Abstract
In 1998, former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura stunned the political world by winning the race for governor of Minnesota. As a candidate, Ventura created impressions of honesty with his straightforward, candid style; even his inaugural address was unscripted. As governor, however, Ventura came to rely on a team of speechwriters to help him meet his speaking demands. In this essay, I present an interview with one member of Ventura’s communications team, Steve LeBeau, who addresses the challenge of writing speeches for an unconventional client with a penchant for improvisation. As the essay reveals, LeBeau’s background in media and theater helped, as did a process of trial and error, through which speechwriters found ways to maintain a sense of “authentic Ventura” in the governor’s prepared remarks.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Bruss, K.
(2015).
The Art of "Jesse-Talk": Speechwriting for Governor Jesse Ventura.
Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal, 37(1).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56816/2471-0032.1042
Included in
Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons
