- The story behind the microphone
About Jerry
A lifetime of connecting with people.
Jerry “JO” O’Neil has spent his entire career in the space between people asking the next question, finding the human detail, and helping a room understand itself a little better. Television, journalism, client service, event technology, narration, the keynote stage: different jobs, one thread. Curiosity about people, and the belief that communication is the most practical skill there is.
"Only connect."
E.M. Forster
30+
years spent in rooms where the whole job was making people feel understood.
Where it began
A journey built on curiosity.
Long before he stood on a conference stage, Jerry stood in front of a television camera and behind a reporter’s notebook. He learned early that the interesting part of any story is never the facts — it’s the person telling them.
Live television teaches you timing and composure. Journalism teaches you to listen for the thing that isn’t being said. Performance teaches you that an audience can feel whether you mean it. Put those three together and you get the way Jerry works today: prepared, present, and genuinely interested in whoever is in front of him.
"I never learned how to talk to people. I learned how to be curious about them. Everything else followed."
— Jerry O'Neil
- Television
- Journalism
- Performance
- Storytelling
The journey
Six chapters.One purpose.
No part of Jerry’s career was a detour. Each chapter added a skill that the next one needed — and all six of them show up the moment he picks up a microphone.
01
The early yearsTelevision Host
Live cameras, tight cues, no second takes. Jerry learned to hold a room's attention while making it look easy.
02
The listening yearsJournalist
Interviewing people for a living taught him the discipline of the follow-up question — and how much people will share when someone actually listens.
03
The trust yearsSales & Client Services
Relationships, not transactions. Years of understanding what clients actually needed, often before they said it out loud.
04
CventMeetings & Event Technology
Inside the industry that plans the world's events. Jerry knows your run-of-show, your sponsors and your stress — because he lived on that side of the badge.
05
OngoingNarrator & Tour Guide
Jerry makes a historic tour through the town of Jim Thorpe "infotaining" and fun, mixing stories and music so that the passengers absorb history lessons in an entertaining way
06
TodayConference Speaker & Event Host
Everything above, on one stage: keynotes, emcee work and moderated conversations that connect generations in the room.
Every stage of the journey was really the same job, wearing different clothes.
" Only connect."
E.M. Forster
Two words that Jerry has quietly organized a career around. They aren’t a slogan — they’re a set of habits he brings to every stage, every panel and every hallway conversation.
Be curious.
Ask thoughtful questions.
Listen openly and fully.
Be more interested in others than yourself.
Every conversation has value.
The reason for the invitation
Why organizations invite Jerry.
Planners rarely book Jerry for a credential. They book him because of how the room feels when he’s in it — and because they trust him with their people.
"Our attendees didn't feel talked at. They felt included — all four generations of them."
Association conference director
Authentic storytelling
Stories from a real career, told without polish for polish's sake — the kind people repeat at dinner that night.
Cross-generational communication
Five generations in one room, and every one of them feels spoken to rather than spoken about.
Humor with purpose
Laughter that lowers defenses so the real point can land. Never a joke for its own sake.
Real-world experience
Newsrooms, sales floors, event tech and live stages. He's been on your side of the table.
Genuine audience connection
He learns names, works the hallways, and stays after. Attendees remember being noticed.
Practical insights
Ideas people can use on Monday morning, not abstractions they applaud and forget.
Professional stage presence
Decades of live television calm. Your program stays on time and feels effortless.
Curious what he'd do with your room?
Tell Jerry about your audience and your theme. He'll tell you honestly whether he's the right fit.
"The best conversation I had last year was with a stranger on a train."
Off the clock
Beyond the stage.
Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway
Narrating the ride through the gorge — history, geology and a few well-timed jokes, told fresh every trip.
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
A small mountain town he knows by heart, and the visitors who arrive as strangers and leave as friends.
Tour guiding
Reading a group in real time, adjusting the story to the people standing in front of him.
Everyday conversations
Cafés, train platforms, hotel lobbies. The habit doesn't switch off when the mic does.
Let's start theconversation.
Bring Jerry’s experience, storytelling and philosophy of connection to your next conference, association meeting or corporate event. Tell him about your audience — the rest starts exactly the way his whole career did, with a good question.