Anti-Bullying Comedian Performs for Chatsworth Families

A comedian with an anti-bullying message entertained locals of all ages Wednesday at .

Joe Manno bills himself as the "king of empowering" and uses comedy to educate young people about how the traps of gangs and drugs lead to violence and self-destruction.

Author of a corresponding book series called A Fighting Chance, Manno has taken his one-man, nonprofit show across the United States. He also performed in South Africa earlier this year and in 2004 starred in an Emmy-winning after-school special on the CBS affiliate in Orlando, FL.

Manno has headlined many types of venues and his black-belt status apparently put him in performance mode at Mark Cox's martial arts studio. Since 1989, Manno estimated he has performed for 500,000 kids.

"[The show] deals with the right roads and wrong roads, ... the dangers of gangs, bullying, violence and how to respect parents," said Manno. "We always talk to kids about going after their dreams and believing in themselves and never giving up because if they give up, that's where it all begins to fail."

Manno's mantra, frequently recited in unison by audience members during the performance, is "I make a difference."

The show's goal is to leave "every kid realizing that they're important, that they make a difference and that they have two choices in life: the right ones and the wrong ones," Manno said. "It's up to them. Their choice is their consequence."

Manno described his comedy style as "Bill Cosby meets Jerry Lewis because it's slapstick and storytelling." Unsure of how his South African audience would respond, Manno found that "lo and behold, the slapstick works pretty much everywhere."

The comedian's act uses whacky, high-energy verbal bits on subjects ranging from his childhood to bodily functions as a means of attention grabbing. At that point he imparts the moral of his comedic stories—pearls of wisdom centering on maintaining one's individuality, dealing with anger and angry people and other life-affirming advice.

"It's a seed-planting, life-altering change that begins from this show," Manno said.

Cox said he invited Manno to the karate studio in response to bullying problems that have arisen in local schools, and the school-age clientele that frequent Chatsworth Karate at 21360 Devonshire St. seemed like an apt audience.

"Using comedy to get to kids while they laugh and have a serious message, it fit really well with my karate school," said Cox. "I use more seriousness about anti-bullying and how to avoid, then how to defend yourself if it happens, whereas he's getting to the root of it through comedy to let them know that they're a good person. ... Being able to build self-esteem is what we both do."

Anica Fountaine, a parent who attended the performance, "thought it was a great message and ... loved the way he spoke to all age levels," she said. "It was a very important message to get across, especially to the younger ones so we plant that seed early."

On the "I make a difference" slogan, Fountaine said "it was awesome to hear because a lot of kids nowadays don't hear that very much."

Jonathan Martinez, 16, said the show was "entertaining ... [and] making a difference in people's lives."

Manno said he intends to bring A Fighting Chance: I Make a Difference! back Los Angeles schools next year.