A seasoned speaker who has engaged numerous audiences, Rick’s presentations are spiked with humor, creative visuals and quirky props. They have proven popular at conventions, corporate events, universities, and other venues. He often draws on his own personal experiences and on on the hundreds of quirky history stories he has researched to make audiences think and smile at the same time.

Selected Topics

• Rivals Unto Death: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr
• The Ghost Army of WWII
• Innovation Under Your Nose (Based on the book, The Greatest Science Stories Never Told)
• A Long Strange Trip: Tales from Music History (based on the book, The Greatest Music Stories Never Told)
• Confessions of a History Filmmaker
• The Road to Revolution: 1765-1775
• Rick’s Rules of History

Selected Events

• Guest Speaker - Boston Public Library (Virtual), Boston MA, June, 2020

• Guest Speaker - National WWII Museum, New Orleans, LA, March 2020
• Date with History - First Division Museum, Wheaton Illinois, December 2019 (Link to full video)
• Artist in Residence, Quad City Arts, serving Quad Cities (Ilinois/Iowa), multiple events over six days, November 2019
• Author Talk - FDR Presidential Library, Hyde Park, NY, June 2019
• Guest Speaker - Harper College, Palatine Il, October 2018
• Guest Speaker - FBI Headquarters, Intelligence Branch Speaker Series, Washington DC, May 2018
• Guest Speaker - Merck, Upper Gwynned, Pennsylvania, April 2018
• Featured Speaker - Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA, March 2018
• Guest Speaker - Fraunces Tavern, NYC, November 2017
• Guest Speaker - FOCO Music and Books Festival, Fort Collins, Colorado October 2017
• Keynote Speaker - Daughters of the American Revolution, Massachusetts State Dinner, September 2017
• Guest Speaker - New Orleans Museum of Art, September 2017
• Featured Speaker - Smithsonian Associates, Washington DC January 2017
• Guest Speaker - Suffolk University, November 2016
• Featured Speaker - Sweetser Lecture Series, Wakefield MA, April 2016
• Guest Speaker - American Library, Paris, July 2016
• Featured Speaker - Vero Beach Museum of Art, International Lecture Series, February 2015
• Memorial Day Speaker - Lexington MA, 2014
• Featured Speaker - Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida, "Lives of Purpose" Gala, March 2014
• Keynote Speaker - Music Teachers National Association, March 2013
• Guest Speaker - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 50th Anniversary Symposium, October 2012
• Featured Speaker - Cary Lecture Series, Lexington MA, September 2012
• Keynote Speaker - RPMDA Conference, May 2012
• Keynote Speaker Medtronic Neuromodulation Division Innovation Week, January 2011

Comments

"You are a born raconteur, and you kept everyone’s interest throughout the evening. I heard so many compliments afterwards that I lost track." Ruth Robbins, Senior Coordinator: Education and Cultural Programs, Smithsonian Associates

"From the first phone call to the final performance, Rick Beyer was an ideal presenter to work with. Rick went above and beyond our expectations. From senior citizens to high school students, Rick was able to connect. Our program received glowing reviews and positive feedback from all ages and areas of our community." Kelly Schrader, Quad City Arts

"What an electrifying presentation! Our packed auditorium, filled to beyond capacity, was enthralled from the very minute you opened your lecture, as the hundreds of comments by our attendees attest."Sara Murphy, Sweetser Lecture CommitteeWakefield, MA

“If you are a conference organizer or meeting planner looking for a keynote speaker to both educate and entertain, book Rick Beyer and your members will think you’re a genius! He skillfully illustrates his witty, well-prepared commentary with engaging visuals and audio clips, and turns the audience into active participants.” Madeline Crouch, Executive Director. RPMDA

"Rick “had me (and the audience) at HELLO”! He was dynamic and engaging with our auditorium audience of 100+ people and 100+ on WebCast. His humor, pictures, videos and storytelling were captivating to all attendees. It was by far one of the best experiences I have had at my company in the past 21 years." Leigh-Anne Good, Learning Partner, US Marketing,Merck

"He masterfully delivered highlights of our institution’s 50-year history, in a way that was not only entertaining but also laced with insights unbeknownst even to those whose story he told. Rarely are story-tellers so engaging while describing reality, as is Mr. Beyer." Dr. William Evans,Director and CEO, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

"Thank you very much for your thought-provoking and captivating presentation last week. It was a perfect capstone to our Innovation Week and your engaging presentation received a lot of very positive comments. I am confident that the messages and corresponding examples that you left will translate into people thinking differently about how they approach the whole concept of innovation." Thomas M. Tefft, Sr. Vice President & President, Neuromodulation. Medtronic, Inc.

"He captivated our performing arts faculty and inspired them to consider the possibilities of “A Wild Idea!”, risk-taking, innovation, and seeking alternative ways to accomplish an age-old tradition - - teaching music and dance!" Noah Blocker Glynn, Director, Hartt School Community Division
Hartford, CT

“We'll be talking about it for years.” Gary L. Ingle, Executive Director and CEO, Music Teachers National Association