Former FBI Hostage Negotiator Chris Voss Launches New Online Streaming Network
By Emily Holmes Edited by Jason Feifer
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Chris Voss is a master negotiator. And until now, his fans had the usual ways to learn from him — through books, online courses, and social media.
But now Voss — a former FBI hostage negotiator and author of the best-selling book Never Split the Difference — has added a new, more interactive way to teach his skills: He's launching a streaming "business negotiation network". It's a live, interactive video channel, where subscribers can join group coaching sessions, prepare for upcoming negotiations, and win one-on-one sessions with Voss himself.
In doing so, Voss is adding a new spin on a movement being embraced by experts, influencers, creators: launching their own the private, online communities.
"It doesn't disrupt anything on social or in terms of traditional media," says Voss, in explaining why a streaming network made sense in his ecosystem. "It is instead acting as our central hub for our audience to be able to engage in a two-way fashion and take our learnings from our books, masterclass, and social posts to the next level."
Personalities are launching interactive spaces on a wide variety of platforms, like Circle and Mighty Networks, as they look to engage and monetize the audiences they've built. Voss's network is being hosted on Fireside, a platform founded by serial entrepreneur Falon Fatemi and Mark Cuban, which also hosts interactive streaming services with personalities including clairvoyant Tyler Henry and reality TV star Heather Dubrow.
Voss's network is called the Black Swan Network, and it costs $999 a year. It's an outgrowth of his negotiation consulting firm, Black Swan Group, and the network's video sessions will heavily feature the coaches from his company — though Voss and his V.I.P. guests will also appear monthly, and members can win one-on-one coaching with Voss and his team.
Voss says he expects the network to reach a wide range of people who need to negotiate every day — including executives, salespeople, real estate agents, recruiters, entrepreneurs, investors, and more. "It specifically targets those who wish to enhance their workplace negotiation skills," he says.