Join me in this live, two-hour class, and discover the Five Things I’ve Learned about cultivating creativity and collaboration – and about all it takes to consistently turn good ideas into great ones.

Hi, I’m Joe Randazzo. I’ve been a writer, editor, and performer—mostly of comedy—for about twenty years, and I’m excited to share this class with you that we’re calling, Five Things I Learned About Getting to the Best Ideas, from My Time Leading The Onion.

For those who might not know, The Onion is a satirical news organization that’s been around since 1988. It started as a small weekly newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin and grew into a Peabody award winning comedy powerhouse that’s stirred controversy, fooled members of Congress and the Chinese government, and won a bunch of awards, including Webbys, but never a Pulitzer, though we did try. 

During my time there, we worked tirelessly to uphold The Onion‘s unique voice and high standards, sometimes sifting through 600 or 700 ideas a week just to find the perfect 10 or 12 that made the final cut. That process taught me so much about creativity, collaboration, and what it takes to consistently turn good ideas into great ones. Now I’d like to share some of that with you. 

In this two-hour class, I’ll discuss five key lessons I learned during my time at The Onion—lessons that have shaped my career and that continue to be instrumental in the way I approach any creative endeavor.

  • We’ll talk about The Power of Process. Creativity isn’t just about inspiration; it’s about having a system that helps you refine your ideas and keep going even when motivation runs dry. 
  • We’ll get into Collaboration and Trust. It’s rare that creativity by committee ever works, but at The Onion it did, and it worked because we trusted each other and the process. I’ll show you how to navigate the contours of collaboration and how to learn to trust other people… while learning to trust yourself a little bit more. 
  • We’ll discuss a very important principle I call, To Thine Motto Be True. The Onion’s motto is “You Are Dumb” and everything they do has to pass through that filter. We’ll talk about how you can to develop your own motto or personal ethos or guiding principle – because having a clear lens for your work can make all the difference in shaping your ideas, and maintaining integrity.
  • We will definitely Kill Your Darlings. In fact, we’ll murder them. Editing is an act of love—paring down ideas to their essence and cutting the fat is about 90% of the process. But it doesn’t mean your ideas can’t be resurrected: at the Onion we used the whole buffalo, so to speak, and we’ll discuss how to reshape and repurpose your ideas, too. 
  • And we’ll discuss how The Process Never Ends – but Always Changes. Creativity is a lifelong journey that evolves with you. The systems you build today can adapt to new challenges and opportunities tomorrow.

I hope you’ll join me. This class isn’t just for people who want to write comedy or headlines—it’s for anyone looking to improve how they generate and develop ideas in any field or aspect of life. Whether you’re working on a creative project, solving problems at work, or even tackling personal goals, these lessons will help you build a framework that works for you. 

Along the way we’ll look at some of my favorite Onion headlines, get a peek inside the process, and talk about some of your ideas, too.

I’m really excited to help you make the most of your ideas, and can’t wait to meet you!

I may or may not be wearing a hat.

-Joe Randazzo