Kal Penn

Celebrity guest speaker for hire Kal Penn is an accomplished actor, producer and former White House associate director and committee member during the Obama administration. Kal rose to fame as Kumar Patel in the hilarious comedy film series Harold & Kumar and held a lead role in the hit TV series House before having to be written out of the show to accept his first White House administration role as associate director of the Office of Public Engagement. Kal is currently starring in the ABC political drama Designated Survivor.

Kal is a New Jersey native who grew up in an immigrant household. He graduated from UCLA in 2000 after double majoring in film and sociology. His film debut came in 1998 when he starred in Express: Aisle to Glory. He held supporting roles in other films such as Van Wilder, Love Don’t Cost A Thing and Malibu’s Most Wanted before the first Harold & Kumar film was released in 2004. The Harold & Kumar franchise is what catapulted Kal into the Hollywood limelight as a versatile actor for both comedies and dramas. He has since appeared in films such as Epic Movie and Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain and hit TV series such as How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, Law & Order: SVU and 24.

Kal’s upbringing and experiences in the film industry have given him a unique perspective on the state of race relations in America. In 2008, he served as a guest lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania where he taught an Asian American Studies class. It was in early 2009 that he was first offered the White House position of associate director of the Office of Public Engagement and Kal worked as a co-chair of Obama’s campaign for re-election in 2012. He delivered a poignant keynote message at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in which he urged young people to educate themselves on the issues plaguing our nation and get out and vote. The next year he was appointed to serve on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. In January of 2017, Kal started his own crowd-funded fundraiser for Syrian Refugees following President-elect Trump’s executive ordered immigration ban. Kal was able to raise over $500,000 in just over 24 hours.

Would your organization like to hire Kal Penn to speak or make a personal appearance at your next event? Contact Celebrity Speakers Bureau today to hire Kal Penn or another top keynote speaker to entertain and engage your audience at an upcoming corporate conference, speaker series, trade show or special event.