…what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career.”
—Liam Neeson, in the film Taken
What does an FBI special agent know that you don’t know when it comes to protecting you and your business from terrorism, cybersecurity threats and active shooters?
Plenty.
But how does he become a quoted expert in the media?
Persistence.
A frequent contributor for Fox News Channel and other media outlets, John Iannarelli has leveraged that to become a highly sought-after consultant and keynote speaker, known for sharing his intriguing insights combined with his sense of humor. He works with numerous Fortune 500 companies, the United Nations and the Vatican, where he has personally met on several occasions with Pope Francis.
Iannarelli is an international consultant who retired from the FBI after more than 20 years of service, during which time he was a member of the FBI SWAT team and participated in the investigations of the Oklahoma City Bombing, the 9/11 attack, and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ shooting.
“After retiring from the FBI, I sought to continue working with the media by utilizing my extensive knowledge of law enforcement matters,” said Iannarelli. “I began researching on LinkedIn for producers with major news networks and reached out to offer my services. Initially, I did not receive a response and recognized that I had to offer something different to initiate attention.”
Among his many FBI assignments, Iannarelli previously served in Washington, D.C. as the FBI National Spokesperson and later on the executive staff of the FBI’s Cyber Division. During his FBI tenure, Iannarelli was the recipient of the FBI Director’s Distinguished Service Award, for which he was selected from the ranks of the Bureau’s 35,000 employees.
“I spent 21 years as an FBI special agent, during which time I had served as the national spokesperson for FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., said Iannarelli. “In this position, I regularly addressed the national and international media on all matters involving the Bureau. Likewise, in positions I held in various field offices, I continued to appear on television news discussing FBI-related investigations.”
Having a focus was key.
"To get quoted in the media, I began to focus on major law enforcement stories in the news and again reached out to the producers, this time using my professional insights and offered suggestions as to the issues that were being missed and what questions the news should be asking,” he said. “This resulted in one Fox News Channel producer giving me a call. Shortly thereafter, I made my first appearance on Fox, which went well.”
Persistence paid off. Based upon his initial appearance, word soon got around and he began receiving calls from other producers and began making regular appearances, providing insights that those outside law enforcement would not be able to consider.
“I now find myself appearing weekly on the Fox News Channel on a variety of their primetime programs,” added Iannarelli.
Iannarelli is the author of four books, including Why Teens Fail and What to Fix, a parents’ guide to protecting their children from Internet predators and other dangers, Information Governance Security about how businesses can protect their important information from loss or compromise and How to Spot A Terrorist Before It’s Too Late, a guide to help people recognize and prevent terrorism before it can occur. His soon-to-be-released fifth book, Disorderly Conduct, examines the lighter side of law enforcement and the humorous moments during his FBI career.
