Jeff Nussbaum
Former White House Speechwriter; Author, Undelivered; Founder, The Humor Cabinet
SPEAKER FEE RANGE: $10,000–$25,000 [FEE NOTE]
TRAVELS FROM: District of Columbia
• Jeff Nussbaum is the author of Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches that Would Have Rewritten History, which The Washington Post called “A hell of a fun ride,” the Wall Street Journal called “Ingenious,” and the New Republic called “A box of tantalizing what-ifs”
• Jeff Nussbaum most recently served as a Special Assistant and Senior Speechwriter to President Joe Biden
• As a founder of The Humor Cabinet, he has worked on humor speeches for dozens of elected officials and corporate executives
• Jeff has also played an integral role in the past six Democratic National Conventions. He helped direct the speechwriting and messaging operations for the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 conventions, and served as on-site writer, editor, and presentation coach in 2000 and 2004
• Jeff Nussbaum most recently served as a Special Assistant and Senior Speechwriter to President Joe Biden
• As a founder of The Humor Cabinet, he has worked on humor speeches for dozens of elected officials and corporate executives
• Jeff has also played an integral role in the past six Democratic National Conventions. He helped direct the speechwriting and messaging operations for the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 conventions, and served as on-site writer, editor, and presentation coach in 2000 and 2004
Jeff Nussbaum most recently served as a special assistant and senior speechwriter to President Joe Biden. In May 2022, his book Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches that Would Have Rewritten History hit shelves. Writing in The Washington Post, Historian Douglas Brinkley called Undelivered a “hell of a fun ride” and described Nussbaum as having, “a witty, Art Buchwald-esque writing style.”
Over the past quarter century, Jeff has helped clients pen and promote bestselling books, prepare commencement speeches and viral TED talks, and deliver winning comedy routines at venues ranging from the Alfalfa Club to the Al Smith Dinner. From 2005 to 2020 he served at West Wing Writers, becoming a partner in 2007.
As a founder of The Humor Cabinet, he has worked on humor speeches for dozens of elected officials and corporate executives. He has also served as a creative consultant for the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Jeff has also played an integral role in the past six Democratic National Conventions. He helped direct the speechwriting and messaging operations for the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 conventions, and served as on-site writer, editor, and presentation coach in 2000 and 2004.
From 2001 to 2004, Jeff served as Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle’s deputy communications director and speechwriter. Prior to that, he served as a speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore in the White House, and later as a senior speechwriter for Gore-Lieberman 2000.
Jeff was the co-author and collaborator with James Carville on the 2003 bestseller Had Enough? Jeff also collaborated with former Senator Bob Graham on his book Intelligence Matters.
Jeff has appeared on the Today Show, PBS Newshour, CNN, and NPR’s Studio 1A. He has been profiled in Esquire and The Jewish Insider.
He has also had commentary published under his own name in The Washington Post, Politico, The Atlantic, FiveThirtyEight, The New York Daily News, The Daily Beast, McSweeney’s, Washington Monthly, and many others.
Jeff is a graduate of Brown University. He lives outside of Washington, DC, with his two daughters.
Over the past quarter century, Jeff has helped clients pen and promote bestselling books, prepare commencement speeches and viral TED talks, and deliver winning comedy routines at venues ranging from the Alfalfa Club to the Al Smith Dinner. From 2005 to 2020 he served at West Wing Writers, becoming a partner in 2007.
As a founder of The Humor Cabinet, he has worked on humor speeches for dozens of elected officials and corporate executives. He has also served as a creative consultant for the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Jeff has also played an integral role in the past six Democratic National Conventions. He helped direct the speechwriting and messaging operations for the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 conventions, and served as on-site writer, editor, and presentation coach in 2000 and 2004.
From 2001 to 2004, Jeff served as Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle’s deputy communications director and speechwriter. Prior to that, he served as a speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore in the White House, and later as a senior speechwriter for Gore-Lieberman 2000.
Jeff was the co-author and collaborator with James Carville on the 2003 bestseller Had Enough? Jeff also collaborated with former Senator Bob Graham on his book Intelligence Matters.
Jeff has appeared on the Today Show, PBS Newshour, CNN, and NPR’s Studio 1A. He has been profiled in Esquire and The Jewish Insider.
He has also had commentary published under his own name in The Washington Post, Politico, The Atlantic, FiveThirtyEight, The New York Daily News, The Daily Beast, McSweeney’s, Washington Monthly, and many others.
Jeff is a graduate of Brown University. He lives outside of Washington, DC, with his two daughters.
History on a Razor’s Edge: Lessons about Language and Leadership from the book Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches that Would Have Rewritten History
Elements of Persuasion: Become a Strong Speechwriter in One Hour
Being Funny is Serious Business: Tools, Tips and Techniques to be (seriously) Funny
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