Corporate MC Promo Video

I’ve found a great niche as a Corporate MC for general sessions, company meetings, awards ceremonies, fundraisers, etc. Check out the new teaser video!

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Categories: Jeff's Performance Vids
Tags: Corporate MC Video
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“Joggling” the 2009 Disney Marathon

On January 11th 2009, I successfully “joggled” the 26.2 miles of the Disney Marathon. Joggling = jogging + juggling, and it looks as ridiculous as it sounds.

I joggled as a member of TEAM ASK (Athletes for Special Kids). Special Kids is a non-profit organization in Tennessee that provides skilled nursing for special needs children, as well as speech, physical, and occupational therapy. My goal was to raise $5000 for these children, and I’m happy to report that because of the wonderful support I received, we did it. My first performances were in high school for special needs children at the Don Guanella School outside Philadelphia. It felt great to give back.

I finished with a time of 4:24.. a bit longer than my 3:45 finish the previous year without juggling, but I’ll take it I plan on joggling another marathon for charity again down the line – bigger and better – with a finish time of under 4 hours.

This is the “call to action” video I put together while I was training that explained what I was trying to do, and why.

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Categories: *Jeff's Journal
Tags: disney marathon, joggling, Juggling, running
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Hosting the Mr. Georgetown Pageant

In October 2008, I had the pleasure of serving as MC of the “Mr. Georgetown Pageant” at my alma mater, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The annual event is a spoof male beauty pageant where nominated contestants representing a variety of campus organizations go through a number of competitions – swim wear, formal wear, talent, and interviews. The event raises money for a charity of the winner’s choosing, and as you can see… is a ton of fun. Good times.

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Categories: *Jeff's Journal, Jeff's Performance Vids
Tags: College Emcee, College MC
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Making My Mother Proud…

In March of 2004, I made bungee history. I became the first person to ride a unicycle off “The Ledge” in Queenstown, New Zealand. I had disembarked a Princess Cruise Line ship in Dunedin I’d been performing on, and had 3 days before flying to Hobart, Tasmania to pick up my next ship. So I rented a car and headed to Queenstown which was described to me as “The Vegas of the Southern Hemisphere but with adventure sports instead of gambling and casinos.” What??

As I checked into my hostile, I heard some backpackers talking about “The Thrillogy” – a bungee package consisting of “The Bridge,” “The Highwire,” and “The Ledge.” The Kawarau Bridge was famous for being the world’s first commercial bungee site. The Nevis Highwire was known for it’s height– the 3rd highest jump in the world at 440 ft. And The Ledge had a reputation for it’s runway which thrust out 1200 ft over Queenstown below. The special harness at The Ledge allowed for leaving the runway however you wanted to– running, skateboarding, rollerblading, etc. When I showed up, I learned that people don’t ride unicycles off The Ledge.. like, ever.

The Kiwis were all about it.. “Cool man!” They put an extra harness around the cycle, duct taped my feet to the pedals, and off I went. The first clip shows the unicycle jump in some detail. The second clip shows all 3 jumps in The Thrillogy.

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Tags: bungee jumping, thrillogy, unicycle bungee jump
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NOW AVAILABLE – “Life Choices: Pursuing Your Passion”

I am officially an author! Life Choices: Pursuing Your Passion is now available for purchase on my website. I’d like to thank Judi Moreo for asking me to write the first chapter for the latest book in her Life Choices Series (except below). This is a great step for me toward writing my own complete book, and moving me further along in my speaking business.

The back cover: If you have ever had a dream that you wanted to pursue but didn’t have the courage, if you’ve ever wanted to do something that you didn’t think you could do, if you have ever wanted to go somewhere but didn’t believe it was possible… READ THIS BOOK. Twenty-six authors share with you how they pursued their passions and made their dreams become reality.

$14.95 + shipping

Excerpt From Chapter 1: Jeff Civillico – Do What You Love; Love What You Do

Four years after my college graduation, I returned to my Georgetown University Homecoming to find that most of my friends were seemingly unsatisfied in their professional lives. How could it be that so many intelligent and motivated young professionals were finding fulfillment elusive in “the real world?” Keep in mind– we’re talking about graduates of the top business and law schools around the country.

Surprisingly, my career as a performer was all the buzz. “You’re so LUCKY to be able to do what you love for a living.” I juggle plungers. And I’m the lucky one.

Further conversation revealed that although everyone agreed it was theoretically possible to create an enterprise based on passion, to most the undertaking seemed unrealistic and impractical. How are you going to pay the bills? How do you meet the right people to help you? What if you don’t have some weird talent like juggling?

Clearly there existed a gap between understanding the importance of a career based on passion, and understanding how to brand, market, and monetize that passion.

In 2011, the professional paradigm for most people bears little resemblance to the experience of previous generations. Platforms of business have changed. Traditional industries have soured. A typical employee may look more like an independent contractor, and the social media revolution has completely changed the way we communicate. In this extreme climate of change, there lives unparalleled access and opportunity.

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“Plan a Memorable Event with a Forgettable Budget”

In today’s economy, many meeting planners feel that they have their hands tied. They want to create a memorable event for their attendees, but they know they have to be more mindful than ever of expenses. They also have to watch perception. So even if they stay under budget for their meeting, if attendees perceive the event to be filled with wasteful spending, then all their hard work will be criticized.

Unfortunately, the “entertainment” is often the area that people cut corners on during their planning. They perceive entertainment as a luxury item that they can eliminate or get for very cheap. In reality, your entertainment is the one thing you should never cut, no matter how meager your budget.

Why? Because the entertainment is what attendees will remember. It’s what evokes emotions and memories in people. It’s what brings people together and what ultimately strengthens your brand.

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Categories: *Jeff's Journal
Tags: Corpoate Event Planner, Corpoate Event Planning
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“5 Reasons to Hire a Professional Corporate MC”

So you’re having an event, and you’re spending all of this money on renting a hall, catering the event, serving the alcohol, getting a sound company, etc. Why not save a few bucks and have Bob from your company be the Corporate MC for the evening? Bob is funny, and people like him– it’s tempting. Here’s why you should NOT go down that path. Consider these 5 reasons to give Bob the night off, and spend a few extra bucks to hire a professional Master of Ceremonies:

1) Pressure: Bob is really funny in small groups. But when the house lights go down and the mic goes hot, it’s a completely different game. Only a very small percentage of people are equally comfortable standing on stage speaking clearly in a formal situation as they are joking around the office with a couple of their co-workers. There is nothing more painful than seeing a coworker struggle on stage in front of his or her peers. No matter who is being honored that evening or what the company is celebrating, it will all be overshadowed by this distraction.

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