Media training for anyone facing an interview, a camera or the press
Interview prep, message development and mock interviews on camera, led by Emmy Award-winning journalists. In person in Los Angeles or virtual anywhere.
Want more time in front of the lens? Try our on-camera coaching.
Who this is for
Founders and executives. Actors, comedians, musicians and athletes. Authors, experts, scientists and advocates. Hosts, podcasters, creators and journalists. Nonprofit leaders and their teams. First-timers and people who do this every week. If you have a TV segment, podcast, panel, red carpet or reporter's call coming up, this is for you.
We've prepared executive teams at Slate Auto, leaders at Simply Salad and South Coast Plaza, and the press team at California Environmental Voters.
What you walk out with
- Three messages you can say in your sleep, and bridges back to them
- A recorded mock interview with playback and notes
- Answers ready for the question you're dreading
- A written prep guide you keep for the next one
What happens in a session
No lecture on "the media landscape." We put you in the chair, ask what a reporter would ask, and fix what we see.
- Messages firstWhat you want the audience to remember, said out loud until it sounds like you and not a press release.
- Mock interviews, on cameraPrint, podcast and broadcast formats, including the hostile version. Playback with specific notes, then another take.
- The hard questionsBridging, flagging and how to not answer a question without looking like you're not answering it.
- PresenceEye contact, voice, posture, hands and what to wear. Teleprompter and on-set practice when you need it.
- Know your interviewerHow to read a reporter's style before you sit down, what they need from you, and what they'll do with it.
Packages
Every program is customized. These are the shapes most clients start from.
- Interview Ready1 to 2 hoursFor a specific interview, panel or press moment coming up. Message development, warm-ups, a recorded mock interview and a prep guide you keep.
- Spokesperson2 to 4 hoursFor leaders, authors and experts who talk to the press regularly. Mock interviews across print, audio and broadcast, teleprompter practice and a written prep guide.
- Executive ProgramHalf or full dayFor executives and founders building a long-term public presence. Everything in Spokesperson, plus presentation coaching, an on-camera review with notes and 30 days of email support. Built for press tours, funding announcements and crisis moments.
- Team WorkshopHalf or full dayFor leadership teams, nonprofits and organizations that need more than one confident spokesperson. A shared message framework, small-group practice on camera and a facilitator-led debrief.
- Ongoing CoachingMonthly or as neededA trusted coach between appearances. We refresh your messages, rehearse for high-stakes interviews and review past appearances so you keep improving.
Media training and AI training
from one team
AI in the news
Every interview now has an AI question in it, and every leader is expected to have an answer. We prepare you for that question, and for the day a deepfake of you or your CEO shows up.
AI for your business
We teach your team to use AI to prep for press and interviews, and build custom GPTs and agents that keep your messaging sharp between sessions. Want it set up for you? See AI Business Setup.
Formats
Hourly, half-day, full-day or multi-day. One-on-one or teams. In person across Los Angeles, virtual anywhere or on site where you are.
Speaking on stage?
Keynotes, panels and pitches are their own craft.
See public speaking coaching.
Who leads it
Olivia Smith leads every training. She is an Emmy Award-winning journalist with more than 20 years at ABC News, Good Morning America, CNN, 60 Minutes and Meta, and a professor at USC Annenberg. She has asked the questions you're about to be asked, and she knows what a reporter does with the answer. Co-founder Michael Murray, an Emmy Award-winning journalist with 20 years at ABC News, World News Tonight and ESPN, builds each program alongside her.
"Olivia understands how a message should sound. In a matter of hours working with her, our executive team was thinking, articulating, and presenting more confidently."Jeff Jablansky, Head of Public Relations and Communications, Slate Auto
Start with a 15-minute call
Tell us what's coming up.
We'll tell you how we'd prepare you for it.