Meet the Speaker Services Team
When you choose our Premium plan for your profile in the Speakers Directory, you get two private coaching sessions with the experts on our team.
We have two plans, Basic and Premium. Both are $9.95/month after a one-time fee to write and design your listing. The set-up for Basic is $149. Premium is $249 and gives you two private coaching sessions with anyone on our team, including our Virtual Assistants, who love helping speakers. Can you mix and match sessions? Of course! Do one with a coach and one with a VA, or use both sessions for either coaching or VA help. See our How it Works and FAQs pages for more details, or call us at 310-512-7779. If you get voice mail, a real human will call you back. You can also email us for the Quick Guide to the site (also on the How it Works page) or book a time to chat on this handy calendar. Here’s our team…
Jean-Noel Bassior
Jean-Noel Bassior, author, journalist; owner, Speaker Services
Get more gigs and make friends with the media As a journalist doing celebrity interviews for national magazines, including Redbook, McCall’s, and Woman’s World, Jean-Noel Bassior had to get past the Hollywood gatekeepers. It takes the same skills to reach out to event planners, reporters and talk show producers, and Jean-Noel shows how to focus your message to hook both event planners and the media. The owner of Speaker Services, she offers coaching on how to build your speaking career. In just one session, you’ll learn how to have notices of speaking gigs coming right into your inbox plus easy steps you can take now to raise your media profile. If you can spend just one hour a week being pro-active, you’ll be on the right track to building your speaking career. Jean-Noel is the author of Space Patrol: Missions of Daring in the Name of Early Television and hosted “The Book Beat” at LA Talk Live (episodes on YouTube). Click here to see some of her celebrity profiles and here to schedule your coaching session on the Premium Plan. info@SpeakerServices.com
Maurice DiMino
Build and polish your presentation skills Whether you’re speaking to 5, 50 or 500 people in a living room, board room or convention center, Maurice DiMino can help you polish your presentation skills and discover your “Million Dollar Message.” He’s a master coach whose powerful techniques have been battle-tested in over 1,500 hundred presentations nationwide, and he’s known for his intensive bootcamps on public speaking “My goal is to see you on the platform or stage fulfilling your dreams,” says Maurice, whose clients include Microsoft, the U.S. Navy, Chinook Group, IBM and many others. He’s studied with the greats – T. Harv Eker, Les Brown, Tony Robbins – and he’s the author of The Art of Public Speaking. Maurice was voted “Best Speaker” by Toastmasters in Los Angeles, and in April 2013 he became a TEDx speaker at San Diego State University. Give Maurice a call at 818-640-5959. MauriceDiMino.com
Ross Miller
Make a great video that demonstrates your skills
No matter how skilled you are at pitching yourself, there is no better way to prove your appeal than being able to show it on video. After eight years of editing digital content and assisting on feature films, Ross Miller has the experience and creative eye to help you demonstrate your value on-screen.
Whether you’re looking for somebody to create video for you, or simply walk you through the basics of popular video editing software, Ross can help. Beyond simply putting video together, he can help you figure out how to visually represent your brand, using fonts, graphics, color profiles, and different editing styles. (Note that he’s happy to offer a free consultation to discuss your needs, but video editing and coaching is not included.) To learn more, reach out to Ross at RossSMiller@gmail.com
Julie Austin
Monetize your free speaking jobs with sponsorship Like many industries, the speaking business has changed. Now about 50% of all speaking jobs are non-paid ones. But what smart speakers have figured out is that those jobs are the easiest to get and can actually pay quite well if you have sponsors to subsidize them. Julie Austin has been in the sponsorship business for over 20 years. She started out by getting sponsors for a TV show, then put that knowledge to work in the speaking industry to monetize her own jobs. Since then, she has never spoken for free! Julie now teaches speakers the trial and error insider tricks she’s learned about how to get sponsorship for speaking engagements and how to create your own paid speaking opportunities using sponsorship. She’s the CEO of SpeakerSponsor, the only online directory for speakers seeking small business sponsorship. Give Julie a call at 310-444-7788 and find out how to get started in this lucrative business. Start making a living as a speaker today!
Too busy to build your speaking career? With our Premium plan, you can use your sessions to get help from our expert virtual assistants!
Meet our VA team…
Jeanette Ortega, Founder and CEO of Ultimate Virtual Assistants, helps you increase your visibility online so you get more gigs and clients. A specialist in email marketing, online course delivery, and technical support for online marketing campaigns, Jeanette’s team can take your marketing to the next level. They strive to help you reach your goals and celebrate your successes. 505-750-8827; jeanette@UltimateVirtualSolution.com 
Colleen Marr, Founder of Virtual Freelance Solutions, can help you research speaking engagements, arrange bookings, coordinate logistics, help improve your social media presence and proofread your materials. With over eight years of experience working with a professional keynote speaker and published author, Colleen can help you thrive! Colleen@VirtualFreelanceSolutions.com
LaRinda Roper, Owner of Expert Virtual Services, can help you with PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets, one-sheets, podcasts, managing emails and digital files, and other tasks and services you need to grow your business and build your career. larindaroper@gmail.com
From managing marketing and social media to planning the logistics of your speaking engagement, Taylor Brockmiller has got you covered. After several years of marketing and managing special events, from concerts to weddings and everything in between, Taylor has become an expert in logistics, systems and marketing. Whether you need assistance promoting an upcoming speaking engagement or help fine-tuning the details of your next event, Taylor has the expertise to propel your speaking career to the next level. Email her at mullaneyinthemiddle@gmail.com or give her a call at 573.701.2433 to schedule your one hour consultation and see what she can do for YOU.
Christine Chew is a multi-skilled expert virtual assistant with over 20 years of executive administrative experience. She has worked with department directors at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the President/CEO of a multi-million dollar nonprofit and their Board of Directors, and she knows what speakers need. She will help research your next speaking engagement, create and edit documents, secure travel arrangements, and plan events—plus, she can tackle your everyday tasks and one-time projects. cargroupllc3@gmail.com; 814-840-1560 Carla Green
Leverage your expertise with a professionally crafted book If you’re writing a book, Carla Green with Clarity Designworks is ready to be your book’s best friend. A book designer with decades of experience, Carla will help you take your place as an expert in your industry with a professionally designed book. The story only you can tell deserves an equally unique treatment, and that’s what Carla delivers — hands-on attention and custom book production services, including cover design, interior layout, ebook formatting and staying right by your side throughout the publishing process. So leave the cookie cutter templates and bare bones service providers to someone else, and have Carla craft your book to industry standards with her meticulous attention to detail and engaging layouts. After all, wouldn’t you rather be associated with quality than with cutting corners? Set up a session with Carla to demystify the self-publishing process and chart a path for bringing your book to life. 310-493-8226; carla@claritydesignworks.com
Jackie Lapin
Let speaking opportunities come to you! Jackie Lapin began her career as one of the first women sportswriters and went on to create one of the largest sports and entertainment PR agencies in America. She rebranded her company as Conscious Media Relations, serving the world’s change-makers, and her clients have included Don Miguel Ruiz, Dr. Joe Vitale, James Twyman, Denise Linn, Arielle Ford, Hay House and more. Today she runs SpeakerTunity™, a monthly lead tip sheet for speakers with a transformational message of change, empowerment, growth, spirituality or business expansion. The sheet provides contact name, phone number, email, website and submission links for paid and free gigs, both local and national. You select and submit to the ones that work for you. Her tip sheet is $35/month, but she offers a free half-hour consultation to members of Speaker Services. Give her a call at 818-707-1473 or choose our Premium plan, then email Jackie to book your session.
John Halas
Turn your book or speech into a documentary, movie or TV series What author wouldn’t love to have their book turned into a film? John Halas can help make it happen. A professional screenwriter for hire, he’s a former NYC writing teacher who’s been writing stories full-time professionally since 2003. He and his team have adapted scores of books into documentaries, movies, and television shows based on the authors’ original works.Contact John here or call Speaker Services at 310.512.7779 and we’ll set up a complimentary session with John to talk about turning your book, presentation or life experience into a screenplay.
Gay Norton Edelman
Gay Edelman
Polish your words, speak your truth! Gay Norton Edelman brings a wealth of writing, editing, coaching and speaking know-how to Speaker Services. She’s held editorial staff positions at Good Housekeeping, Ladies’ Home Journal, McCall’s, Rosie, Women’s Faith & Spirit and Family Circle, and has written for many others. As the author of The Hungry Ghost: How I Ditched 100 Pounds and Came Fully Alive, Gay is a sought-after inspirational speaker and writing teacher. As a writing coach, Gay can help you organize your writing time, brainstorm book ideas, jumpstart your blog, pitch magazine ideas—even finish that publish-or-perish paper. She is also available to edit, rewrite or ghost-write articles or books. Gay provides writing resources at coachgay.com, and blogs at gayedelman.com. She is currently at work on her next book, The Well-Fed Ghost: 366 Ways to Nourish Your Hungry, Hungry Heart. CoachGay.com
Karen Dennison
Karen Dennison, SEO, reputation management, online marketing
Take control of your online presence Want a great online presence, so it’s easy for clients, customers and event planners to find you? Need to boost, polish or repair your online reputation? Are you posting regularly on all your social media sites – and even enjoying it? Do search engines love you so much that they rocket you to the top? Working in Internet marketing for the last 10 years, and in traditional marketing for the previous 25, Karen Dennison has seen it all – and she can show you how to take control of your online presence. Whether you’re promoting your book, business or speaking career, or monitoring your reputation, Karen knows how to feed the search engine beast and dance the Google algorithm ballet. Set up a session with Karen and find out how much you can do to promote your speaking career. localbusinessvirtualmarketing@gmail.com
Roberta Edgar
Roberta Edgar, Writer-Editor-Ghostwriter
Senior Writer Roberta Edgar brings her rich background in mainstream publishing, TV and film to Speaker Services. After graduating from UCLA, Roberta wrote editorial promotion for Mademoiselle Magazine and worked in TV production with legendary filmmaker David L. Wolper, as well as the producers of Star Trek. Roberta has ghostwritten and edited a wide range of fiction and nonfiction books for such giants as Prentice Hall Publishing and has worked with self-published authors too. A talented screenwriter, she’s a longtime member of the Writers Guild of America West and vice president of Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC). Co-author of Think Yourself Smokeless and The Perfect Play: The Day We Broke the Bank in Atlantic City, Roberta recently ghostwrote an international suspense thriller and is currently co-authoring a business manifesto/memoir. Contact Roberta at Words à la Mode or through Speaker Services: 310-512-7779.
Heidi Parr Kerner
Heidi Parr Kerner, international traveler, consultant, trainer and workshop leader
Speak in spite of your shyness As a child, Heidi Parr Kerner was so painfully shy that she couldn’t speak to other children at the bus stop, and as a young woman at business meetings, she’d hide in a corner, observing others network, yet not participating. But through her keen observations, she created techniques to overcome her shyness and transform from an introvert into a charismatic and compelling speaker – and for the last 20 years, she’s been helping others do the same. Heidi has delivered keynotes and motivational speeches on networking, sales, and presentation skills to corporations, chambers, and business organizations from coast to coast, and she especially likes working with women professionals to overcome shyness so they can build a fun and profitable speaking career. HeidiParrKerner.com