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But Rainn Wilson is much more than an Emmy-nominated and SAG award-winning actor.
He's spent years exploring the ways we all seek connection, hope, truth, identity, and purpose — themes that have unfolded in content he has created for digital, television, books, and in live engagements.
He helped to start a foundation to help girls in Haiti.
And, he has urged audiences and readers to dig deep into life's biggest questions — of philosophy, creativity, spirituality, love, truth, science, mental health and more — with humor and honesty through a television series, digital content, and in books he has authored.
At 7 p.m. on April 4, Wilson will be featured in the H. Lee Scott Speaker Series at the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts at Pittsburg State University. Tickets will go on sale in late February.
“We are thrilled to have a speaker of his depth to visit our campus and share his perspectives,” said Vice President Kathleen Flannery, who oversees the Scott Speaker Series.
Wilson is the co-founder of the digital media company SoulPancake, whose tagline is, quite simply, “We make stuff that matters” and whose goal is to “stimulate your brain, spark your soul, and figure out what it means to be human.” The company has created thousands of pieces of content with over a billion video views, including viral hits like Kid President, My Last Days, and The Idiots Guide to Climate Change.
He co-wrote the New York Times bestselling “SOULPANCAKE: Chew on Life's Big Questions,” as well as his comedic memoir, “The Bassoon King: My Life in Art, Faith and Idiocy.” His newest book, released in April 2023, is entitled “Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution.”
Wilson, who has been very open about his mental health, is also the host and producer of the unscripted travel series Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss, which aired on Peacock in 2023. It took him, and viewers, from Iceland to Bulgaria to Ghana to Thailand and back to L.A. in search of the secrets of happiness.
He has starred in or appeared on numerous TV shows and movies. He earned an MFA from NYU’s Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts and spent 10 years in theatre in NYC before moving to L.A.
Tickets
Student tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Feb. 27 at the Ticket Office, 107 Weede Building, at $5 for balcony and $10 for floor seating. Students may purchase up to four tickets with two valid Pitt State IDs.
Faculty/staff tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Feb. 29 at $15 for balcony and $20 for floor seating. Faculty/staff also may purchase up to four tickets with two valid Pitt State IDs.
Starting at 8:30 a.m. on March 5, any remaining tickets will go on sale to the public at $25 for balcony and $30 for floor seating, at a limit of four tickets per person.
Tickets may be purchased online here.
About the Scott Speaker Series
The mission of the H. Lee Scott Speaker Series is to deepen the level of discourse, enrich the university experience, and elevate the university’s reputation by examining American life from the perspective of nationally prominent leaders and innovators. The series was created in 2015 as the result of a gift made by PSU alumnus and former Walmart CEO Lee Scott and his wife, Linda.
