Hot Seat
The short answer
Hot Seat is a one-on-one media rehearsal for a leader who answers to the public: I play the reporter, and you answer on camera, watch it back and go again. One session runs 60 to 90 minutes for $3,500, and you leave with a draft holding statement for your lawyer to review and a written debrief.
By video, or in person at the same fee plus travel at cost. Paid before we start. Agencies and public agencies can book on a signed purchase order.
Book 20 minutesWhat you get
- A realistic scenario, picked with your team before the session.
- 60 to 90 minutes on camera, with me playing the reporter and your communications lead sitting in.
- Watch it back. Go again.
- A draft holding statement for your lawyer to review. It isn't legal advice.
- A written debrief: what you decided, what to fix, what to practice.
For a leadership team
When several leaders will face the same hard questions, run the Hot Seat as a team. One realistic scenario, a half day in the Jacksonville area or by video. Each leader takes the questions on camera, watches it back and goes again, and the team sees what works.
You leave with one draft holding statement for your lawyer to review, a written debrief for each leader, and a team debrief.
$7,500 for up to 4 leaders. Larger teams are quoted. Same terms as a single Hot Seat.
Who it's for
Any leader who answers to the public: a new or interim CEO, a police chief or agency head, an executive heading into a hearing, an interview, a merger or a hard week. PR agencies book it for their clients.
What waiting costs
The first time you hear the hard question shouldn't be on the record. One bad answer becomes the clip, and the clip is what people find when they search your name.
Questions buyers ask
What is executive media training?
Practice answering a reporter before it counts. In a Hot Seat, I play the reporter, you answer on camera, and we watch it back and go again.
How much does a Hot Seat cost?
$3,500 for one session of 60 to 90 minutes. By video, or in person at the same fee plus travel at cost. It's paid before we start.
Is the holding statement legal advice?
No. It's a draft for your lawyer to review before anyone uses it.
Who takes part?
You, with your communications lead sitting in. A session is built around one leader.
Can an agency or a public agency book it?
Yes. Both can start on a signed purchase order. An agency books it for a client at the same price, billed to the agency, and the agency's name stays on the relationship.
How should a leader get ready for the session?
Bring the interview, hearing or hard week you're worried about, and the question you hope nobody asks. For a fuller checklist, see how to prepare a CEO for a media interview.
One person on the other end.
Former career police officer, six years as the Gainesville (FL) Police Department's only spokesperson.
Nearly a decade in corporate communications at a Fortune 60 insurer.
As a spokesperson, I fielded everything from barking dogs to a murder case that drew international media attention. At the insurer, I got executives ready for the camera.
Bring the job.
20 minutes on Zoom. You'll leave knowing which one fits, or that none does.
Book 20 minutes