About

ABOUT ANTHONY

A long time ago from a galaxy and a state far, far away, Anthony “Never Tony” Poponi gleefully left New Jersey in 1990 but brought his love of hair bands with him, landing eventually in Bend, Oregon in 2020. And here I am today, ready to make your event shine!

I’ve always been a life-long lover of laughter and humor and about 10 years ago I started exploring the science behind laughter starting with neurochemistry. My world changed when I found the science of human happiness, called positive psychology and ever since I’ve been sharing my passion for humor and happiness as a keynote presenter and workplace culture consultant.

Recently my work has come full-circle back to the power of laughter in the form of my “Humor in the Workplace” workshop, as standup comedian, improv performer, and funny emcee. This brand of services is called Humore.us Productions because we participate in and produce funny things like live humor-filled events, funny merchandise (the cool kids call it “merch”) and written pieces like blogs and my forthcoming book.

AS YOUR EMCEE & MODERATOR

What you get on stage is hard to replicate because of the decades of experience I’ve had with events including as both event producer and as onstage talent. I’ve participated in events of all sizes from intimate private parties to multi-day festivals and everything in between. Bike races, ski races, running races, duck races (All the races!) And all the rest like conferences, trade shows, auctions, galas, youth-centered events, family gatherings, special events, parades, weddings, concerts…the list goes on and on.

What you get is an emcee who is…

Unflappable and Active. One thing common to all of these events: things rarely go as planned. I pride myself as being unflappable on stage when things are chaotic and on fire (literally one time!) backstage – no one in the audience will know. I work hard behind the scenes like a ninja with a mic to coordinate all the parts, pieces and people involved in delivering something memorable onstage.

Flexible and Authentic. Want costumes to fit your theme? Yes. Please! Need a little more nuanced and PG-13 humor for a corporate crowd? No problem. You can turn the dial on the humor to fit your audience and sponsors.

The Glue and Theme-Catcher. As emcee and/or moderator I’m always weaving together your event’s theme or the content from other presenters to craft a cohesive story to glue everything together. On occasion I do glue my fingers together but that’s a digression.

“Anthony was the emcee for our 7th annual hard cider festival where we hosted around 800 people. His presence made the event much more cohesive – he was able to communicate the needed info to the crowd, maintain interest during down times between musicians, and conduct interviews with participating cideries. I would highly recommend Anthony’s work and hire him again in the future – his humor and personal attention was genuine, enjoyable, and delightful.” – Lil McClure, Big B’s CiderFest

AS STANDUP COMEDIAN

Irreverent, Intelligent, Inedible. I really love alliterations but I think I forced that joke a bit. As stand-up comedian I bring an arsenal of funny stories, asides and insights on life through the lens of humor. I’ve lived a lot of of places, made a lot of interesting choices and found myself in some funny situations – that weren’t always funny at the time.

As comedy show producer I’ve got a quiver full of comics ready to perform, sound equipment included.

IMPROV FOR GROUPS

Over the years I’ve performed with three different improv groups and I’m currently performing with the exceptionally talented group call The Roundabouts performing monthly in Bend, Oregon. Want to get your workplace or conference gathering off to a hilarious start? Let’s bring your people on stage to perform! I can pull from deep assortment of games, forms and activities to keep your audience roaring with laughter and entertained by what’s unfolding on stage.



You can me his blog “Full-Circle Tangents” sort through his funny merchandise and follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

FOCUS ON THE 40©

Learn more about Anthony’s passion for positive psychology delivered through his company, Focus on the 40 and how he’s working towards making workplaces happier through live programs that leave his audiences inspired and ready to take focused action to improve their happiness and their success.