Humorist George Goldtrap has been a professional speaker since 1972, and has built a national reputation for humorous and motivational presentations suitable for any audience.

"Few people understand the role of professional speakers", says Goldtrap. Basically a humorist, Goldtrap performs for banquets, conventions, workshops, and seminars for professional associations, corporations, chambers of commerce, colleges and benevolent associations. His formula is usually 80% humor and 20% message, "but", said Goldtrap, "that is customized to meet the requirements for special occasions."

During most of his adult life Goldtrap has also been a broadcast personality and viewers in the southern states remember him as “By George”, the chalk tossing weatherman. For many years he was at WSM-TV4 in Nashville TN. For 10 years he served as Executive Producer of a nationally syndicated television program which was produced in several countries behind the iron curtain and aired in 53 US markets.

Goldtrap also served four years in elected public office in Lee County Florida, and was a congressional candidate in Tennessee.

Goldtrap began speaking professionally during the 30 years that he performed as a radio & television personality. His fame increased while he was forecasting for WLTV, channel 13 in Bowling Green, KY, a station Goldtrap helped build. Goldtrap also helped build a Florida NBC affiliate. While there he did the weather with chalk on a blackboard map, and closed his show by tossing the chalk into the air, catching it in his lapel pocket and saying, "That's the weather, By George"! When Goldtrap moved to WSM, the NBC-TV affiliate in Nashville, Tennessee, the trick became popular with viewers there. Many seemed more interested in whether Goldtrap caught the chalk than in the actual forecast. The station posted catch records on the screen following each performance. Goldtrap closed his weather career at WSM (now WSMV), in 1982 with a 96.4% average at chalk catching. He once caught the chalk on 87 consecutive weathercast before missing. As a weather reporter, Goldtrap flew into the eye of three hurricanes, making television documentaries.

Still active in broadcasting, Goldtrap has done thousands of commercials and hundreds of shows, including a guest appearance on the nationally televised Rosewood Gospel Music Festival. He also makes frequent guest appearances on many radio and television programs.

Goldtrap is a contributing editor for the national humor publication, The Joyful Noiseletter, a publication of religion related humor, and is a major contributor in eight of their publications, including; Holy Humor, More Holy Humor, Holy Hilarity, and More Holy Hilarity, published by Thomas Nelson Co. of Nashville TN, Waterbrook Press and Guidepost Publications.

Goldtrap has also written for Laughter Works, and Laughter Prescription, (a publication of the Nat'l Assn for Therapeutic Humor. He wrote a monthly column on humor and health for Southern States Medical News, published in Nashville and distributed throughout the south. He is presently writing a regular column for Seniors Today, a widely distributed publication for senior citizens. Goldtrap's humorous audio and video recordings have sold thousands of copies and the video is used in many hospitals where laughter is a part of patient therapy. Goldtrap is a popular speaker for hospitals who participate in National Cancer Survivors Day.

Goldtrap’s humorous video tape, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Church, has sold thousands of copies and is still available in bookstores throughout the country. His first book, A Legacy of Laughter: Essays from Life, is a hilarious collection of his wit and wisdom.

He continues this theme in his new book, Humor Is My Heritage: Essays from Life both available via Publish America. Click on the pictures of the books for more information.

               

Goldtrap continues to work as a professional speaker, actor and model. He is seen in such music videos as Lori Morgan's "My Night To Howl"; and in several country music videos for John Anderson, and others aired around the world on CMT. He's been seen in the southern states on billboards promoting tourism in east Tennessee; billboards greeting customers in the lobby of numerous banks; and in commercials for Hospital Corp of America. Goldtrap and his wife appear in an American Airlines historical film, showing continuously at the Dallas-Ft Worth Airport. He recently had a role in a Canadian, made for TV movie, shot in Florida.

Goldtrap and his wife Peggy and youngest son Jason operate a talent agency, Happy Talk International. They now live on the Atlantic beach in Ormond-By-The-Sea Florida. They have four married children and 10 grandchildren.

Goldtrap presents a variety of programs for schools, corporations, sales groups, associations and chambers throughout the country.

“What’s Right With America”: a comic, yet serious look at this nations history with Bureaucracy.

“Don’t Miss It If You Can”: a romp through the absurdities of the English language.

“A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Convention”

“The Best Medicine” a close-up at the medicinal value of humor.

     

	Email George Goldtrap, george@happytalk.org, or call, 800-594-7554.