Bob Dotson

Bob Dotson is an Emmy Award-winning NBC News correspondent, documentary producer, and bestselling author whose career spans more than three decades of finding and telling the stories of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things. His reports, American Story with Bob Dotson, have aired on NBC’s TODAY show and as hour-long specials on MSNBC.

Award-Winning Journalism Career
Dotson has received more than 100 awards for broadcast journalism, including five national Emmy Awards and nine nominations. The Radio and Television News Directors Association chose him for the Edward R. Murrow Award for Writing a record five times, and the Society of Professional Journalists named him Best Network Feature Reporter. His work has also earned top honors from the National Press Photographers, DuPont-Columbia, and the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation.

Author, Documentarian, and Storyteller
Bob is the author of two books: Make it Memorable for aspiring journalists and the memoir In Pursuit of the American Dream, which won the George Washington Honor Medal for excellence. His documentary El Capitan’s Courageous Climbers won seven International Film and Video Festivals and the CINE Grand Prize. He holds a B.S. in journalism from Kansas University and an M.S. in television and film from Syracuse University. His keynotes celebrate the power of ordinary people to change our world.

Bob Dotson: Seeking the Extraordinary in Ordinary Lives
With a record four Edward R. Murrow Awards under his belt, NBC News’ Bob Dotson will say his strategy is to let his images tell much of the story. He shares inspiring tales of ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things, with the kind of twist that will make morning viewers “late for the bus.” In one segment, he chronicles brothers who found their father’s sunken World War II submarine in the Bering Sea when the Navy couldn’t. In another, he shares the ordeals of an Idaho doctor who is willing to fly to other towns and cities to see patients. Each of the stories explores why seemingly average Americans endure obstacles and hardships to achieve results that touch the heart. In truth, it is Dotson’s persistence in tracking down these stories that is equally inspiring. Audiences won’t want to miss this heart-warming presentation that lifts spirits and instills hope..