Available to book
Scott Dikkers
Creativity
Innovation
Company Culture
Unlock workplace creativity and innovation with Scott Dikkers, award-winning humorist and founder of The Onion. Scott equips teams with practical frameworks for breakthrough ideation and creative problem-solving in the AI era. Peabody Award-winner recognized by Time as a top digital influencer with 30+ books and millions of followers worldwide.
Educator
Artist
Innovator
Digital Expert
Podcast
Business Consulting
Mentor
Author
Comedian
Scott Dikkers is the founding editor of The Onion, a Thurber Prize–winning humorist, and bestselling author whose creative systems have helped individuals and organizations unlock innovation, resilience, and breakthrough thinking.
Scott began his career as a cartoonist, creating Jim’s Journal, a nationally syndicated comic strip that became a New York Times bestselling collection. He went on to co-found The Onion, transforming it from a small college newspaper into one of the most influential comedy and media brands in the world.
Scott founded The A.V. Club and has authored more than 30 books, including Our Dumb Century, which sold over one million copies. His work has earned both a Thurber Prize for American Humor and a Peabody Award and has been recognized by Time as one of the top movers and shakers in the digital world. Entertainment Weekly placed him on their "It List" of top entertainers in Hollywood.
Scott has appeared on Saturday Night Live and built a global following through viral video, digital media, and speaking engagements. In 2014, he founded How to Write Funny in partnership with The Second City, with his students going on to win Emmys, Grammys, and Oscars.
Scott works with organizations using systems he developed inside The Onion writers’ room, including structured brainstorming, creative filters, and human-centered idea generation models designed to produce consistently original thinking. His approach helps teams navigate disruption, strengthen collaboration, and generate practical solutions, particularly in fast-changing environments shaped by technology, AI, and market uncertainty.
Audiences gain practical tools to think more creatively, communicate more effectively, and foster cultures that support innovation and engagement. His presentations combine real business lessons, storytelling, and humor to demonstrate how creativity can become a repeatable, scalable advantage across leadership, marketing, and organizational strategy.
Book Scott to discover how human creativity remains the key competitive advantage in an AI-driven world.
Topics, sessions and talks
Scott Dikkers addresses one of today’s most urgent workplace challenges: maintaining human creativity in an age dominated by automation and AI. Drawing from his experience building The Onion into a global media brand, Scott shares a proven system for generating innovative ideas, adapting to disruption, and sustaining creative momentum. Through humor, stories, and practical frameworks, he shows how teams can remain indispensable by harnessing imagination, collaboration, and structured creative thinking.
Scott Dikkers reveals the principles that transformed a small college newspaper into one of the world’s most recognizable humor brands. He explores how clarity of mission, strong team culture, and a sense of enjoyment drive innovation and long-term success. Blending irreverent humor with practical leadership insight, Scott demonstrates how organizations can inspire loyalty, navigate uncertainty, and build cultures that foster creativity, resilience, and meaningful growth.
Scott Dikkers draws on decades leading The Onion to explore the blurred line between satire and reality in today’s digital media landscape. With humor and firsthand stories, he examines how misinformation spreads, why audiences are easily misled, and how critical thinking protects individuals and organizations. Scott equips audiences with the awareness and analytical mindset needed to evaluate information responsibly and navigate an increasingly complex media environment.
Scott Dikkers shares the improbable journey from aspiring cartoonist to founder of a global humor institution. Through candid stories of failure, persistence, and creative breakthroughs, Scott reveals how unconventional thinking and determination shaped his career. His entertaining and relatable storytelling highlights the power of pursuing creative instincts, embracing risk, and recognizing opportunity, showing how ambitious ideas can evolve into influential and lasting achievements.
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frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
Email scott.dikkers@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Scott's availability and fees. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and a bit about your audience.
Scott Dikkers structures his presentations around systems developed inside The Onion writers' room, including structured brainstorming, creative filters, and idea generation models, delivered alongside firsthand stories from building The Onion into a global media brand.
Scott Dikkers speaks on human creativity in the age of AI, building creative team cultures, and decoding satire and misinformation in digital media. He is the founding editor of The Onion, which he grew from a college newspaper into a globally recognised comedy and media brand, a journey recognised with a Peabody Award and a Thurber Prize for American Humor.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
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