Kanan’s fourth book, Welcome to the Kumite is the much anticipated sequel to Way of the COBRA (WOTC). Both draw upon intimate personal stories to illustrate his strategies and philosophy for achieving success: “Transform yourself, and you can transform the world.” Sean's first book, The Modern Gentleman: Cooking and Entertaining with Sean Kanan, received rave reviews. His second, Success Factor X, became an Amazon New Release Best Seller after less than one week and was named one of the twenty most inspirational books in the last two decades by Book Authority.
Actor, writer, author, comedian, and Emmy® award-winning producer Sean Kanan’s big break in Hollywood was his iconic portrayal of Karate’s Bad-boy “Mike Barnes” in the blockbuster franchise film Karate Kid III. In 2022 Kanan reprised his iconic role, receiving critical acclaim in the pop-culture hit series’ fifth season of Cobra Kai now streaming on Netflix.
Kanan also appears as fan fav, Deacon Sharpe,” on the world’s most watched daytime drama, CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful, and has portrayed the same role on its sister show, the number one daytime drama in the U.S., The Young and the Restless. Before joining the premiere daytime lineup, Kanan played "AJ Quartermaine" on General Hospital.
In 2021, Kanan won the Daytime Emmy® award for Outstanding Limited Series as the Executive Producer and Creator of Studio City (Amazon Prime), for which he was also Emmy® nominated in the categories of Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Writing Team. Kanan previously won the Indie Series Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for portraying Studio City protagonist "Sam Stephens."
Whether lobbying on Capitol Hill to raise awareness about bullying or performing stand-up comedy in Bosnia to entertain the troops for the USO, Kanan remains active in numerous charitable organizations, including The American Cancer Society, various animal advocacy groups, and serving as the international youth ambassador for Boo2Bullying.
Speaking Topics-
WAY OF THE COBRA – Unleash Your Inner Badass
Welcome to my dojo; the dojo of life. COBRA life. I am your Sensei. I will teach you to release your inner bad ass using my battle-tested tactics and time-proven strategies. Time to wake the beast. Trust me, you have one! It may have gotten lost or ignored for too long, but it’s in there. I am going to find your COBRA (that successful, focused, driven beast within you) by the end of this keynote, what you do with it is up to you. I recommend becoming the Sensei to help others do the same.
The endless circle of helping yourself by helping others is the Way of the COBRA; transform yourself and you can transform the world. We are taught to give respect, as Sensei, I intend to earn yours with my philosophy and strategies. I’m just a small-town boy with a dream made possible by following the Way of the COBRA. My COBRA philosophy propelled me into icon status as Karate’s Bad Boy Mike Barnes in The Karate Kid III then saved my life after a near-death experience.
Recently, my inner COBRA wrote Success Factor X (an Amazon new release best-selling book), created and star in STUDiO CiTY (an Emmy-winning TV show on Amazon Prime); oh... and lose 35 pounds, all in one year! This is not a flex, rather a demonstration of the power of the inner COBRA. Together we will reveal your path by exploring your personal truth, obstacles, and motivations in order to charm your COBRA out of it’s basket. I’m up for the challenge... are you?
