Freelance speechwriter gives awards to speeches he likes

Matthew Cossolotto is Barnum and Bailey, Bernays and Buffer, all rolled up into one former political and corporate speechwriter who’s been running his own firm, Ovations International, for 13 years.

Cossolotto’s latest promotional gambit is the “Standing O Awards,” in which he records a YouTube video praising a powerful speech. His first Standing O Award goes to President Obama’s July 16 speech to the NAACP. Here’s what Cossolotto has to say.