George Merlis

George Merlis is a veteran print and broadcast journalist and the author of two political novels as well as several how-to books.

In his day job, he uses his 40 years of high-level experience to inform his work as a media trainer and crisis communications consultant. Over the last two decades, Merlis has trained spokespersons in commerce, science, government, entertainment, academic and nonprofit sectors.

As the go-to media and presentation trainer for NASA and the media trainer of first resort in the popular music sector, his clients have ranged -- literally -- from rock stars to rocket scientists.

In the world of fiction, he takes the ridiculous and makes it sublime and visa versa. His lates political novel, "MINE! A Novel of The Trump," presents a dystopian America of 2026 when the United States has been replaced by four republics, one of which is run chaotically by an entirely fictional President Donald Trump.

"The View" host, Joy Behar, says of the book: “In ‘MINE!’ a funny take on political dystopian fiction, George Merlis creates a fictional president with the unlikely name of Donald Trump, who demands to be addressed as ‘Excellency’ although there’s nothing excellent about him. In the course of the novel, Merlis reveals the identity of Q — the great granddaughter of the author of ’The Protocols of the Elders of Zion — and skewers targets of opportunity ranging from a hyperbaric oxygen-addicted Rupert Murdoch to a Dr. Pepper-swigging Attorney General Sidney Powell and a mad and maddening Defense Secretary Michael Flynn. It’s a funny romp with a decidedly satisfying conclusion.”

About his media mastery books, ABC News anchor emeritus Diane Sawyer said this: "George Merlis knows everything about blasting through the background sound and making your point. He is not just a great coach for acing a media interview - his rules work for all of life." The latest of his media mastery books is "Master the Media v3.0."

He has also co-written two books on energy conservation and an earlier novel, "V.P."

As a TV producer, Merlis has been nominated for nine national Emmy awards and has won one. He has been executive producer of "Good Morning America," "The CBS Morning News," "The Dick Cavett Show" and "Entertainment Tonight." He has conducted or overseen more than 10,000 interviews, the vast majority of them on live television -- the most demanding situation for both interviewer and interviewee.

Earlier in his career, he was a newspaper reporter and served as the day city editor of the country's largest afternoon newspaper. He is one of the few journalists to have covered both the 1961 building and the 1989 destruction of the Berlin wall.

He has a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and has traveled the world both as a journalist and as a media trainer and crisis communications consultant.