Cultural Diversity Roster

Find a Presenter

speaker

Charles Esten

Charles Esten

Star of ABC's Nashville

Successfully crossing over from musical theater to comedy to television, Charles "Chip" Esten continues to entertain audiences on ABC's award-winning Nashville.

See Below for Full Bio

Categories :

Add To My Speakers List Request Availabilty
[Sassy_Social_Share]

Bio

Full Bio

Successfully crossing over from musical theater to comedy to television, Charles “Chip” Esten continues to entertain audiences on ABC’s award-winning Nashville.

Born in Pittsburgh, Esten was raised in Alexandria, Virginia and graduated from T.C. Williams High School. He attended The College of William and Mary, where he earned a degree in economics and met his wife, Patty. While studying in Williamsburg, he was the lead singer and songwriter in a popular local band.

Esten made his theatrical debut in London when he portrayed ‘Buddy Holly,’ singing, acting and playing guitar in the hit West End musical Buddy. In that role he was honored to perform for H.R.M Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and eventually President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush at The White House. He also had the opportunity to perform with Buddy’s original hit-making bandmates, the Crickets.

It was during his run as ‘Buddy’ that Esten first appeared on the original British version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, with Ryan Stiles and Greg Proops. When Whose Line came stateside, Esten became a recurring cast member. Since then, he has toured with Drew Carey’s Improvaganza, performing live improv shows with Stiles, Proops and Jeff B. Davis.

Esten’s television credits include recurring roles on Big Love, Enlightened, The Office and ER. Besides playing the father on Disney Channel’s Jessie,, he appeared as a ‘Klingon’ on Star Trek: The Next Generation, a secretary on Murphy Brown and Kelly Bundy’s fiance on the series finale of Married with Children.

Currently seen on Nashville, Esten has made a name for himself in the country music scene, performing at the Grand Ole Opry and the historic Ryman auditorium. He was also honored to officially “flip the switch” at the 2013 Graceland Christmas Lighting ceremony. Many of the songs Esten has performed as ‘Deacon’ (“Undermine,” “Sideshow,” “Playin’ Tricks,”) are available on the three very successful Nashville soundtracks.

Check Availability

MM slash DD slash YYYY
Check Availability for

Topics

Topics

An Evening With Charles Esten

Videos

Videos

Charles Esten - Buckle Up (Nashville In Concert)
Charles Esten talks season 2 of "Outer Banks"

Books

Please Contact Us For More Information

News

Please Contact Us For More Information

TESTIMONIALS

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

The American Psychological Association was thrilled to have Dr. Antonia Novello as our speaker for the 2024 APA Convention. Dr. Novello was fantastic, and her presentation was a tremendous success. Thank you, Peter, for all your hard work in making this event such a resounding success.

American Psychological Association

For our annual Native American Heritage Month celebration, PDA Group arranged for John Echohawk to join us for a virtual moderated discussion. The program was thoughtful, engaging, and highly impactful for our audience of lawyers and professional staff. We are grateful for their partnership and look forward to working with them again.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

We have partnered with PDA Group on multiple successful events, including our charity luncheon with Lisa Edelstein and our Women’s Philanthropy Kickoff Event featuring Allegra Goodman. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to excellence make them an outstanding partner. Thank you for your exceptional work and continued support.

UJA-Federation

We have received so much fantastic feedback following our virtual event. It was an absolute success, and Sylvia Fowles was excellent. Thank you again to Sylvia and the entire team for your partnership!”

U.S. Bank

Kurt Warner was spectacular—he completely wowed the audience and solidified major leadership points. He was an amazing partner, and we will be talking about this experience for years to come. We will definitely leverage the PDA team for all of our speaking needs!”

Sysco Corporation

The events over the past two years went very well — everyone had a great time with Dr. Mark Esper in 2025, and Sam Hinkie led a very engaging Q&A with our Principal, Jean Reynolds, in 2024. Thank you for working with us these last two years; your support has been instrumental to the success of our programs!

Investcorp Strategic Capital Group

It was an absolute privilege to have Dr. Sanjay Gupta as our keynote speaker for the 2026 GME Leadership Conference. He delivered an outstanding address that resonated deeply and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room. The entire planning process was seamless and collaborative. It was a pleasure working together, brainstorming suggestions, and ultimately selecting the perfect fit for our event. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

HCA Healthcare

We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

Salt Lake Community College

It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

Western Michigan University

On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can’t wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

Ferris State University

GET IDEAS

1 Hour or Less
914-940-0075 "America's Entertainment Leader"