Media Training for Energy Companies
From rate cases and FERC testimony to wildfire response and the energy transition, energy leaders face a press environment that rewards preparation and punishes improvisation. This program is built for that reality.
Why Energy Executives Need Industry-Specific Media Training
Few industries operate under a brighter press light than energy. Every rate case is a local news story. Every outage is a Twitter storm. Every pipeline, turbine, and transmission project invites a community meeting, a regulator, and a reporter — usually in the same week. Media training for energy companies is the preparation that keeps executives credible across all three audiences. This work is led by Jess Todtfeld, a former producer at NBC, ABC, and FOX, the Guinness World Record holder for most media interviews in 24 hours, and a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) who has trained professionals at Fortune 500 companies across utilities, oil and gas, and renewables.
The regulatory environment is uniquely demanding. A poorly chosen word in front of a local television crew can end up quoted back to a commissioner in a FERC proceeding, a state public utility commission hearing, or a PUC rate case. Energy spokesperson training rehearses the language that is accurate for the press, compatible with regulatory filings, and consistent with what investor relations has already said on the last earnings call.
Outages are where the public judges the industry. Research consistently shows customer satisfaction with utilities is correlated less with how fast the lights come back than with how the company communicated during the event. A crew lead giving an honest three-sentence update to a local reporter outperforms a polished corporate statement issued four hours later. On-camera training for energy leaders builds that muscle — the quick, warm, specific answer under pressure.
The energy transition has added a messaging layer that did not exist a decade ago. Executives are asked about coal retirement, natural gas as a bridge fuel, renewables intermittency, nuclear, battery storage, wildfire liability, and ESG commitments — often in the same interview. Each answer has to reflect actual company strategy, survive regulator review, and remain credible with an increasingly skeptical public. Press interview training for energy executives builds that repertoire in a structured way.
Finally, there is the crisis dimension. Wildfires, oil spills, gas explosions, and workplace fatalities each carry specific communication protocols that the spokesperson must know cold. Crisis communication for energy companies is less about ad-libbing and more about rehearsed, honest, regulator-aware response.
What Energy Leaders Learn in Media Training
- Deliver outage and restoration updates with warmth, specificity, and credibility
- Handle rate-case and FERC-adjacent interviews without contradicting regulatory filings
- Respond to ESG and energy transition questions with clear, honest, company-specific answers
- Communicate during wildfires, spills, or workforce incidents with appropriate empathy and accuracy
- Manage hostile community meetings and town halls without losing composure
- Translate grid, transmission, and infrastructure topics into plain language
- Coordinate messaging across media, investor relations, and regulatory affairs
- Prepare field leaders and line supervisors for local on-camera moments
Real Scenarios Energy Spokespeople Must Master
The Outage Update
A major storm has knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers. A local reporter is live outside the service center. Rehearse the thirty-second update — what is known, what is being done, when customers can expect clarity.
The FERC or State Commission Hearing
A regulatory proceeding is live-streamed and covered by trade press. Practice testimony that is responsive, calibrated to the filing, and resistant to the follow-up sound bite a reporter will pull for the evening news.
The Wildfire or Spill
An incident has caused injury or environmental damage. Deliver a statement that acknowledges harm, explains corrective action, avoids unnecessary legal exposure, and keeps the community focused on what happens next.
The Energy Transition Interview
A national reporter wants to know why the company still operates gas plants while claiming a net-zero commitment. Practice the honest, layered answer that reflects real strategy without collapsing into talking points.
Why Train with Jess Todtfeld
Jess Todtfeld is a former producer at NBC, ABC, and FOX who has booked, produced, and coached thousands of on-camera interviews. He holds a Guinness World Record for the most media interviews in 24 hours and carries the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation — the highest earned credential in professional speaking. He has trained professionals at Fortune 500 companies, regulated industries, nonprofits, and public-sector organizations through high-stakes press cycles.
His training is practical, on-camera, and tailored to the industry. Clients leave with a rehearsed message, a repeatable interview framework, and enough reps to walk into the hit with composure — whether it is a studio segment, a regulatory hearing, a conference keynote, or a hostile reporter at the door.
Frequently Asked Questions
Media training for energy companies prepares executives and spokespeople to communicate during outages, rate cases, regulatory proceedings, community meetings, and crises. It emphasizes regulator-aware language, technical translation, and on-camera composure.
A one-day intensive for a single executive typically runs in the mid-to-high four figures. Full crisis-team and field-leader programs are quoted per scope and often delivered across multiple sites.
Yes. Field leader and line supervisor media training is a frequent request because local outages are often covered before a corporate spokesperson arrives. Training covers the short, warm, accurate update.
Yes. While Jess does not provide legal advice, training is coordinated with regulatory counsel so the spokesperson's language aligns with filings and does not create proceeding risk.
Training builds a four-part statement — acknowledgment, action, empathy, next step — and rehearses bridging so the spokesperson can handle hostile follow-ups without creating new liability.
Yes. On-site training is common and often includes realistic scenario drills using actual facility backdrops.
Training builds the honest, layered answer grounded in the company's actual resource plan — so the spokesperson never has to choose between credibility and talking points.
Yes. Oil and gas media training covers the full spectrum — upstream, midstream, downstream, and ESG — with particular attention to community, regulator, and investor audiences.
Related Training Programs
- Media training for utility companies — for electric, gas, and water utilities
- Crisis media training — for incident and outage communications
- C-level executive media training
- Our full media training services
Ready to Strengthen Your Energy Spokesperson Bench?
Build the regulator-aware, on-camera skills your executives need before the next rate case, outage, or incident.