Keynote Conversations
Dwayne Ballen's keynote conversations are a rare, demonstrated live format: an unscripted, hour-long, one-on-one interview that holds arena-scale audiences — now available to conferences, leadership summits, corporate events and large gatherings that need a centerpiece, not another deck.
Substantive dialogue with newsmakers, thought leaders, and the cultural vanguard.
Dwayne Ballen in keynote conversation with Dr. Condoleezza Rice on a conference main stage.
The Offering
Most moderated keynotes are rehearsed Q&A with pre-cleared answers. Dwayne Ballen's are the opposite: one hour, one guest, entirely unscripted, carried live.
It is a format he has proven on the largest stages — hour-long, one-on-one conversations staged in arenas before live audiences of 15,000 to 20,000 people, with guests of national standing. The conversations have been highly praised by the organizations that programmed them.
That track record is now offered to organizers as a distinct, bookable business line for live events. It is a main-stage centerpiece: a conversation your audience remembers because nothing in it was read from a screen.
No specific future clients or current demand is claimed here.
Format at a glance
Engagement Formats
~60 minutes
The signature format: one hour, one guest, no script. The centerpiece of a main-stage program, carried entirely by a live, unscripted interview between Dwayne and a single consequential guest.
Best for
Conference main stages, major association gatherings, flagship corporate events.
30–45 minutes
A focused, on-the-record conversation with a CEO, founder, principal or public leader, framed for the room that needs to hear them think out loud — boards, leadership summits, investor days.
Best for
Leadership summits, board offsites, annual meetings, investor and partner events.
20–40 minutes
A high-impact interview segment embedded inside a larger program — an awards night, a product launch, a civic event — where one sharp conversation becomes the moment people remember.
Best for
Galas, awards nights, product launches, civic and cultural events.
Each format is fully produced with research, pre-interview and run-of-show alignment. Custom durations and hybrid formats are available on request.
Keynote conversation with Michael Strahan, live on an arena main stage
Ideal Stages & Audiences
Industry, professional and academic conferences that want a centerpiece conversation rather than another keynote deck.
Executive, board and partner convenings where a moderated dialogue with a principal guest is the draw.
Sales kicks, annual meetings, investor days and internal broadcasts that need credibility and a host who can go off-script safely.
Trade associations, foundations, universities and civic organizations programming for large, discerning rooms.
Arena- and stadium-scale events built around a single headline conversation in front of 15,000 to 20,000 people.
Galas, hall-of-fame inductions and cultural events where a featured interview becomes the emotional anchor.
Value Proposition
Most 'keynote interviews' are scripted Q&A with pre-submitted questions. Dwayne's are unscripted, hour-long and proven in front of 15,000 to 20,000 people. The format itself is the differentiator.
Three decades of live broadcast means the conversation stays intelligent, on time and on the rails — even when the guest goes somewhere unexpected. Nothing derails the program; nothing feels canned.
Dwayne has held this hour with figures of national standing. The track record is the proof that the room will be in safe, prepared hands.
Every engagement begins with a research memo and a pre-interview. The conversation is shaped to your audience, your guest and the outcome your organization needs from the hour.
Track Record
Dwayne Ballen has conducted one-on-one keynote conversations of roughly an hour, entirely unscripted — most of them staged in large arenas in front of live audiences of 15,000 to 20,000 people.
No teleprompter, no submitted questions, no safety net: a single interviewer holding an hour of live attention and drawing out a guest of national standing while thousands watch. These conversations have been highly praised by the organizations and audiences who commissioned them.
For an organizer, that is the proof of concept. The same craft, with your guest and your audience, becomes the centerpiece of your program.
Keynote conversation guests
On Stage
Long-Form One-on-One
Dwayne's interview work spans live stages and one-on-one exchanges. This conversation with Tom Hanks brings that breadth into view: personal connection, attentive listening and a single guest at the centre.
How a booking runs
A short call to define the guest, the audience and the outcome the hour needs to deliver.
A research memo and pre-interview with the guest before anyone walks on stage.
Question architecture, run-of-show alignment and a rehearsal where the room needs one.
An unscripted, on-time, broadcast-grade hour carried live in front of your audience.
Optional clip packages and editorial follow-through after the conversation closes.
Distinct Offering
This page
A live-event business line: unscripted, hour-long, one-on-one conversations booked for organizers' main stages.
Not this
A produced television-style conversation series for networks, streamers and distributors — a media franchise, not a live-event booking.
Not this
A reported editorial franchise examining the serious issues across all of sport — a media property, not a live moderated conversation.
Tell us the event, the audience and the guest you have in mind. We'll come back with availability, a format recommendation and a fee range within two business days.