael Iapoce (Author of A funny Thing Happened on The Way To The Podium) dedicated the book to Cantu and Malcolm Kushner, (former student and author of Successful Presentation Skills for Dummies) used Cantu’s class notes for the book (with permission) and liberally quotes Cantu throughout the book. Cantu was a founding producer of Comedy Day Celebration which now draws more than 30,000 people to Golden Gate Park annually.

What is the difference between the free Power Humor Tips and the products you sell?

• A deeper discussion of techniques and how to achieve them.
• Detail comedy writing analysis
• Coming soon - videos of John's speeches & classes.

InnerSanctum available by subscription only

Access to ALL of John Cantu's Comedy Wit & Humor Wisdom is available by subscription to HumorMall.com's InnerSanctum.

InnerSanctum is a work in progress. It will take several years to complete all the material John left but will eventually include videos and/or audio of John teaching his stand-up classes, speeches and humor writing/performance seminars will be added as completed.

STAGE & PLATFORM SKILLS:
You can think of InnerSanctum Stage & Performance Skills Section as your personal speaking/comedy coach with practical advice on delivering effective talks, speeches, and presentations as well as Stand-up stage advice providing YOU with the Wit and Wisdom of the legendary comedy coach John Cantu.

HUMOR WRITING TECHNIQUES:
The primary purpose of John Cantu's HUMOR WRITING TECHNIQUES series was to provide his subscribers with a virtual home study course in professional joke writing. John wanted to make you aware that there are very specific techniques and principles being used by comedians, comedy writers, and humorists to create humor. And that YOU can use the same techniques professionals use to punch up existing stories and techniques to create material for either platform presentations or stand-up comedy acts.

Free Jokes Weekly! Jokebank
Over 4,000 Jokes you can use free without fear of copyright infringement! Whether you are a comedian, comic, comedienne, monologist, toastmaster, radio personality, minister, club president, emcee, mc, educator, clergy, community leader, communication expert, advertising writer... Or just someone with a personal interest in humor and creativity.

Professional Humor Tip Series with Study Guide
The same Speaker Humor Power Tools available here at SpeakerHumor.com but with supplemental reading links.

Backstage Pass
Backstage Secrets and True Confessions of San Francisco Comedy Club Producer John Cantu

PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF HUMOR TECHNIQUES:
This section enables you to study practical examples of professionals' and their humor techniques. These examples will enable you to see the structure of their humor, listen to the rhythm of their wit, and develop your feeling of confidence to the point where you're utilizing your own innate sense of humor.
1. Off-The-Wall Humor
2. Finding humor lessons For You in the Work of Gary Larson
3. Your Humor Lessons In The Work of Monty Python’s Flying Circus
4. Doing Full-scale Sketches
5. Writing entertaining and realistic dialogue
6. How to Make Any Subject More Humorous
7. INTRODUCTION: Real World Examples of Editing and Updating Jokes
8. Real World Examples of Editing and Updating Jokes
9. OTHER EXAMPLES: Real World Examples of Editing and Updating Jokes
10. And the Beat Goes On! Real World Examples of Editing and Updating Jokes