Why I Love This Job

Congratulating Keynote's Authors

A majority of the speakers we represent at Keynote Speakers are also authors – in fact, 75% of our exclusive speakers have written at least one book. We wanted to take some time to congratulate two of our speakers who’ve had big news regarding their books in the past several months.

Bestselling author Maria Murnane recently released the fourth and final book in the Waverly Bryson series and it has consistently topped Amazon Kindle charts since its release in early April.

Following the success of the Waverly series, Maria has signed a contract for a two book deal with her publisher! Her next two novels, Katwalk, due in April 2014, and Cassidy Lane, expected in early 2015, will allow her to break into literary fiction.

"My publisher and I agreed that it was time to try something new, and it's been a fun experience developing two new sets of characters for these novels," said Maria.

Kathleen Sharp was recently honored at a Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon by the Santa Barbara Chapter of The Association for Women in Communications for her work as an award-winning journalist and critically acclaimed non-fiction author. The Women of Achievement Awards was established to honor “women who represent the highest standards of excellence in the communications fields.”

Kathleen built her career investigating the relationship between ethics and power. Her most recent exposé, Blood Medicine: Blowing the Whistle on One of the Deadliest Prescription Drugs Ever, has been called the "most important non-fiction book of the past 20 years." The book is currently being made into a film by New Regency, a segment of 20^th Century Fox, and has signed one of the producers of the Hunger Games films to help bring the movie to life.

Kathleen is also the author of Mr. & Mrs. Hollywood: Edie and Lew Wasserman and Their Entertainment Empire, which was re-released as an e-book by Audio Go/BBC in January. Audio Go/BBC will produce a paperback version of the book later this year, marking the first time in the company’s history that a paperback has been released following the success of an e-book.

Congratulations to Maria Murnane and Kathleen Sharp on their recent success.

The Hidden Value of Your Stories

Continuing our theme on the power of storytelling, today's guest blog post is by author, speaker and comedian Judy Carter.

Based on her new book The Message of You, Judy speaks about the power and humor behind the stories that make up our lives – and how anyone can use those stories to make a difference in other people’s lives – including their own.

Share a story that made a difference in your life, or a story you shared that made a difference in another person's life, in the comments below!

Do you have a secret stash of dinner party stories, or stories you tell friends in a bar, or to entertain a date?

I'm talking about those stories that you know inside and out; the really good ones that people beg you to tell over and over. And after you pretend to NOT want to - you turn a tale loose and leave people laughing, crying -- or sitting in amazement.

All good storytellers have these -- but what many don't realize is all the hidden value that a collection of stories with a common theme can have.

My speaking students are often amazed to find out that their crazy boss stories, the drunken family vacation stories, or the story of how they survived an illness (or their childhood) often have a message that goes much deeper than just entertaining a few friends. And, when they harness that message, and frame it properly, it can be a message that businesses will pay a lot to hear.

In the speaking class I'm teaching now, I have a student who works in the transit system. She has hilarious stories about nightmare bus riders. And now she's putting a collection of them together to create a fabulous speech about using humor to deal with difficult people. Her speech is not only hysterical, but it's got great on the nose content that would be of value not just to bus drivers -- but to ANYONE who has to deal with the public. So her potential audience would be ...hmm, let me see ...everyone?

Another student is an actress, with wonderful stories about auditioning for commercials. Appearing in over 200 commercials has made her an expert on how to interview to win and wow all the audiences of your life. Once we framed what she knew with that "just right" wording in that last sentence, she realized how valuable her experience is -- not only for actors - but also for anyone who wants to get a job, land a promotion, win over a jury, or just impress a date. (That would again be... everyone!)

We've all learned something from our years on this planet. Even small day-to-day struggles of overcoming obstacles and having success often have hidden treasure in them that can be of value to others -- and that corporations and organizations will pay to hear. I call that the "Message of You," and when we share that message (whether we get paid or not), we all can make a difference in someone else's life.

Are you ready to find your message?

Keynote on Unbroken's Biggest Question: Who Should Play Louis?

Today's blog post is a guest piece by Keynote's Marketing Assistant, Nicole Newton, who worked at a movie theater from 2007-2011 and, as a result, has seen almost every movie to hit theaters during her "career in the industry."

 

A movie rendition of Louis Zamperini's incredible life has been on the drawing board for over 55 years, but it's been gaining visible momentum since 2010, when author Laura Hillenbrand published "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption." Since its publication, "Unbroken" has remained on the New York Times bestseller list for over 120 consecutive weeks, surpassing Hillenbrand's first novel, "Seabiscuit," and all but twelve other books in history.

 

In December Angelina Jolie was announced as the film's director, followed by news that Joel and Ethan Coen, who wrote the screenplays for No Country For Old Men and Fargo, will be re-writing the script. While this will only be Jolie's second attempt at directing a movie, following In The Land of Blood And Honey, she's clearly passionate about the film.

 

Angelina was quoted in an article on Deadline.com saying, “I read Laura Hillenbrand’s brilliant book, and I was so moved by Louie Zamperini’s heroic story, I immediately began to fight for the opportunity to make this film. Louie is a true hero and a man of immense humanity, faith and courage. I am deeply honored to have the chance to tell his inspiring story.”

 

With the announcement of director and screenwriters made public, the next question on everyone's mind is who will be playing Louis.

 

In a recent interview, both Hillenbrand and Zamperini seemed enthusiastic about Ryan Gosling portraying Louis. Zamperini mentioned he saw Gosling at the Academy Awards and thought he would be an "ideal" fit for the role, but also mentioned "Hollywood is full of good, young actors."

 

Other actors on the table, according to the same article, include James Franco and Jake Gyllenhaal.

 

According to Matt Baer, the film's producer, the most important part of selecting the lead boils down to finding "somebody who is charming, physical and someone capable of a great range of emotion."

 

While Gosling, Franco, and Gyllenhaal all fit the bill, I'd like to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt take the lead.

 

Gordon-Levitt fits Baer's criteria (charming, physical, someone capable of a great range of emotion) and has a striking resemblance to a young Zamperini. Look at this side-by-side comparison:

          

Gordon-Levitt has consistently chosen, according to one article advocating the actor as one of today's leading men, "strong, interesting movies with performances that showed a maturity and range that actors two decades his senior would envy… and while the nature of the projects has changed, his commitment to intelligent, compelling work has stayed the same. It's a combination of inventiveness and resolve for the modern age, and it's evident in nearly everything he does."

 

Gordon-Levitt has recently started taking on more leading roles, starting in 2009 with 500 Days of Summer and, most recently, with Looper. Whether he's playing a supporting character or the lead, he practically specializes in playing intelligent characters ingrained with a complex moral compass.

 

And who has a more fascinatingly complex story than Louis Zamperini?

 

Whether you agree or disagree with my choice, please leave your comments below!

The Loss of Jeffrey Zaslow, and the Art of Storytelling

This past week saw the sudden and unexpected loss of author, speaker, and journalist Jeffrey Zaslow.

I never met Jeffrey in person, but I would have had the opportunity in April 2012.  I had just gotten mutual agreement to book him for an event which I personally would be attending, and I was looking forward to hearing him on stage.  Such fascinating stories, such high-profile lives he's touched, such a gift for description, emotion, and most of all, storytelling.

One of the real roots of this industry of guest speakers, public speakers, professional speakers - however you choose to describe it - one of the most important ways to characterize this job/calling/gift of being a speaker is storytelling.  You have to tell a good story.  More than one in any given speech, actually, woven together in such a way that raises the simple relaying of information to the level of artistry.  

I was looking forward to seeing Jeffrey do that.  He did it so well in his books; I was sure I had a lot to look forward to in person.

Jeffrey died in a car accident in Michigan, while on tour supporting his recently-released book, "The Magic Room."  It hadn't originally been on my radar for books I must read soon, but it is now.  I understand it's about a bridal shop, passed down through four generations, and about some of the specific brides that pass through the shop doors, on their way to seek long-lasting love and happiness. 

Jeffrey himself has three daughters, so I'm sure this was a very personal book for him; its subtitle is "A Story About the Love We Wish for our Daughters."  Amidst their sorrow at the tragic loss of their father, how very glad his daughters must be that he had the opportunity to leave them this book.   While he will never attend their weddings, they will know, at least, that he understood, and wished them the best.

His other books include "The Last Lecture" with Randy Pausch, and a book about Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, entitled "Gabby:  A Story of Courage and Hope."  He also co-wrote a book with Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, of Hudson River plane-landing fame.

My job is many things.  It's work, it's pleasure, it's fun, it's challenging, it's rewarding, it's unique (or at least unusual).  Sometimes, it's also a privilege.  And sometimes it's a wake-up call. 

Thanks, Jeffrey, for reminding me that I need to get out and see more of these fascinating speakers I book, meet more of them in person.  They are such very amazing people, which, of course, is why someone would want to pay them to make a speech.  

And of course, I need to make sure I enjoy every minute with my family and friends.   While I can. 

To his family and friends, to those who did know him, I'm so sorry for your loss.