Bruce Friedrich

Categories

vegetarianism

veganism

Sustainability

Religion/Spirituality

organizing

Food Issues

Corporate Social Responsibility

Bioethics

Animal Rights

Activism

As vice president for policy and government affairs of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the world’s largest animal rights organization, Bruce Friedrich directs PETA’s efforts to improve animal welfare through legislative and executive action in Washington, D.C., including PETA’s efforts to end to toxicity testing on animals and government subsidies for the meat and dairy industries.

Bruce is the mastermind behind many of PETA’s most attention-grabbing campaigns and has coordinated thousands of protests and actions across the globe. He is one of the most well-known animal rights activists in the world and was named one of the top five “most influential men under 38” by Details magazine for his work to influence youth and change the practices of fast food corporations, beating out the likes of Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake.

Bruce spearheaded PETA’s successful efforts to force fast-food behemoth McDonald’s to adopt ground-breaking animal welfare guidelines and subsequently convinced Burger King and Wendy’s to follow suit. Bruce’s high-profile campaign to convince KFC to improve the treatment of chickens raised and killed for its restaurants has garnered the support of dozens of celebrities, including Sir Paul McCartney, Pamela Anderson, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, and generated headlines around the world. The campaign has generated more than 12,000 protests at KFC franchises, many of which have gone out of business.

Bruce has contributed essays to books on animal rights and veganism, wrote the foreword to Striking at the Roots (O Books), has a book on activism coming out in 2008 (Lantern Books), and is a frequent Blogger at HuffingtonPost.com. He has debated meat, fur, and animal-experimentation industry representatives on countless television and radio programs, including NBC’s Today show as well as various programs on CNN, the Fox News Network, MSNBC, and Court TV.

Bruce’s on-the-ground work to champion animal rights—including his famous “streak” outside Buckingham Palace wearing only “GoVeg.com” painted on his back—has made headlines around the world, including numerous stories in The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today. His boundless passion and drive earned him a top spot as a contestant on the Showtime reality TV series American Candidate.

Before coming to PETA in 1996, Bruce spent more than six years running a shelter for homeless families and the largest soup kitchen in Washington, D.C., as well as organizing against war and globalization. Bruce graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Grinnell College in Iowa with majors in English and economics and a minor in religious studies. He received the Gilbert Award for original research in the field of economics.

Bruce is on the governing board of the Catholic Vegetarian Society and the advisory board of the Christian Vegetarian Society. He is a founding member of the Society of Religious and Ethical Vegetarians.

Bruce, 38, lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Alka Chandna, Ph.D.

As a Speaker:

"Bruce combines compassion, humor, intelligence, and a relentless outpouring of heart-wrenching facts about the horrific treatment of animals in today’s society. Every individual in his audience is touched—and empowered to make a positive difference in the world."
—Caryn Hartglass, executive director, EarthSave International

"I’ve heard many speakers in my years of animal activism but have yet to witness someone who so totally captures a room in the way that Bruce does with his comprehensive presentations on animal rights and veganism. Bruce’s passion, talent, good humor, and confidence ensure, in my experience, a positive outcome. Bruce’s talks change lives."
—Sean Diener, executive director, Utah Animal Rights Coalition

"Bruce Friedrich is a phenomenal speaker, simply phenomenal. He speaks with truth, passion, conviction, and wit. He is eloquent and precise, having at his command an encyclopedia of powerful facts about the multifaceted horrors of the animal abuse industries. His effect on audiences is spellbinding: Defense mechanisms snap and walls of ignorance come crashing down."
—Dr. Steven Best, chair, Department of Philosophy, University of Texas, El Paso

"Bruce Friedrich is one of the best speakers I have ever invited to my class. In his presentation, he does more than offer the simple facts regarding the pervasiveness of animal cruelty in the United States. He mixes humor and insight in a provocative way to prompt his audience members into thinking more clearly about how their everyday choices affect the lives of millions of animals across the globe."
—Dr. Jocelyn Elise Crowley, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Rutgers University

"Bruce Friedrich marries mind and spirit in his amazing talks related to why an animal rights consciousness is critical to eliminating global suffering—human and animal. … Bruce is an articulate, incredibly intelligent, and tireless warrior for animals and humans."
—John D. Borders Jr., chair, Board of Directors, EarthSave International

On Faith-Based Themes:
"Bruce Friedrich is one of the best speakers I’ve ever heard in my life. He shares a profound vision of a nonviolent world, where humanity lives at peace with one another, all creatures and creation itself. His passion, eloquence, intellect, and humanity will move and inspire everyone to consider a vegetarian diet, animals rights and peacemaking. I urge everyone to listen to his vital message."
—John Dear, S.J., Nobel Peace Prize nominee, peace activist, author of Disarming the Heart and The Questions of Jesus.

"Bruce Friedrich’s animated, articulate, and engaging speaking style, coupled with strong Scriptural understanding and application, moves listeners along a path, first absorbing the stories he weaves and then connecting his message to their lives."
—Anne Walter, formation minister, St. William Church Catholic Church, Louisville

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For booking availability and press inquiries:
Please contact Bruce Friedrich's speaker agents at the Evil Twin Booking Agency.

email: Liz Cole and Scott Beibin [ info (at) eviltwinbooking (dot) com ]
+1.215.473.0308 | eviltwinbooking.com

Evil Twin Booking Agency p.o. box 30726 philadelphia pa 19104 usa

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