Malcolm T. Gladwell, CM (born September 3, 1963) is a Canadian journalist, bestselling author, and speaker. He is currently based in New York City and has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996. He has written four books, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference (2000), Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005), Outliers: The Story of Success (2008), and What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures (2009), a collection of his journalism. All four books were New York Times Bestsellers.

Gladwell's books and articles often deal with the unexpected implications of research in the social sciences and make frequent and extended use of academic work, particularly in the areas of sociology, psychology, and social psychology. Gladwell was appointed to the Order of Canada on June 30, 2011.

Gladwell was born in Fareham, Hampshire, England to Joyce, Jamaican-born psychotherapist, and Graham Gladwell, a British mathematics professor. Gladwell has said that his mother is his role model as a writer. When he was six his family moved to Elmira, Ontario, Canada.

Nick Kroll (born June 5, 1978) is an American actor and comedian best known for his role as Ruxin on The League. He previously co-starred in comedy programs such as Best Week Ever, Cavemen, Sit Down, Shut Up, and The Life & Times of Tim.

The son of Kroll Inc. founder Jules B. Kroll, Nick Kroll was raised Jewish in Westchester County, NY. He went to the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester until the 8th grade, but then left for high school going to Rye Country Day. After attending Rye Country Day School he went on to graduate from Georgetown University. He has been a contributing writer to Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show and MTV's Human Giant. Kroll's live work is a mix of standup, sketch and characters. He is probably best known as a performer for his characters Bobby Bottleservice, Fabrice Fabrice, craft services coordinator for the sitcom That's So Raven, and Gil Faizon of the Oh, Hello Show, which he created with writing partner John Mulaney.

Kroll voices Stu on the HBO animated series The Life & Times of Tim. He also co-stars as Ruxin in the FX comedy series The League and had a recurring role on Childrens Hospital on Adult Swim. In 2008, Kroll co-starred in the ABC sitcom Cavemen based on the popular GEICO Cavemen commercials and was a regular commentator on VH1's Best Week Ever. Kroll is one of the co-authors of the critically acclaimed book Bar Mitzvah Disco and a graduate of Rye Country Day School, where he gave a contentious graduation speech in which, contrary to widespread belief, he did not expose his genitals, although he did gently chastise the school administration.

Neil deGrasse Tyson ( /ˈniːəl dəˈɡræs ˈtaɪsən/ born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysicist and science communicator. He is currently the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and a research associate in the department of astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. Since 2006 he has hosted the educational science television show NOVA scienceNOW on PBS, and has been a frequent guest on The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Jeopardy!. It was announced on August 5, 2011, that Tyson will be hosting a new sequel to Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage television series.

Tyson was born as the second of three children in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, but was raised in the Bronx. His mother, Sunchita Feliciano Tyson, was a gerontologist and his father, Cyril deGrasse Tyson, was a sociologist, human resource commissioner for the New York City mayor, John Lindsay, and was the first Director of HARYOU. Tyson attended the Bronx High School of Science (1972–1976, astrophysics emphasis) where he was captain of the wrestling team and was editor-in-chief of the school's Physical Science Journal. Tyson had an abiding interest in astronomy from the age of eleven, following his visit to the Hayden Planetarium at age nine. Tyson recalls that "so strong was that imprint [of the night sky] that I'm certain that I had no choice in the matter, that in fact, the universe called me." He obsessively studied astronomy in his teens, and eventually even gained some fame in the astronomy community by giving lectures on the subject at the age of fifteen.