Terry O’Reilly
Host of CBC Radio's Under the Influence
Terry O’Reilly is the familiar voice behind the hit CBC radio shows O’Reilly on Advertising, The Age of Persuasion, and his current program, Under the Influence, where he explores the business, the craft, and the promise of promotion. In his intriguing talks, O’Reilly shares his unique insights and solutions as he explores the big and small things organizations must do to create effective marketing, and provides his expertise on branding, campaigns, spin, and more.
O’Reilly began his career writing commercials for radio, before becoming an award-winning copywriter for a number of Toronto advertising agencies. He created campaigns for many of the top brands in the country, including Labatt, Pepsi USA, Goodyear Tires, Tim Hortons, Nissan, and The Hudson’s Bay Company. In 1990, Terry co-founded Pirate Radio & Television, a creative audio production company, which grew to eight recording studios in Toronto and New York City.
Now as the host of the CBC Radio One/Sirius Satellite/WBEZ Chicago radio show, Under The Influence, O’Reilly reaches one million listeners a week, while his podcast has been downloaded more than 23 million times. He also co-wrote the bestselling book The Age of Persuasion: How Marketing Ate Our Culture and recently released his latest book This I know: Marketing Lessons From Under the Influence.
O’Reilly has received numerous national and international awards, including lifetime achievement awards by the Advertising & Design Club of Canada, The Television Bureau of Canada, and the American Marketing Association. He has also directed such notable actors as Alec Baldwin, Ellen DeGeneres, Kiefer Sutherland, Bob Newhart, and Alan Arkin.
In 2012, O’Reilly was granted an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from McMaster University. He also received an Honorary Bachelor of Applied Arts Degree from Humber College in 2014, and an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law Degree from St. Mary’s University in Halifax in 2015.