Bob Ayres

Bob Ayres began in the entertainment business in 1977. He founded and operated the renowned San Francisco comedy club, The Other Cafe, which helped begin the careers of comedians Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Dana Carvey, Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Poundstone, Bob Goldthwait, Rob Schneider and many others.

In 1981, as personal manager for Dana Carvey he landed Dana a development contract with NBC, the springboard for his role on "Saturday Night Live." In 1983-84, Ayres executive produced eight episodes of a critically acclaimed cable TV series, "The Other Cafe's Comedy Showcase" starring Dana Carvey, Kevin Nealon, Ellen Degeneres, Kevin Pollak, Will Durst, which won gold, silver and bronze medals at the International Film and Television Festival of New York.

In May 1997, Bob launched the "Next 20 Years" series in San Francisco. The series is a unique lecture series that track trends, issues and expected breakthru's in multiple industries. The Next 20 Years series has now been presented in seven US Cities and London over the last few years.

Bob sits on the prestigious board of advisors for the non-profit TED Conference and serves as the Executive Director for the TED Prize.

Throughout his professional career Ayres has continued to produce live comedy and industry shows, often as benefit/ fundraisers for worthy charitable endeavors. Bob resides in Nevada City, California. Now enjoying their 28th season together, Bob's softball team recently won the 2003 Masters A league SF Softball Championship. Bob bats left and throws left.