Get everyone to see what you see about talent.

You already know hiring is the fastest way to grow the business. These keynotes are how you get everyone else—leaders, hiring managers, recruiters—on the same page and seeing the same opportunity.

Bringing me in isn’t about entertainment.It’s about showing your company how good it could be when Talent Acquisition is treated like a growth engine, not an order-taking function.

Why bring in a speaker?

The purpose of a keynote is simple: create change.

If your teams are:

  • exhausted by the same old “post and pray” recruiting
  • stuck in the mindset that TA is here to “fill the ATS,”
  • unsure how employer branding actually helps them hit numbers

then a keynote is the fastest way to reset the story.

Part expert, part evangelist, my job is to translate hard-won experience into something memorable, useful, and actionable—so people walk out seeing their work (and yours) differently.

The two flagship keynotes

You’ve got two main options, depending on where you need the biggest mindset shift.

Becoming Choosable

A keynote for TA leaders who want to beat big brands without a big spend. This keynote focuses on how you show up to candidates:

  • Why the best candidates aren’t ghosting you—they never picked you in the first place.
  • How to move from “looking good” to being the obvious choice for the right people.
  • How to turn vague EVP promises into clear, repeatable signals across your jobs, outreach, social, and interviews.

Attendees walk away with:

  • A one-page Choosability Canvas to bring everyone together on what you stand for
  • Practical scripts and structures (outreach lines, intake prompts, job-post skeleton)
  • A plan to start changing pipelines now—not “next fiscal.”
Learn more about Becoming Choosable

You’re the Chief Growth Officer

A keynote for leaders who are ready to drive revenue, not just requisitions. This keynote focuses on how the business sees TA:

  • Reframing Talent Acquisition as the most controllable lever of company growth.
  • Showing leaders that growth isn’t a campaign—it’s who you hire.
  • Moving TA from cost center to value driver with metrics a CFO actually believes.

Attendees get:

  • The Four Transformations to embrace immediately
  • Five CGO plays to change how leadership sees TA
  • A clear path to tie hiring decisions directly to growth, margin, and risk
Learn more about You’re the Chief Growth Officer

What changes for your company

Shared language.
Terms like Choosable, differentiated value, growth personas, or pipelines vs job boards become shorthand everyone understands.
A clearer picture of “good.”
Leaders, hiring managers, and recruiters see concrete examples of what “great hiring” looks like in your context—not just generic best practices.
Momentum for change.
Your follow-up conversations about EBOS, Research, or process changes start from curiosity and possibility, not skepticism.
A credibility boost for you.
You’re the one who brought in the session that reframed recruiting as a growth lever. That’s not entertainment—that’s leadership.

Both keynotes are available as:

  • Virtual sessions
  • Live, on-stage keynotes
  • Complete workshop experiences with working sessions built in

Most events fall in the $5,000–$11,000 range depending on format and depth (talk only vs. keynote + workshop). Every booking includes:

  • a pre-event discovery call to align on goals and audience
  • tailored examples and language for your industry and priority roles
  • practical leave-behinds (canvas/playbook, templates, pilot plan)
  • a no-fluff guarantee: this is about outcomes and behavior change, not vague inspiration.
"James is not only an expert in his field but also an exceptional storyteller and presenter. His session with our HRIT Connect community of HR system administrators was not only insightful and thought-provoking, but also hilarious!"
Alex Marcus
CEO, & Founder

"This was time definitely well spent! And more important: it was really fun. Lots of food for thoughts and ideas on how to use the insights gained further."

Casper Massnick
Employer Brand Manager

"It was amazing! I kept getting pings on teams from people saying “He’s so great! This is amazing!” Etc. The overall explanation of how we need to differentiate and then digging into their questions and real world examples got the creative juices flowing. You kept it engaging and fun and I got a lot of great feedback about that too."

Christy Spilka
Head of Talent Acquisition

"James is an event organizer's dream speaker. He is professional, personable, easy to communicate with, compes with great knowledge, and really understands how to engage an audience by expertyly blending information, inspiration, energy, and entertainment."

Vadim Liberman
Event Manager

"You're going to get something different when you get James Ellis up on stage: Unique insight and unique delivery. If you need someone to wake the crowd up with expert insight and creative storytelling, James is your guy."

Hung Lee
Industry Expert

"James combines brilliant storytelling and experience with his in depth knowledge of employer branding. Thanks James for bringing your energy and passion. It was certainly refreshing!"

Michelle J Raymond
Entrepreneur and Podcaster

"If you want your organization to understand the value employer brand brings to your business (and the bottom line), look no further. You are up for the professional treat of a lifetime."

Employer Brander

"I said this at the of our last call too, but it bears repeating, because how often do we get to say this after a call, really?! I feel smarter. THANK YOU for that invaluable reframe."

Nichole CrAft
Employer Brander