Executive media training led by Jess Todtfeld, former NBC, ABC, and Fox producer. Master your message and command any media opportunity with proven techniques used by Fortune 500 leaders.
Get a Quick QuoteAn effective executive media training program does one thing above all: it gives a busy leader the language, the structure, and the on-camera muscle memory to walk into any interview, press conference, or podcast and leave with the message they intended to deliver. Our 1-day executive media training intensive prepares CEOs, presidents, founders, and C-suite leaders for the moments that define how they and their organization are perceived.
Built and delivered by Jess Todtfeld, a former NBC, ABC, and Fox television producer with 13 years inside the newsroom, this program teaches the bridging techniques, sound bite construction, and hostile-question handling that journalists respect and audiences remember. Whether you are preparing for a CNBC appearance, a trade interview, an earnings call follow-up, or an internal town hall, you will walk out with a repeatable system you can use for the rest of your career.
The executives who struggle on camera are almost never the ones who lack expertise. They are usually the most credentialed person in the room. The gap is not knowledge. It is the distance between how much someone knows and how clearly it comes across in the few minutes a reporter gives them.
Three things go wrong, and they go wrong predictably:
Executive media training closes that gap deliberately, on camera, with enough repetition that the new habit holds when the stakes are real.
Craft clear, consistent messaging that resonates with your audience and drives your narrative forward.
Stay composed and strategic when facing tough questions during interviews and public appearances.
Develop memorable, quotable statements that journalists love and audiences remember.
Practice with realistic mock interviews that prepare you for any media scenario you'll face.
Executive media training is ideal for leaders who need to represent their organization in media and public settings. Whether you're new to the spotlight or looking to sharpen your skills, this program equips you with the confidence and techniques to communicate effectively under pressure.
In practice, most engagements start with a specific date on the calendar. A chief executive with a first national television booking. A founder heading into an earnings call follow-up or an investor conversation. A public-sector leader who will face a press conference where the questions are already hostile. A newly promoted executive who now speaks for the organization and has never been trained to do it. If a moment like that is coming, the training is built backward from it.
A short call is the fastest way to scope the right format, group size, and timing.
Speak with Jess Get a Quick QuoteWe learn about your background, media goals, and current skill level to tailor the program specifically to your needs.
You'll work through core techniques with real-world scenarios, mock interviews, and immediate feedback from Jess.
Walk away with actionable tools and confidence to apply what you've learned in your next media opportunity.
Every program is built around the interviews you are actually walking into, so the schedule flexes. The arc of the day, though, stays the same: build the language first, then put it under pressure on camera until it holds.
Before anyone sits in front of a camera, we build the three to five messages everything else will flow from, written around your real business situation and your actual exposure. Getting this wrong makes every rep afterward less useful.
You are interviewed repeatedly in realistic scenarios. Repetition is the point. Habits that are invisible in a conference room become obvious on the second or third take.
We watch the footage right away, while the choices are still fresh. Seeing what helped and what hurt is faster and more persuasive than being told.
We rehearse the questions you hope nobody asks: the layoff, the lawsuit, the number that moved the wrong way. Bridging is drilled here, not explained in the abstract.
Quotable lines get written down in advance, not improvised. Print reporters compress an hour into two sentences, and this is how you keep control of which two.
A ten-second broadcast hit, a long-form podcast, and a print interview reward different behavior. We train the formats on your calendar rather than a generic average of all of them.
Training runs at our Madison Avenue studio in New York, on-site at your offices with a mobile studio, or fully virtually with the same recording and playback structure. A sample itinerary can be included with your proposal.
Jess Todtfeld spent 13 years inside newsrooms at NBC, ABC, and FOX, booking and producing segments. That is a different vantage point from a coach who has only ever been a guest. It means the training is built around what the person on the other side of the camera is actually trying to get.
Producers are not looking for the most complete answer. They are looking for the piece that plays: the line that lands, the story that holds attention, the guest who makes the segment work. Executives who understand that stop trying to say everything and start giving the interview a reason to use what matters most to them.
Jess went on to set a Guinness World Record for the most radio interviews in 24 hours, is a Certified Speaking Professional, and has trained leaders at Google, JPMorgan, American Express, Gartner, IBM, LinkedIn, and the United Nations.
Dr. Deb Carlin holds a PhD in psychology and had decades of experience advising people through their hardest moments. Her honest first reaction to media training, in her own words, was "What is it that you need to learn to talk to the media? What's to learn?"
What she found on camera was the same thing most accomplished experts find: knowing the subject and communicating it are two separate skills. She learned to get to the point quickly, to replace the self-auditing monologue with a deliberate internal script, and to put her attention on the audience instead of on herself. She went on to appear across television, radio, print, and podcasts widely enough that she eventually started her own.
"The audience was laser focused. It was unbelievable... we closed a million dollar [deal] assignment."Les Richmond Director of Communications, Global Advertising & Brand Management, Hay Group
"Jess is a pro at media training. He has broken it down to a science, but allows each person to find their unique way to deliver their message. He put me at ease as a novice. When I finished working with him, I felt like a pro and ended up doing a recurring TV spot for a local network news station and numerous radio interviews. I have recommended him to several friends who have also had great results. Thanks Jess!"Virginia "Ginny" Clarke Conscious Leadership Expert / Speaker / Influencer / Executive Coach
"Jess knows how to make CEOs look great. I received coaching from him and was also interviewed by Jess on a national business TV show. He is a professional who understands that the goal of interviews is to drive more business."Daniel Milstein CEO, Gold Star Family of Companies
Have a question about format, group size, or fit? Ask here and get an answer in seconds. Jess reviews every conversation personally.
Executive media training typically ranges from $1,000 to $15,000 per engagement, depending on how many people are being trained and the level of customization. One-on-one intensives, small groups, and full-team programs are all custom-quoted. See the full cost breakdown, or get instant pricing guidance.
Get a quick quote and let's schedule your training session.
Get a Quick Quote Book a CallChief executive, Executive media training
A CEO describes walking in unfamiliar with the media and unsure of himself, and leaving with real confidence on camera.
