ELON COLLEGE – At 6’2″, Jeanne Swanner Robertson bills herself as a tall speaker with a tall sense of humor.
Robertson will share her humorous stories with audiences Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 in Whitley Auditorium on the Elon College campus. The shows will be taped and packaged into an hour-long video that will air on UNC-TV. No tickets remain for either show.
The professional speaker gives more than 100 presentations to corporations and associations each year. She stresses how a sense of humor can be an integral part of one’s strategy for success. Her work has been recognized with the Cavett Award, the highest honor in professional speaking, and the Golden Gavel Award, which is presented by Toastmasters International.
Robertson, a Burlington resident and a former Miss North Carolina, was approached about doing the video by Bob Garner and Mark Spano of Countryside Videos.
“I was thrilled about doing the video. It will provide great exposure for me,” Robertson said.
“Jeanne is a national speaker with a national reputation,” Garner said.
“Her kind of humor is universal.”
The challenge came in finding the right location for the performances. Initially the production company, which will produce video with Videofonics in Raleigh, looked at sites in larger cities.
“I knew that I could attract a great audience in Alamance County,” Robertson said. “I suggested Whitley Auditorium. The producers came and looked at Elon and were very impressed.”
Robertson said she is very pleased the producers decided to use Whitley. “Even though I am a graduate of Auburn, my husband and I support Elon. Our son is a graduate.”
Several Elon students will get the opportunity to work on the video production, she added.
As an independent producer, Garner never knows whether a project will be picked up. “In this case, it will air on UNC-TV. It probably will be a Saturday night presentation.”
Garner and his partners also plan to market the video to other PBS stations nationwide.
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