PDA Entertainment Group Speakers Lectures Entertainment Special Events Comedy


		PDA Entertainment Group is pleased to present to present to you the largest, most comprehensive website of the world’s most distinguished personalities. We represent over 2,500 speakers performing artists and entertainers, including spokespeople from the worlds of politics, science, sports, literature and theater. In arranging for a guest speaker or performer through PDA you may select national and international leaders, athletes, journalists, newscasters, comedians, musicians, performing artists, celebrities of the stage and screen and observers of the contemporary scene. All are dynamic, eloquent personalities whose ideas and actions have had an impact on the broad tapestry of human thought and endeavor.
		In our website you will find listed the people who speak on the issues and the events which will affect our lives in 2008 and beyond. Our website is designed to assist you in finding programs most appropriate for the needs of your particular group. We hope you will enjoy looking through it and will e-mail or call us sometime soon to let us know more about your organization. Your account executive at PDA is trained to make recommendations that suit your interests, your own style of programming and your budget requirements. Whether you are in the market for a superstar or a blockbuster series, a modestly priced package of events, or a single reliable program, we can provide excellent suggestions. It is our belief that good programming depends on thoughtful and sensitive recommendations. As our reputation depends on your success, you can be assured that we will do our best to assist you.
		PDA is very proud of its fine reputation. Since we are a service organization, we are constantly looking to find better ways to assist you. We see our job as a continual one that extends far beyond the time of any booking and requires that we take all steps needed to insure the smooth successful running of you program. You have our word that we will continue to strive for excellence in the caliber of speakers, entertainers and performers we represent and in the quality of our service to you.
		We are proud that PDA has become one of the country's leading entertainment agencies. We’ve reached the top of our profession because of our quality service and the trust and confidence you have had in us. We are grateful for the privilege of working with you and we hope to continue to do so for many years to come.


		An American Tradition
		Even back in the 1800’s the lecture and entertainment circuit was alive in America. In churches and halls from the Alleghenies to the Rockies, people hungry for information paid its dimes and dollars for an evening’s entertainment. Often the society into which they grouped themselves was called a "lyceum". In 1831 the American Lyceum Association, now called the International Platform Association, was founded to institute a chain of societies for weekly lectures and debates. The system flourished for years and the original lyceum format established the groundwork for our present day circuit. Daniel Webster was the country’s leading speaker in the 1830’s and was the founder and first president of the American Lyceum Association. The first lecture bureau and entertainment agency was started in 1867 when James Redpath heard Charles Dickens discuss the hardships of lecturing in America. He decided to do something about the novelist's complaint and founded Redpath's Lyceum Bureau, which not only made life easier for itinerant lecturers and entertainers, but also organized programs for winter entertainment in all the larger cities. From the beginning, James Redpath's lyceum bureau was a success and he represented such people as Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Charles Dickens.

		In 1906, Keith Vawter originated the idea of bringing summer culture and entertainment to the small towns and rural areas. He combined culture and comedy on the same platform in a traveling tent. Vawter married the respectability of the Lyceum to the spangles of the stage, naming his presentation "Chautauqua" after the cultural institution permanently established on Lake Chautauqua, New York. The "Chautauqua Circuit" separated the pulpit from the platform and substituted footlights for the religious dimness of the Sunday schoolroom. Once launched, it became a might influence on America’s entertainment, education, politics and culture. The Chautauqua ten programs were quire varied but the lecture was the program's backbone. Topping the list of orators were William Jennings Bryan, Robert M. La Folette and Calvin Coolidge. The serious portions of a program were tactfully leavened by performers, magicians, impersonators and puppeteers. Our web site is a tribute to the modern day lecture platform. To us, the birth date of the "Chautauqua Circuit" also symbolizes the birth of the modern lecture bureau and the entertainment agency, the first organized booking agency to arrange appearances by dignitaries and performing artists throughout the country. PDA is pleased to continue the proud tradition of Daniel Webster, the American Lyceum Association, Redpath’s Lyceum Bureau and the "Chautauqua Circuit".






		About PDA Entertainment
		PDA is pleased to present to you the largest, most comprehensive website of the world's most distinguished personalities. We represent over 3,500 speakers, comedians, performing artists and entertainers, including spokespeople from the worlds of politics, science, sports, literature and theater. In arranging for a guest lecturer or performer through PDA you may select national and international leaders, athletes, journalist, newscaster, and comedians, celebrities of the stage and screen and observers of the contemporary scene. All are dynamic, eloquent personalities whose ideas and actions have had an impact on the broad tapestry of human thought and endeavor.
		In our web site you will find listed the people who speak on the issues and the events which will affect our lives in the next decade. Our website is designed to assist you in finding programs most appropriate for the needs of your particular group. We hope you will enjoy browsing through it and will e-mail us or give us a call sometime soon to let us know more about your organization. Your account executive at PDA is trained to make recommendations that suit your interest, your own style of programming and your budget requirements. Whether you are in the market for a superstar or a blockbuster series, a modestly priced package of events, or a single reliable program we can provide excellent suggestions. It is our belief that good programming depends on thoughtful and sensitive recommendations. As our reputation depends on your success, you can be assured that we will do our best to assist you.
		We are proud that PDA has become one of the country’s leading entertainment and lecture agencies. We've reached the top of our profession because of our quality service and the trust and confidence you have had in us. We are grateful for the privilege of working with you and we hope to continue to do so for many years to come.