Matt Graifer
- Savannah Bananas Cast Director & In-Game Host
- Expert in Customer Engagement & Live Entertainment
- High-Energy Speaker on Creating Unforgettable Experiences
Matt Graifer Speaker Biography
Matt Graifer entertains always! He shares his experience as The Savannah Bananas Cast Director and in-game host to help businesses engage their customers in every aspect of the customer journey.
Better known as The Young Professor—who at this point has matured and is no longer a professor—Matt brings the energy and excitement to every field, every stage and media moment!
Aside from his electric on-field performances with the Savannah Bananas as an in-game host, he also serves as the organization’s Cast Director. Matt oversees the recruitment, coaching, and management of performers across the Banana Ball Championship League. He also writes, produces, and directs live entertainment that has helped redefine the fan experience in sports. Every moment of customer engagement matters and Matt shares how the Bananas do it and how you can too.
His career began in education, where he became a college professor at just 25 years old and spent more than a decade teaching exercise science and later high school social studies. While teaching, he moonlighted as a trivia host throughout Central Florida, eventually adopting the memorable stage name “The Young Professor” and developing the larger-than-life personality and signature flashy suits that have become his trademark.
Before becoming a Banana, Matt added excitement into other sports entertainment working as a professional wrestling ring announcer and in-game host for the Jacksonville Sharks before adding MMA, boxing, Minor League Baseball, and NCAA athletics to his résumé. Professor has also hosted marquee events for the NHL, NASCAR, the PPA Tour, Major League Paintball, and ESPN, where he served as lead anchor for The Goodyear Blimp Sky Race of the Century during ESPN: The Ocho.
His announcing résumé includes introducing icons such as John Cena, Dirk Nowitzki, Terrell Owens, Andre Agassi, Ryan Howard, Kurt Busch, Goofy, SpongeBob SquarePants, O.A.R., Riley Green, and many more.
Matt lives in Florida with his wife, Shanna, and their children: Finn, Morrigan, Adam, and Lilian.
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Speech Topics
F.U.N. Always Wins
“F.U.N. Always Wins,” focused on the importance of creativity, adaptability, and creating memorable experiences. Through stories from the Savannah Bananas and his own experiences in teaching, event management, and life itself, Matt demonstrates that success often comes from making experiences fun, unexpected, and engaging.
Creating Fun: During his seven and a half years of teaching, he taught 23 different courses and focused on making learning fun and different. This philosophy connects directly to hospitality and tourism because businesses in these industries are not simply selling a product or service—they are creating experiences. Fun means finding ways to make customers feel entertained, valued, and excited to return.
Adaptability Hospitality professionals must be prepared to think quickly and turn problems into opportunities. Severe weather happens, but The Bananas can pivot and improvise entertainment to keep the audience engaged.
Experiment: The most successful hospitality professionals are willing to experiment, respond to challenges, and create moments that customers will remember.
“F.U.N. Always Wins” ultimately encourages us to think differently, embrace change, and make every experience more engaging and meaningful.
Going above and beyond. The easiest approach is to do what is expected, but the Bananas work harder to create a more interactive and memorable experience. Since the inception of the team in 2016, fun has been the first order of business, but unlike models where companies crack the mold and stick with the same formula, the Bananas, and the Professor himself, continuously challenge themselves to evolve and ask, “What else can we do?”
