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Don Reed

Don Reed

Keynote Speaker: Diversity Consultant, Award Winning Storyteller, Tonight Show Comedian, Former NBC HeadWriter on Diversity & Anti-Prejudice PSAs

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  • Speaking Fee:
    Live Event Fee: $10,000 - $20,000
    Virtual Event Fee: $10,000 - $20,000
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Don Reed Biography

Don Reed's life and career path are paved with proven indicators of demonstrated commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Read about Reed’s fascinating trajectory from UCLA National Champion speaker to award-winning Storyteller. Hear about his long held 1,000-episode position at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to his real-life stories of diversity being utilized in graduate writing programs by a Guggenheim Fellows.

Reed (NPR Storyteller/Co-Headed NBC Advertising & Promotion Voice Over/Radio Division) is a multi-hyphenate with a career that spans television, stage, and network advertising & promotion. But the fundamental building block of all his successes is that Reed… tells stories.

NPR’s Glynn Washington has deemed him a “master storyteller” with the Mercury News referring to him as “… a solo powerhouse.” He is New York Times, New Yorker, San Francisco Chronicle approved with 5 Award-Winning one-man storytelling shows to his credit – NAACP Award Double Nominee – “East 14 th being the flagship production. Reed has shared several hilarious and heartbreaking stories on the NPR hit broadcast Snap Judgment – aired in over 400 cities across the country and downloaded over 2 million times a month. He has traveled extensively with their national tour, performing for thousands and in 2016 was honored with NPR Snap Judgment Storyteller of the Year for his groundbreaking story “I Miss Toni.” It garnered hundreds of thousands of views and has been utilized as an educational tool from high schools to American University’s Master of Fine Arts Graduate Writing Program in D.C. — as a warmly humorous, deeply dramatic look at supporting and loving a trans family member.

Reed first began speaking in Intercollegiate Speech & Debate competition, while a student at UCLA, eventually becoming the overall National Champion for Speech to Entertain. Reed, already an accomplished speaker, began performing stand up in clubs then on HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, CBS, and more. On the NACA collegiate circuit, he performed standup and motivational speeches to over 300 colleges and universities, to diverse audiences. Reed continues to connect with youth, through equity speaker series and Black History Month campus events. His corporate speaking/performance events include American Accountants Association, Western Digital, Miller Brewing Company, Creative Mornings, PG&E, UCLA Medical Center, 100 Black Men, Transgender Law Center, and many more.

After a run Off-Broadway with one of his one-man storytelling shows, Reed captured the attention of the executive producers of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” After an exhaustive search – they chose him to perform stand up for the live studio audience daily as the warm-up comedian for over 1,000 episodes. The ongoing process of telling stories there was how Reed further perfected his craft .

Reed had always utilized a range of voices in his standup, so the transition into voice-over (Spiderman, Flintstones, 2 Broke Girls, Network Promos) was natural. He began to write V.O. promos as well. Knowing a trailer is simply a short story to sell a larger story, Reed delivered creative and rose to Co-Head the Voice Over/Radio Division for NBC Advertising & Promotion. Initially brought in as a designated hitter on African American themed content – he began to write, direct, and produce advertising for a wildly diverse array of NBC programming (including Will & Grace, Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, The Tonight Show, Friends, Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, The Voice, NBC Nightly News, Dateline, The Golden Globes, The Olympics). The fascinating story between Reed’s bond with voice over and how it impacted his views on D&I is revealed in this keynote presentation.

While at NBC he became a PROMAX Award Winner and later founded his own advertising & promotion entity – an entertainment copywriting company that has serviced movie trailers, promos and games for many Fortune 500 network companies and vendors. This work included achieving the position of Head Writer of over 35 spots for NBC Universal’s acclaimed, Emmy Award-Winning PSA initiative “ The More You Know” – focused on Diversity and Anti-Prejudice. Later expanded into Health, Education, the Environment and more.

Reed has been the secret weapon of many a vendor supplying copywriting and promo concepts for Sony, Disney+, ABC, FOX, TBS, FX, MLB, NFL, “Sex and the City, “The Simpsons”, X-Box, PlayStation, “Ultimate Spiderman”, “Shrek SuperSlam”, “Call of Duty” “Halo” and many more). The dynamics experienced working with these corporate entities fuel some of the stories in this EDI presentation.

With over 20 years of experience in the world of storytelling – tales of diversity and inclusion have been the overarching thread throughout Reed’s multi-faceted career. From public speaking to stand-up comedy to advertising for film and television to his solo shows – Stories of cultural diversity and gender inclusivity are at the heart of it all. In addition, Reed has attended and participated in JEDI Discussion Series Training (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion). He is on the Board of Directors of both Elevate Oakland – a non-profit that brings culturally vibrant art, music, and speakers to Oakland’s public schools – and Shotgun Players – a theater company determined to create bold theatre that inspires, challenges and impacts EDI for both artist and audience within the community.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Don Reed and other top speakers and celebrities.

Don Reed Speaking Topics

Diversity, Inclusion, Equity

Motivation

After Dinner - Standup Comedy Performance

Don Reed Videos

The Diversity Zone Video
Don Reed - Western Digital Leadership Conference Opening
3 Feet Past the Finish Line: Utilizing Your True Story

How to book Don Reed?

Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Don Reed for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment for over 15 years. The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers. Fill out a booking request form for Don Reed, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get pricing information and check availability for Don Reed or any other celebrity of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Don Reed?

Booking fees for Don Reed, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. Pricing often varies according to the circumstances, including the talent's schedule, market conditions, length of presentation, and the location of the event. Speaker fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. In some cases, the actual quote may be above or below the stated range. For the most current fee to hire Don Reed, please fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak with an experienced booking agent.

Who is the agent for Don Reed?

All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Don Reed for clients worldwide for more than 15 years. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Don Reed for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service talent booking agency?

All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. We do not exclusively represent Don Reed or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Don Reed or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage.


Don Reed is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Diversity, Motivational and Comedy. The estimated speaking fee range to book Don Reed for live events is $10,000 - $20,000, and for virtual events $10,000 - $20,000. Don Reed generally travels from San Francisco, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Katrina Jones, Nikki Giovanni and Nicole Lee. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Don Reed for an upcoming event.

Don Reed Speaking Topics

  • Diversity, Inclusion, Equity

  • Motivation

  • After Dinner - Standup Comedy Performance

Don Reed Videos

The Diversity Zone Video
Don Reed - Western Digital Leadership Conference Opening
3 Feet Past the Finish Line: Utilizing Your True Story

How to book Don Reed?

Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Don Reed for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment for over 15 years. The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers. Fill out a booking request form for Don Reed, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get pricing information and check availability for Don Reed or any other celebrity of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Don Reed?

Booking fees for Don Reed, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. Pricing often varies according to the circumstances, including the talent's schedule, market conditions, length of presentation, and the location of the event. Speaker fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. In some cases, the actual quote may be above or below the stated range. For the most current fee to hire Don Reed, please fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak with an experienced booking agent.

Who is the agent for Don Reed?

All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Don Reed for clients worldwide for more than 15 years. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Don Reed for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service talent booking agency?

All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. We do not exclusively represent Don Reed or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Don Reed or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage.


Don Reed is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Diversity, Motivational and Comedy. The estimated speaking fee range to book Don Reed for live events is $10,000 - $20,000, and for virtual events $10,000 - $20,000. Don Reed generally travels from San Francisco, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Katrina Jones, Nikki Giovanni and Nicole Lee. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Don Reed for an upcoming event.

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All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.