jeff civillico

The Dynamic Team Building World of Jeff Civillico

September 14, 2017 by Tim Grable

Last updated on July 1st, 2019 at 09:49 pm

Jeff Civillico knows it can be a challenge to find comedic entertainment that is both clean and relevant. The responsibility of booking entertainment for dynamic team building workshops or corporate events can be a challenging prospect.

You don’t want to risk booking an entertainer who leaves a bad taste in anybody’s mouth. It is important to find live entertainment that delivers laughs and engages the audience without being offensive. The key is to find a true entertainment genius among the sea of average comedians.

Presenting Jeff Civillico

Jeff is a juggling wunderkind. Jeff has built a name for himself over the past decade as a Las Vegas Headliner. He puts on an energetic performance that is strong on audience interaction. His show is a dramatic and playful display of his juggling talents. He also uses his show as a learning experience and self-esteem booster for his audience. Juggling is more than just a hobby for Jeff. It is a philosophy. He uses his juggling talents to show people their own unlimited potential. He does this by bringing audience members on stage with him and getting them to perform juggling feats with him.

Audiences Love Him

Jeff Civillico leaves his audiences howling at every show he puts on. His amazing energy and agility create an atmosphere of fun and learning. Every person in the crowd leaves with a different perspective than when they arrived. Jeff is committed to excellence in a way that goes beyond simply getting a laugh from audiences. This Georgetown University graduate puts on a carefully-crafted and calculated show that enriches the minds of his audience and delivers major laughs. Jeff incorporates physical comedy, incredible skill, and audience engagement into every step of his performance.

A Passion For Success

Juggling is Jeff’s passion. He can parlay this passion into a performance to motivate and inspire employees and shareholders at any corporate event. Jeff is a perfect choice for serving as master of ceremony at any corporate event because he is at home in the world of business. Jeff serves as President of the Georgetown Club of Las Vegas. In addition, he is Director of Marketing for the Las Vegas Chapter of the National Speaker’s Association. He also serves on the boards of a variety of other business and entertainment associations. Jeff has graced the stage of many Fortune 500 events. Companies he has partnered with include Wachovia, Honda, Harley-Davidson, OSHA, Anheuser-Busch, Verizon, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Verizon, and Toyota. Jeff also devotes his time and talent to charity organizations like Make a Wish.

Jeff Delivers a Show to Remember

Every show Jeff Civillico puts on is a carefully-crafted fusion of comedy, excellence, and audience engagement. Jeff’s dynamic performance will be talked about for years to come by everybody in the audience. For more information on booking headline entertainer, Jeff Civillico call 615-283.0039.

How to Be an Effective Corporate Event Emcee?

July 30, 2017 by Tim Grable

Last updated on July 20th, 2019 at 07:21 am

If you think being a corporate event emcee is no different from a regular performance (or that any “funny guy” at work can do it), think again. Being an effective master of ceremonies requires a distinct skill set. Think about it…as the emcee, you set the tone for the entire event. You have to be able to cut or expand your planned material on the fly, often based on circumstances you have no control over, such as a last minute agenda change or technical problems. All in all, it’s a stressful role, and you have to pull it off with ease.

Unfortunately, many people believe that anyone can emcee an corporate event – that the funny guy at the office can handle the role or that any entertainer can jump in and do it. Such a mindset does not give the role of emcee the respect it deserves. No wonder so many emcees do an average job at best.

When it comes to effectively emceeing an event, you need to do your homework. You can’t be so confident in your regular material that you blow off the emcee role as “easy” or “a cake walk.” Being an emcee really is a big deal, and you need to approach the role as such.

The following guidelines will help you emcee any event so you appear professional, confident, and in control of the agenda.

Prepare for the event.

As the emcee, one of your main roles is to introduce the speakers, entertainers , or other people who will be on stage. Therefore, contact the people you will be introducing ahead of time and learn at least three key things about them: 1) an accomplishment, such as an award or book, 2) a personal fact, such as where they live, and 3) something that appeals to the emotional side of the audience, such as mention of a family member or a personal anecdote. The idea is to get some personality behind the person so every introduction doesn’t sound the same.

Even though many people claim that they don’t care what you say for their intro, the truth is that everyone cares. So if someone says to you, “Oh, just say whatever. I’m easygoing,” do not take this for an answer. Dig deeper. Keep asking questions. Go to the person’s website and see what information you can find (although be aware that many people have outdated websites).

Additionally, meet the person you’re introducing before the event, even if it’s just 10 minutes before you go on. You can gauge a lot from someone just by meeting them. For example, if you meet the person and realize that he’s very straight-laced and does not joke around, you have a clear indication that it’s not okay to crack jokes during his intro. If possible, take a couple of minutes to tell the person what you plan on saying for his or her intro. Most people don’t like surprises, so this little investment of time can yield great dividends later.

Don’t do what everybody else does.

You’ve seen “that guy” before. You know the one…he starts emceeing the event by coming out on stage and saying, “How’s everybody doing tonight? Boy…I just flew in from Chicago, and man are my arms tired!”

Whatever you do, don’t be “that guy.”

Think of all the common entertainment situations you will have to address as an corporate event emcee, such as people coming late and leaving early; announcements for intermission, lunch, and merchandise; explaining the rules of cell phone use, picture taking, and video recording; etc. Prepare clever ways to handle all the situations you need to address.

For example, if your specialty is magic, you can have a disappearing cell phone or threaten to make any late comers or early leavers become invisible forever. If you’re a guitar comic, you can write a silly song about turning off your cell phone and what the boss will do if you don’t. If you’re a ventriloquist you can have a dialog about the house rules with your puppet. Remember that you’re getting paid to emcee the event; therefore, the more you can tailor it to your specific audience, the better. At the end of the show, you will stand out as a polished emcee. The audience may not know why, but they will know you were different… and better!

Create specific corporate emcee material.

You may have tons of material to draw upon, but if it’s not flexible, adaptable, and audience appropriate, you may be in trouble. As the emcee, you are responsible for the pace of the event, making sure everything runs smoothly and swiftly. That means being able to continue onstage if the extra time between acts is needed (technical issue, the previous program ran short, etc) and being able to wrap up immediately when the stage is set. If you don’t already have an assortment of 30-second gags or 2-minute bits to draw from, you need to take the time to prepare these now. Then you’ll be confident, relaxed, and ready when your event producer/director says, “I need two minutes here.”

Additionally, you want your material to appear customized for the event you’re emceeing, even if it is your “stock” emcee material. Remember that the corporate market can sniff out fluff material. So if you do your cruise ship material during a corporate event, you’re going to bomb big time. Therefore, use the jargon and acronyms your audience uses. Name drop (the CEO, the VP of Sales, the receptionist, etc.). Mention experiences or industry trends. Make the audience know that you “get” them and are one of them. Show them that you put some work into this. You want people to think you did the show just for them.

Know the etiquette of being a corporate event master of ceremonies.

Just like any role, the event emcee role has certain do’s and don’ts.

The stage is your domain when you’re a master of ceremonies. It looks bad when you leave the stage before the next guest or act comes on, or if you’re not there to take the person off stage.

Dress the part. For corporate events, look like one of them with a suit and tie, or skirt and blouse. If it’s a casual event, dress accordingly.

Don’t be a jerk. Be nice to everyone – not just to the person who hired you, but also to the tech people, the wait staff…everyone. If you get the reputation of being a jerk, you won’t get called back.

Arrive the night before if possible. Don’t cut it close time-wise. Have your props shipped ahead of time?

Force yourself to play the part. As the corporate emcee, you’re the “fun one” – you’re the glue holding the event together. If that’s not your natural style, fake it until you make it.

Go Forth and Host!

Being a corporate event emcee is a lot of fun…and a lot of work. But with some good old-fashioned preparation and healthy dose of creativity, you can be the emcee everyone remembers – and the one who gets hired again and again.

For additional information on Comedian, Entertainer and Master of Ceremonies Jeff Civillico contact Tim Grable at The Grable Group, 615 283 0039

Jeff Civillico: Make Your Company’s Challenges a Thing of the Past

March 18, 2017 by Tim Grable

Last updated on October 8th, 2017 at 07:42 am

Jeff Civillico knows chances are your company is facing one or more various challenges: a shrinking customer base, increasing competition, lower profits, high turnover, etc. In today’s economy, no one is immune from setbacks and obstacles. So what makes one company able to rebound and recover in the midst of adversity while other companies throw in the towel and give up? It all depends on the company’s ability to work through the challenge as a team.

Jeff Civillico: Make Your Company’s Challenges a Thing of the Past

Despite the proliferation of team building advice available, the fact is that most people don’t work together to accomplish something good for the company. Even though many workers give lip service to the idea of teamwork, they really still want to be seen as the hero – as the Lone Ranger who tackles the problem, figures out a unique solution, and gets all the credit. Compounding the problem is the economic meltdown. Since many companies are cutting costs and laying people off, no one wants to be seen as useless or dispensable. As a result, they take every opportunity they get to stand out and appear more knowledgeable or more skilled than anyone else.

While such an approach may enable someone to stay on board for another pay cycle, it does little to solve the company’s challenges. In order for true problem solving to take place, everyone needs to put pride and ego aside and truly work together to come up with viable solutions. In order to do so without feeling threatened or vulnerable, instill the following guidelines in your organization.

Get to know yourself.

If you don’t really understand who you are, what you stand for, and what you’re good at, you’ll never have the confidence and security to step outside yourself and see things from a new perspective. You’ll be forever stuck in the Lone Ranger mindset because you’ll be afraid that allowing someone else to assist you on a project will expose any shortcomings you have. The fact is that those who are confident know who they are and where their strengths lie. As a result, they are able to let go and reach out to others for insight and help. Because they know themselves individually, they are better team players – playing to their strengths and getting assistance for the rest.

Therefore, give yourself the opportunity to get to know yourself. Do some periodic self-reflections to keep yourself grounded. Look at yourself from a work perspective as well as a family or personal one. Ask your friends, family, and co-workers what they perceive as your strengths and weaknesses so you can gain self-knowledge. Additionally, many people find such things as meditation and reflection useful for discovering their core interests and talents.

Know your role at work.

You were hired for your current role for a reason. What is that role, and what was the reason you were chosen to do it? If your role has changed since you were hired, figure out how and why it evolved. Was it a deliberate re-focusing of your role, or did it “just happen”? Also look at how your identified strengths help you fulfill your role to the company.

Realize, too, that other people have their roles. There’s a natural hierarchy of the company or team, and you need to respect that. Think of the team or company as a system. A more efficient system will get better results; therefore, you need to let each part of the system do its role in order for the system to run smoothly. So if you’re not “the computer guy,” don’t pretend that you are. Defer to someone who is adept at that role so you don’t slow down progress or make things worse.

Deferring to others can be hard, especially when you need to refer to a junior staffer. After all, no one wants to give up their power. But you’ll have better results when you do. For example, in a healthcare-focused company, the boss may be more familiar with broader trends of the healthcare industry, but the junior staff may be more familiar with details of cardiology drugs, doctor reimbursement guidelines, etc. In this case, the junior staff provides information to supplement or guide the experts. That’s how working together and using everyone’s strengths can solve problems.

Be open to brainstorming.

No matter what challenges your company is facing, bringing everyone together for a brainstorming session is sure to help. The key to an effective brainstorming session is to instill a sense of “blue sky thinking.” In other words, no idea is dumb, off-limits, or too crazy to voice. Use a whiteboard to record all the suggestions and to map out how you’ll get from Point A to Point B. Start with the big ideas, pick a few that make sense, and then focus them down. As long as you keep the environment positive and light-hearted, people will be eager to participate and offer their ideas.

Conduct group exercises to get people engaged.

During company meetings or group retreats, get everyone to participate in some sort of group activity/exercise. Make sure everyone takes on a role and participates. For example, you can put people together in groups of five or six and give them the task of building a paper airplane. They have to design it, measure the distance it travels, and give it a marketing pitch. The group then has to divide up the labor and come together at the end to perform a cohesive discussion of their product.

The goal of any exercise like this is to get people working together and tackling something new. Whatever the exercise is, it should be irrelevant to the current challenge your company is trying to solve. You want people shifting their perspective so they can see problems in a new light. Additionally, instruct people to take on roles they normally wouldn’t do. So in our paper airplane example, perhaps the accountant is responsible for the marketing campaign and the salesperson must take on a design and product development role. This enables people to understand the complexity of other roles and helps them see routine things in a new way.

Maintain a sense of play at work.

During tough economic times, it can be difficult to stay positive at work. However, if you want to be a lean, mean, problem-solving machine, that is exactly what you must do. Negativity and pessimism are self-fulfilling and will doom any plans to failure. Therefore, keep a joyful mindset and choose to look at situations in a positive way. If you have some negative nay-sayers who are bringing the group down, talk with them to see if you can help them change their attitude, as their outlook and behaviors affect the whole company. If they won’t or can’t change, then it’s time for management to decide if they’re the type of people who can contribute to the company’s overall success.

Use Your Team to Get Ahead

When people take the time to shift their perspective about themselves and those they work with, everyone can come together for effective problem-solving. So stop giving lip service to the concept of team building. Take a proactive approach to getting everyone on the same page and engaged in solving the company’s toughest problems. When you do, no problem will be unsolvable, and you’ll have a dedicated and engaged workforce that takes the company to new levels of success.

About Jeff Civillico

Civillico is a Las-Vegas based headline entertainer who blends his perfected art of juggling with friendly audience interaction and insane amounts of energy. Jeff is thrilled to perform as a Headline Entertainer on the Las Vegas strip with his own show.

For additional information on Comedian, Entertainer and Emcee Jeff Civillico contact Tim Grable at The Grable Group, 615 283 0039

Jeff Civillico shows off Comedy In Action!

March 17, 2017 by Tim Grable

Showing off his unique comedy and magnetic combination of athletics, showmanship, and clean comedy, Las Vegas entertainer Jeff Civillico juggles for an audience. Jeff dubs this blend Comedy in Action and displays it effortlessly. A striking and theatrical presence, he makes the simple look complex and the complex look simple as he demonstrates his art.

Possessing a friendly, clean and straightforward brand of humor, Jeff openly invites his audience to laugh at the silliness of his act. Not afraid to invite the audience into the show, Jeff interacts with his viewers and adjusts his act on the fly. Note how Jeff feels out the room’s audience as he gives them “the Vegas stuff” before returning to a less-showy, more artful note. As his act reaches its climax, Jeff directly interacts with a member of the audience, allowing them, and the entire room to feel like more than just mere onlookers.

Watch Jeff Civillico balance a 10-foot ladder on his chin in this excerpt from his professional stage show. Jeff is a versatile entertainer, combining comedy, juggling, audience interaction and much more into a high-quality, action-packed spectacle he calls comedy in action, it’s a blast for all audiences.

Based in Las Vegas, where he headlines his dinner show at the famed Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jeff Civillico has brought his unique stunts and magnetic personality to countless stages around the country. Now he’s ready to liven up your event with a signature brand of high-energy, clean, exciting entertainment.

Book Jeff Civillico today as the perfect entertainer for conferences, conventions, fundraisers, festivals, or any event where top-notch entertainment is essential.

Hire the Comedy in Action of Jeff Civillico

Jeff is also a skilled and experienced MC for corporate meetings, and has developed highly effective team building workshops that can be tailored to the needs of your organization. Smooth, adaptable, charismatic, and engaging, Civillico might just be the missing piece that will take your next event from “good” to “amazing.”

Few people in this world receive standing ovations day after day for their juggling. Even fewer run marathons while juggling or ride unicycles off of cliffs. But such accomplishments are routine for Jeff Civillico.

Jeff Civillico: Corporate TeamBuilding

Watch this video on YouTube

Jeff primarily works huge stages as a headline entertainer in Las Vegas, but he also entertains throughout the United States. And wherever he performs, he forms strong connections with his audiences. People just warm to him right away. Moreover, Jeff brings to each of his shows astounding physical prowess, sharp comic timing, a delightful personality, and loads of energy. His shows combine family-friendly jokes, juggling, physical stunts, and crowd interactions. As such, Jeff is correct to call his style of performance “Comedy in Action.”

A Georgetown University honors graduate; Jeff has a busy offstage life. In his free time, he enjoys “jogging”: simultaneous jogging and juggling. He presides over the Georgetown University Alumni Club of Las Vegas. He runs Win-Win Entertainment, a nonprofit he founded that supplies charities with talented performers free of charge. He belongs to the National Speakers Association of Las Vegas and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Southern Nevada. Moreover, guess who was the first person to ride a unicycle off of “The Ledge,” a 1,300-foot-tall cliff in Queenstown, New Zealand. That is right: It was Jeff. That fact is good to know in case it ever comes up on “Jeopardy.”

When Jeff performs for corporate audiences, he discusses the techniques of learning to juggle, and he relates those processes to the ways in which business people acquire new skills. Further, he uses his various stunts to represent methods of strengthening creativity, stretching problem-solving abilities and finding solutions to workplace challenges.

Also, Jeff Civillico is available to emcee awards shows and other kinds of business and community presentations. And he is truly versatile in this role. If something goes wrong during an event — if someone fails to show up, say, or if a piece of equipment crashes to the ground — Jeff immediately has the audience laughing so hard that no one cares about the snag.

Watch carefully the four audience volunteers in this video. Wary at first, these guys are clearly enjoying themselves by the end — even after they’ve collapsed to the floor. The audience, meanwhile, is reveling in the display, laughing uncontrollably at the plight of the “big dude” and his compadres. That’s the Jeff Civillico way. That’s Comedy in Action.

How to Take Your Event To A New Level with Juggling

March 8, 2017 by Tim Grable

Corporate Entertainer and Las Vegas Headliner Jeff Civillico will make any event memorable with his upbeat, spontaneous comedy and juggling. Featured is his unique ability to engage the crowd, all while handling his five balls. That is right, five! Jeff is at home on stage and a natural at entertaining a crowd, keeping them involved and laughing while balancing, juggling, and performing other athletic feats. No one is going to go home saying, “You should have seen the cheesy entertainment they provided this year.”

Jeff Civillico continues to make people laugh at corporate events, fundraisers, banquets, and conferences for several well-known companies. Many bring him back year after year showing that Jeff provides a standing ovation every time. This entertainment dynamo has been performing on the corporate circuit for years and has enthralled countless people with his unique blend of world-class physical skills and effortless clean humor.

Audience participation and juggling

Jeff Civillico and Trent appeared together at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas and combined physical comedy with feats of magic. The spinning plates trick was performed with Trent, a child from the audience as Jeff’s assistant. Trent holds a spinning plate atop a long stick in each hand as another plate spins from a headgear spike on the child’s head. Jeff keeps the audience laughing with his comedy routine as the trick unfolds.

Jeff Civillico is a comedian and master of ceremonies who is a graduate of Georgetown University. He has headlined for Disney Cruises and The Atlantis Resort in Nassau. He juggles, balances and includes the audience in his lively and entertaining performances on stage.

Jeff has also performed for The American Heart Association and other organizations including Wachovia, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Anheuser-Bush, among others, at corporate events. His clean comedy style is a breath of fresh air.

It is as if five or six highly talented performers have made their way into one body, which is calling itself Jeff Civillico. Stand up comedy, jugging and impressive feats of balance and strength are at the core of Jeff’s highly captivating performances. His vibrant personality and natural love for taking center stage will disarm and entertain every attendee, and his team-building approach allows members of the audience to go on stage and participate while the rest of the crowd can sit back and be entertained by Jeff’s hilarious interactions with their co-workers.

Jeff Civillico is a Las Vegas-based headline entertainer who blends his perfected art of entertainment with friendly audience interaction and insane amounts of energy. Jeff is thrilled to perform daily on the Las Vegas strip with his afternoon show at the brand-new Quad Resort & Casino. Here he balances on a unicycle while demonstrating his comedic and juggling talents.

Jeff’s hilarious video demonstrates his unique talents that include juggling; balancing and athleticism blended with side-splitting comedy. Combine that with his interaction with the audience and you have a hysterically funny performance. Jeff’s stage performance is suitable for all ages, and his clean comedy is sure to appeal to everyone at your event. Jeff’s team building workshops focus on communication, goal-setting, and teamwork. As a Master of Ceremonies, Jeff is professional and able to adapt to any circumstances on stage.

Make your next event one that every member of your team will not only remember, but also benefit from. Book Jeff Civillico for your next corporate event and see what he proudly refers to as Comedy in Action for yourself! For additional information call 615-283-0039.