James Cunningham

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

• Event Host / Emcee

  A professional event host/master of ceremonies can turn an ordinary event into something SPECTACULAR! Despite the months of hard work spent coordinating and producing an event, the only thing the audience will see (and remember) is the live presentation on stage. A rehearsed professional will elevate the quality of your event from good to outstanding. James Cunningham is that professional!

  Whether your audience consists of 70 or 7,000, Cunningham consistently proves that there is no better person for the job. He has had the pleasure of hosting events featuring Dr. Deepak Chopra, Ben Stein, Martin Sheen, Barbara Walters, Quincy Jones, Michael Phelps, Hilary Swank, Arianna Huffington, Sir Richard Branson, Suzanne Somers, and former US President Bill Clinton.

  Having Cunningham host your event or conference will ensure that everyone will be talking about its success for years to come.

• Comedy

  James Cunningham has been successfully entertaining at corporate events across North America for more than a decade. With over two and a half hours of clean material under his comedy belt, he has the unique ability to entertain ANY audience. In addition to his regular material, Cunningham always finds time to incorporate customized material specific to a company’s corporate culture. A constantly growing list of corporate clients is a true testament to the quality of Cunningham’s work.

• Customized Video

  A professional writer for TV and film — James Cunningham can write, shoot, edit, and produce a professional quality presentation customized for your next event. Customized videos have successfully been prepared for clients including Canadian Tire Financial Services, Pepsi-QTG, Abell Pest Control, and the City of Calgary.

• Funny Money

  Funny Money addresses what is a growing problem — young people leaving school unprepared for the day-to-day realities of paying the rent, properly using a credit card, budgeting for the basic necessities, or investing for their futures. The Funny Money mission is simple: take all of the confusion out of the complex world of finances and empower today’s youth with the knowledge they need to make good financial choices.

  Funny Money is far more than a lecture about money. It uses language and delivery from the entertainment world and combines this with financial lessons about cash flow, debt, and long-term savings. The Funny Money program is an innovative and revolutionary way to teach students between the ages of 16-22 three solid financial principles: budgeting, managing debt, and investing, because it uses comedy to engage its audience. The show also relies on multimedia for support and is extremely interactive — cash prizes are offered for participation and the audience response and interaction with the presentation makes it an event rather than a lecture.

  James Cunningham is the program’s creator and chief presenter. He is a well-known Canadian comedian and television personality with a deep knowledge of the topic and a riveting delivery. He speaks to students in their own language and personally connects the lesson to their lives in this hour-long presentation. Students consistently describe the show as an outstanding lesson in financial education that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Educators consistently describe it as “entertaining, informative, and engaging from start to finish” and “the best assembly we’ve seen in our teaching careers.”

  Cunningham has performed the multi award-winning Funny Money program at over 1,500 high school, colleges, and universities across North America to more than one million students.

• Viva la Food Truck Revolución!

  For five exciting seasons James Cunningham had, in his words, “the best job on TV.” As the host of Food Network Canada’s hit show Eat St., Cunningham was on a lip-smacking adventure of North America’s tastiest, messiest, and most irresistible street food. From deep-fried doughnut meals served out of an Airstream trailer to baked oysters cooked on a fire truck, it was a pretty wild ride! Food trucks are the ultimate “foodtrepreneurial” venture to have hit the streets in years.

  Behind the fun and frolic of the TV show, however, is one of the riskiest and most logistically challenging businesses to run. Balancing food preparation, supplies, repairs, social media marketing, and staffing, food truck owners have become some of the most creative problem solvers in commerce. Not only do these entrepreneurs not fear risk and change — they embrace it! As one food truck owner said: “A food truck has all of the problems of a restaurant with none of the solutions.”

  Using examples from trucks featured on Eat St., Cunningham takes audiences through six case studies. He explores the creative ways these food truck owners approach and solve problems —and deliver a safe and delicious food experience. Cunningham starts from the very beginning of what has become widely known as the “Food Truck Revolution.” He shows how the gourmet street food movement has grown from a handful of trucks in California to becoming a phenomenon across North America, Europe, and Asia. Gourmet food trucks and trailers are now everywhere! You’ll get the inside scoop from someone who is on the front lines of the newest and most mouth-watering “super-trend” in the food industry.

  This presentation is both highly entertaining and uniquely informative. It will have your audience laughing, while at the same time, learning important aspects of risk management in a business venture.

  No stranger to risky business, Cunningham is the president of Funny Money Inc., an internationally award-winning youth financial literacy program. He can also be seen on comedy club stages and hosting conferences for Fortune 500 companies, including PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, Kraft, McDonald’s, and Walmart, to name a few. Cunningham has also hosted shows where he shared the stage with such visionaries as President Bill Clinton, Sir Richard Branson, Barbara Walters, Martha Stewart, Quincy Jones, Suze Orman, and Tony Robbins.