The Biography
A broadcaster and journalist who never mistakes access for a story.
Dwayne Ballen has spent a career in front of cameras and across from people at the most consequential moments of their lives. Black Ruby Media, his production banner, is what he built with what he learned.
Keynote conversation with Michelle Obama
Beyond what happened — why, and what it means for where we're going.
For more than three decades, Dwayne Ballen has been a trusted voice in American broadcasting — an anchor, play-by-play announcer, reporter and interviewer whose work spans sport, news and culture.
His reputation was earned in the moments that don't rehearse well: the locker room after the loss, the courthouse steps, the sit-down that a publicist tried to cut short. He is known for a calm, precise interviewing style — the kind that makes a guest forget the camera is running.
His sports work begins with the belief that sport is a mirror of the human community. The score matters, but so do the deeper issues that evolve from the game and affect greater society: power, race, gender, labor, conscience, health and belonging.
That craft scales. Dwayne has conducted hour-long, unscripted one-on-one keynote conversations — most of them in arenas before live audiences of 15,000 to 20,000 — with guests including Michelle Obama, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Michael Strahan, Tom Hanks, Magic Johnson, Peyton Manning, Dr. Vivek Murthy and Dr. Condoleezza Rice. The conversations have been highly praised.
Off air, Dwayne became one of the most visible fathers in the autism community. His book Journey With Julian chronicles raising his son with candor about fear, faith, marriage, advocacy and joy — and turned him into a sought-after inspirational speaker for corporate, healthcare, education and faith audiences.
Today he develops original programming and hosted franchises through Black Ruby Media, his own production banner, while continuing to host, moderate and speak for organizations that want gravity rather than noise.
Credentials at a glance
- —Emmy-recognized broadcast work
- —Hour-long unscripted keynote conversations in arenas of 15,000–20,000
- —National network sports and news experience
- —Live event and awards hosting
- —Panel moderation for corporate and civic audiences
- —Host, PBS North Carolina documentary special It's a Beautiful Day in Pinehurst (2024)
- —Author, Journey With Julian — the memoir UNC cites as the origin of its Autism Fathers Conference
- —Published author and keynote speaker
- —Essayist, The Assembly (North Carolina) — "What My Son's Autism Taught Me About Love, Joy, and Loss"
- —Contributor, The Assembly — reporting on college athletics and athlete compensation (May 2023)
- —Executive producer, Black Ruby Media originals
Career Arc
Several chapters, one throughline.
- 01 · Foundations
Local newsrooms, national instincts
Dwayne built his craft the traditional way — local news and sports desks, nightly deadlines, and the discipline of reporting a story before performing it.
- 02 · National Broadcast
Anchor, play-by-play, correspondent
Years of national sports and news broadcasting: anchoring studio shows, calling games, and reporting not only what happened, but what sport revealed about the people, institutions and communities around it.
- 03 · The Interview Chair
Conversations with consequence
A reputation built on interviews that get past talking points — athletes, coaches, executives, artists and public figures, in rooms where the stakes were real.
- 04 · Keynote Stage
One hour, unscripted, in front of 20,000
Dwayne has led hour-long, unscripted one-on-one keynote conversations, most of them in large arenas before live audiences of 15,000 to 20,000. Guests have included Michelle Obama, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Michael Strahan, Tom Hanks, Magic Johnson, Peyton Manning, Dr. Vivek Murthy and Dr. Condoleezza Rice. The conversations have been highly praised.
- 05 · Author & Advocate
Journey With Julian
Writing publicly about raising a son with autism reframed his platform: from covering other people's turning points to sharing his own.
- 06 · Documentary Host
It's a Beautiful Day in Pinehurst
Dwayne hosted the PBS North Carolina special It's a Beautiful Day in Pinehurst, which premiered June 11, 2024. The hour-long documentary explores the history, people and traditions of the Sandhills golf destination that hosted that year's U.S. Open — place-based cultural storytelling carried on camera from open to close.
- 07 · Founder
Black Ruby Media
A company built to own the work — original programming, hosted franchises, live event hosting, and speaking, all under one editorial standard.
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