When Joanna Jordan launched Central Talent Booking two decades ago, the entertainment industry sought talent bookers capable of working across multiple shows instead of just one.
Starting with a single client, David Letterman, she developed the industry’s largest independent talent booking operation, managing 200 monthly bookings for shows like “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and popular podcasts.
Jordan’s career exemplifies how to foresee disruption. In 2014, she ventured into podcasting when Marc Maron invited her to book “WTF with Marc Maron.” Her initial reaction was, “What the fuck is a podcast?” Now, she believes the term will vanish as content shifts to video and home screens. “Through 30 years in media, you notice when things begin to change,” Jordan says. Whether it was Netflix’s evolution from tech company to content giant or Hollywood labor disputes boosting the creator economy, Jordan has consistently stayed ahead of the curve.
Strategic insight isn’t just about intelligence—it’s about survival. During the entertainment industry’s dual strikes in 2023, Jordan increased focus on podcasts and creators. Her team smoothly transitioned to remote work during the pandemic. When L.A. fires led to massive talk show guest cancellations, shows were rescheduled without her team missing a beat.
A lesson for all leaders: disruption isn’t an anomaly—it’s the norm.
During the pandemic, many companies permanently closed physical offices, and Jordan followed suit this past December. Her team now works virtually across time zones from London to L.A. It’s more about customer service and results than cost-cutting, Jordan says, as the remote team operates 24/7 to address client needs.
Her business structure—five teams of three to four members each, alongside specialists embedded with clients—focuses on outcomes over activities. The team uses AI-generated notes for every Zoom call, conducts regular team syncs, and engages in in-person “therapy group” meetings for connection. “I avoid being so absorbed by the process that it detracts from results,” says Jordan. “We focus on results, not processes. We hustle.”
“Whether you’re Oprah Winfrey, Jimmy Kimmel, or little me, we’re all just trying to balance — balance success, being a good employer, and being a good human being,” says Joanna Jordan, founder and CEO, Central Talent Booking.
About her top bookers, Jordan states that even from the Sahara, she’d hire them. The take: successful service businesses can have talent located anywhere.
Jordan’s agency functions like a newsroom—or a firehouse: high-stakes, constantly adapting, where a guest getting COVID can disrupt entire talk show schedules quickly. Yet, she infuses empathy into this aggressive business model. “I hope my team are good human beings as well as good bookers,” she states. The team responds with understanding, not frustration, especially during challenges like the L.A. fires.
Balancing urgency with humanity might be the most vital skill modern leaders must learn. Jordan saw this balance firsthand, observing Letterman handle various crises. “Dave is very smart, and I learned a lot from his empathetic moments,” she shares.
As a single mother managing a business, Jordan admits pushing herself to extremes. “I needed success—for my clients, my children, and my employees.” However, she learned that running a business—and living—requires deliberate prioritization. She credits Oprah Winfrey, whose magazine her company booked for a decade, with teaching her this truth. “Do I balance my life? I do. Some months are better than others,” Jordan shrugs. The insight lies not in attaining perfect balance, but in making conscious priority decisions and building resilient work teams.
Jordan exemplifies successful leadership in a constantly evolving economy. Her story indicates that thriving amid chaos primarily requires strategic thinking and emotional intelligence. Successful business leaders, in her view, won’t only anticipate the next disruption—they’ll build resilient teams ready for what comes next.
“Whether you’re Oprah Winfrey, Jimmy Kimmel, or little me, we’re all just trying to balance—balance success, balance being a good employer, balance being a good human being,” Jordan concludes. “That’s life—that’s a good life.”
In a world with ever-changing rules, this might be the most valuable lesson.