Jane Praeger Email & Phone Number

At the end of my first year in law school, after a grueling five-hour civil procedure exam, I put down my pencil, walked outside into the sunlight, and thought, "There's gotta be a more interesting way to make a living......." That same day, I decided to leave law school and become a documentary filmmaker. I spent the next ten years learning to tell stories and make movies, eventually producing several award winning films for public television. I loved the work -- especially interviewing people to bring out their best stories and speak authentically on camera -- but I felt like I spent most of my time raising money. So in 1992, after the birth of my first child, I hung out my shingle as a presentation coach and media trainer. More than 20 years later, my company, Ovid, named after the great Roman storyteller, still helps professionals from all walks of life find their public voices and use storytelling to accomplish their professional (and personal) goals. Ovid helps people ace media interviews, win over their Boards, land dream jobs and clients, persuade governments to change their policies, and convert the skeptics in the room. In 2003, I helped create Columbia University's Masters Degree Programs in Strategic Communication, teaching writing, presenting, strategy, and storytelling to a new generation of professional communicators, none of whom (I hope) will ever bore audiences with sleep-inducing, PowerPoints. In 2017, I also started teaching storytelling in Columbia Business School's Women in Leadership program, helping women use their own stories to advance their careers. A lifelong New Yorker, I live and work in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, a stone's throw from the Union Square Farmer's Market.

Listed skills include Strategic Communications, Speech Writing, Storytelling, Public Speaking, and 27 others.