The Author

E.L. Kersten is the founder of Despair, Inc., a publishing and media enterprise dedicated to the dissemination of contrarian wisdom. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from the University of Southern California and is the author of several of the company's popular Demotivators® products.

Kersten spent the early part of his professional career as a university professor; holding teaching positions at the University of Southern California, California State University, Fresno, and City University of New York, among others. In 1995, he was lured out of academia by a fledgling Dallas internet startup. His experiences in the private sector managing the customer care operations for an explosive-growth ISP proved both tumultuous and transformational, ultimately inspiring the birth of Despair, Inc. in 1998.

He has been quoted by, appeared on, or written about in the Wall Street Journal, NPR's Marketplace, Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, Washington Post, BusinessWeek, Time, and many other outlets. He is married and lives in Texas.