PCA Announces Griff Starnes-Ennis Artist Residency
The PCA Department is pleased to host an artist residency by Griff Stark-Ennis, a North Country native who has built a creative career in Hollywood.
Griff is an actor, (retired) model, marketing professional, and podcaster whose career offers a great example of the many paths into the entertainment industry. He currently co-hosts the hit comedy podcast Petty Crimes with Saturday Night Live writer Ceara Jane O’Sullivan. The pair have recently taken the podcast on the road, performing Petty Crimes live for audiences around the country.
During his visit to St. Lawrence University, Griff will offer three different opportunities to learn from (and laugh with) him:
Thursday, September 17
11:30-12:30 pm
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There is no “right” path to a career, and Griff Stark-Ennis has taken more than a few. His career has spanned marketing, acting, modeling, podcasting, and the entertainment industry, giving him a unique perspective on creative careers and how they take shape. Griff will share stories and lessons from his own unconventional path that brought him to where he is today as a successful entertainer. Students are invited to come with questions and join the conversation.
Petty Crimes at SLU Comedy Event
Thursday, September 17
7:00-8:00 pm
Winston Room, Sullivan Student Center
Have you witnessed an act of pettiness that deserves its day in court? Petty Crimes is “a true crime comedy podcast that exclusively investigates non-crimes.” The low-stakes interpersonal offenses, questionable choices, and petty grievances that make everyday life a little more ridiculous.
During this special live event, Griff Stark-Ennis invites members of the SLU community to submit their own anonymized stories of pettiness. Selected cases will be brought before the audience, examined, and ultimately adjudicated live on stage.
This event is free and open to the North Country community.
Friday, September 18
2:30-4:00 pm
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In this interactive workshop, Griff Stark-Ennis will guide students through a process of exploring how their identities, values, and experiences can point them toward work that feels authentically their own. Drawing on his journey of self-exploration, Griff will help students understand how their perspective is distinctive and how to turn that into a creative strength. Students will leave with a clearer sense of their creative potential and how they can follow a path that allows them to be fully themselves.
Griff Stark-Ennis Biography
Griff Stark-Ennis is a podcaster, actor, and (retired) model based in Los Angeles, CA. He currently co-hosts a popular podcast with SNL writer, Ceara Jane O’Sullivan, called Petty Crimes. The podcast, which started as a passion project for the two, grew from being self-produced to making Time Magazine's list of best podcasts in 2023 and was then picked up by Kevin Hart’s production company. In 2025, Petty Crimes was nominated for a Webby award among other well-respected comedy podcasts. Petty Crimes is currently being self-produced in partnership with Podcast Nation.
Griff also stars in This Is For You, a queer short film that has amassed more than 7M views on YouTube. The film will be making its full-length debut at the Grove and Pines Film Festival in September 2026. Griff is currently developing a new reality-docu webseries called Black Card, a series in which he “does quintessentially ‘Black things’ in an attempt to earn back his black card.”
Griff grew up in the North Country, just an hour from Canton. In fact, he grew up attending soccer games at Sandy MacAllaster Field and, therefore, has a deep fondness for St. Lawrence University that stems from many weekend days spent here with family and friends.
Griff is Black, queer, and adopted, and was often the only person of color in the room growing up in the North Country. His experiences feeling like a “black sheep” resonate with many SLU students who make up the minority in our classrooms. Griff harnessed his experiences into his personality-driven podcast and his other pursuits in Hollywood and beyond.
