National Independent Venue Association Announces The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper to Keynote NIVA Conference
Jordan Klepper to discuss how comedy cuts through politics, what talking to those who disagree with us does that can move the needle, and why independent stages can be a place for connection
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (May 28, 2026)--The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) announced today that Jordan Klepper, Emmy-winning comedian, writer, producer, host and correspondent for The Daily Show, will join the NIVA Conference for a keynote fireside chat.
The conversation will explore Klepper’s work at the intersection of comedy, politics, journalism, and live performance. Known for his sharp field interviews, political satire, and ability to expose absurdity by letting people speak for themselves, Klepper brings a rare perspective on how to break through the crowded attention economy, explain complex topics, and connect humor to policy.
“Jordan Klepper has figured out something most communicators have not: comedy is not a distraction from hard conversations. It is often the most effective path through them,” said Stephen Parker, Executive Director of the National Independent Venue Association. “Jordan has spent years traveling this country, walking into divided rooms, listening before he says a word, and finding the thing that cracks the door open to a conversation. He thrives on humor, curiosity, and a place to connect. That place is what independent stages build and continually fight for. We are bringing Jordan to the NIVA Conference because our community needs to hear what his work has taught him and what we can learn from it to sustain our organizations and our advocacy.”
NIVA’s keynote conversation with Klepper will include what his approach with communicating across the divide can teach venues, artists, presenters, festivals, and policymakers about reaching audiences who have stopped listening to each other. The conversation will also navigate why humor lands where argument doesn’t; and how the live stage, the comedy club, the festival, the performing arts center, creates the conditions for exactly this kind of human connection to take place.
That connection is the whole point of what independent stages do.
The featured conversation with Jordan Klepper will take place on Monday, June 8th at 2 p.m. CT at the Pantages Theater in Minneapolis as part of NIVA’s fifth annual national conference taking place June 7-10 in Minneapolis. The three-day conference brings together the independent live entertainment community, focusing on education, advocacy and networking, artist development, marketing, touring, and more.
Visit https://www.nivassoc.org/conference for registration and the full conference schedule.
ABOUT NIVA
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is the national trade association representing thousands of independent live entertainment venues, festivals, promoters, and more. NIVA works to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of live entertainment. NIVA empowers members and their teams with member benefits, advocacy on the state, local, and federal levels, an annual industry-leading conference, and more.
NIVA led the Save Our Stages campaign, culminating in landmark legislation in 2020 that established the $16.25 billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, the largest arts investment in U.S. history.
NIVA is committed to equity in its support of independent stages. It seeks to create and encourage opportunities for venues, promoters, and festivals owned, operated, and staffed by people of color, women, non-binary, LGBTQ+, veterans, and people with disabilities.
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