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About Jess Todtfeld

The media trainer physicians and healthcare leaders trust when patient access and public credibility are at stake.

Healthcare media training is the preparation that gets physicians, hospital leaders, and health-system spokespeople ready to communicate about patient stories, quality outcomes, and crises on camera. Jess Todtfeld spent 13 years as a television producer at NBC, ABC, and FOX, booking medical experts, researchers, and health-system spokespeople, watching which ones earned trust on camera and which ones lost it. He has since trained hundreds of physicians, hospital communications teams, pharmaceutical spokespeople, and public-health officials to deliver their message with authority, compassion, and precision in any media environment.

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Jess Todtfeld seated on a stool between two studio lights, smiling at the camera
Jess Todtfeld13 years producing at ABC, NBC and FOX
Quick answer

Jess Todtfeld is the founder of Success in Media, an executive media trainer and presentation coach in New York City. He spent 13 years as a television producer at ABC, NBC and FOX, is a Guinness World Record holder, and is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), held by fewer than 1% of speakers worldwide. He wrote the bestseller Media Secrets.

Updated

From the producer's chair to the training room and the stage

Nine scenes from Jess's career: the network years, the record, the training room, the book and the stage. Pick a scene, drag the playhead, or use the arrow keys.

  1. Producer13 years at ABC, NBC and FOXTelevision producer and booker. The person deciding which guests made air, which messages landed, and which executives came across as credible under pressure.
  2. Jess Todtfeld pointing at the framed Guinness World Records certificate
    The recordGuinness World Record, June 2009112 interviews completed, 96 officially certified, in a single day.
  3. Jess, in silhouette, filming a client against a white studio backdrop
    TrainerOn camera, with instant playbackParticipants answer real interview questions on camera, watch the recording immediately, get specific coaching, and repeat.
  4. Jess in profile at a camera rig with a shotgun microphone and an equipment rack behind him
    TrainerEvery session led by JessNo associate trainers and no junior coaches. You work directly with Jess.
  5. Jess teaching at a blue studio backdrop while participants with notebooks watch
    TrainerIn the training roomMistakes happen in the training room, not in public, and improvement is visible within the first few rounds.
  6. AuthorMedia SecretsA Media Training Crash Course, the #1 international bestseller. One of multiple books on media and communication.
  7. Jess speaking to a room with a projected slide behind him
    SpeakerCertified Speaking ProfessionalGiven by the National Speakers Association and held by fewer than 1% of speakers worldwide. Earned with 300+ documented speeches and presentations, 10 years of financial records, and a committee video review.
  8. Jess on a ballroom stage in front of blue curtains, audience tables in the foreground
    SpeakerLive, in the roomPrograms are delivered live and virtually across 12+ core industries.
  9. Jess at a lectern with several press microphones and flags behind him
    SpeakerAt the press lecternPreparing spokespeople for press interviews, on-camera appearances, and high-pressure public communication.

Client results

What Healthcare and Medical Professionals say about working with Jess

I learned how to improve my body language, reduce self-consciousness, and control the interview. By the end of the training, I was able to answer any question with confidence.

Franklin House, M.D.Physician

This whole session was extremely helpful. I needed work in all areas: body language, getting my message together, and creating sound bites. I really can see my improvement on-screen. This will also help me tremendously professionally.

Stuart Seale, M.D.Board Certified Family Physician

With Jess Todtfeld's Media Training I was able to feel confident on the TV interviews and TEDx talks I did to promote my International Bestselling book. Jess has many techniques that he teaches you to use to make your presentations powerful and fun for any audience.

Dr. Rose G. MainaPhysician and Speaker

Everything was very helpful. Jess' training was a complete knockout! This would be very beneficial for physicians.

Dr. Michael AzizPhysician

This training felt very worthwhile. He demonstrated how his techniques worked by showing me the opposite of what worked, and then showing his technique. My recall was 2% in bad methods and 100% in good methods.

Dr. GibsonMedical Professional

Why executives trust Jess, and not just any media coach

Media training is a structured coaching program that teaches executives and spokespeople how to communicate effectively during press interviews, on-camera appearances, and high-pressure public communication situations.

Most media trainers were never in the room where it happens. Jess was. For 13 years, he worked as a television producer and booker at ABC, NBC and FOX, the person deciding which guests made air, which messages landed, and which executives came across as credible under pressure.

That background shapes everything about how Jess trains. He doesn't teach theory. He teaches what actually works in front of a camera, a reporter, or a room full of skeptical stakeholders, because he's spent years on the other side of the lens deciding who gets the benefit of the doubt.

The goal isn't to make you sound polished. It's to make you sound like yourself, at your best, under pressure.

In June 2009, Jess helped set a Guinness World Record for most media interviews given in 24 hours. The result, in a single day: 112 interviews completed, 96 officially certified by Guinness. It wasn't a stunt. It was a demonstration. Jess had mastered the art of delivering a sharp, credible message in any format, any context, with any interviewer, repeatedly, without losing clarity or composure. Read the full story behind the record.

That same discipline is what he builds into every executive he trains. Whether it's a Fortune 500 CEO preparing for a 60 Minutes segment, a nonprofit director facing a hostile local reporter, or a financial advisor learning to close on camera. The methodology is the same: clear message, confident delivery, no surprises.

Jess holds the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation, held by fewer than 1% of speakers worldwide. It is a special designation given by the National Speakers Association, and it has to be earned: Jess documented more than 300 speeches and presentations, submitted financial records covering a 10-year span, and had his speaking reviewed on video by a committee of fellow CSPs.

He is the author of multiple books on media and communication, including the #1 international bestseller Media Secrets: A Media Training Crash Course.

Jess has appeared on and been featured in

Television

  • ABC
  • NBC
  • CBS
  • CNBC
  • FOX
  • FOX News
  • The Daily Show

Print and news

  • The New York Times
  • The Washington Post
  • Forbes
  • Fortune
  • The Associated Press
  • Fast Company
  • Inc.
  • Investor’s Business Daily
  • The Washington Times
Cover of Speaker magazine, October 2014, the Media issue, with Jess Todtfeld on one of three television screens
On the coverSpeaker magazineOctober 2014, the Media issue. The magazine of the National Speakers Association.

Work with Jess

HSP: High Stakes Presenter Methodology

How Jess trains, and why it works

Every program Jess delivers is built around one belief: communication under pressure is a skill, not a talent. It can be learned, practiced, and owned by anyone willing to work at it.

The approach is practical from minute one. No lengthy theory sessions. No generic frameworks that could apply to any industry. Every tool is tested against real scenarios your executives will actually face.

  1. Diagnose first

    Every engagement starts with understanding your specific situation: the interview, the audience, the risk, the message. Nothing is generic.

  2. Build the message architecture

    Jess's proprietary Sound Bite Quote System gives executives a repeatable framework for structuring any answer under any conditions.

  3. Practice under pressure

    Real practice with hostile questions, off-topic pivots, and camera situations that mirror what your executives will actually face.

  4. Walk away ready

    Every participant leaves with specific, personalized talking points and a set of tools they can use immediately, not someday.

Healthcare media training: what do clinical and hospital leaders ask most?

What does media training for healthcare leaders cover?

Media training for healthcare executives prepares hospital CEOs, health-system leaders, and physician leaders to communicate about patient stories, quality outcomes, mergers, payer negotiations, and crises. It emphasizes HIPAA awareness, compassionate precision, and on-camera composure. Translating clinical language into plain, quotable English is a core skill in these sessions.

Is the training HIPAA-aware?

Yes. Healthcare media training is built around patient privacy from the start. Practice exercises use de-identified or fictional scenarios, and spokespeople learn how to discuss outcomes, incidents, and clinical questions on camera without disclosing protected health information or speculating beyond what your legal and compliance teams have approved.

Can physicians and clinical leaders learn to explain complex medicine on camera?

Yes. Translating clinical language into plain, quotable English is a core skill in these sessions. Physicians practice explaining trial results, treatment risks, and safety updates in recorded exercises, then review the footage. Most see a dramatic improvement in clarity and confidence within a single session.

Can training be held on-site at a hospital?

Yes. On-site delivery is common, including mock press briefings in actual hospital communications centers. Remote training over Zoom also works well for academic faculty and clinicians with limited clinic time, delivered with live on-camera reps and recorded playback. Most healthcare executives reach strong on-camera performance after a one-day intensive.

Who leads the training?

Every session is led by Jess Todtfeld, founder of Success in Media. Jess spent 13 years as a television producer at NBC, ABC, and Fox, and holds the Guinness World Record for the most media interviews given in 24 hours: 112 completed, 96 officially certified. He has trained physicians, hospital executives, and healthcare spokespeople for more than two decades.

How much does healthcare media training cost?

Media training typically ranges from $1,000 to $15,000 per engagement depending on group size and scope. A focused session for one spokesperson sits at the lower end, while multi-day team workshops with recorded practice sit higher. See our media training questions page for a full breakdown of what drives pricing.

Find out how this training could help you

Set up a quick call with Jess. Tell him what is coming up, and he will show you how he would get you ready for it.

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Personal reply from Jess’s team within one business day. Prefer the phone? Call (646) 233-1424.

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