[25:38] Imagine preparing for a presentation so intensely that you create life-size cutouts of your audience just to practice answering their toughest questions. That’s exactly what one entrepreneur and longtime Toastmaster did before pitching his business TV’s Shark Tank. In this episode host Greg Gazin speaks with Ari Siegel, founder of History By Mail, about how Toastmasters helped him prepare for one of the most high-pressure speaking moments imaginable—presenting his idea on national television in front of five investors and millions of viewers.
Ari explains that months of preparation allowed him to walk into the studio feeling excited rather than nervous. Ari studied past episodes, anticipated the kinds of questions investors might ask, and practiced his responses repeatedly. By the time he stepped into the tank, the pitch felt less like a risky moment and more like a well-rehearsed presentation.
One of Ari’s most interesting insights is how closely the format of the show resembles a Toastmasters meeting. Ari also shares how storytelling plays a central role in his business. His company, History By Mail, sends subscribers replicas of historical documents along with guides that explain the stories behind them. That same ability to bring history to life helped him communicate his idea clearly to the investors—and even led to an unexpected interaction with legendary magician David Copperfield.
Ari shares more about this experience in the Toastmasters Magazine article “Taking My Speaking Skills to TV: How Toastmasters Prepared Me for Shark Tank,” published in the March 2026 issue.
Listeners will hear…
• Why Ari says Shark Tank is surprisingly similar to a Toastmasters meeting—
• The unusual preparation method Ari used before appearing on the show:
• How Table Topics experience helped him respond to rapid-fire questions from multiple investors
• Why body language, posture, and eye contact play an important role in building credibility with an audience
• How storytelling helped Ari clearly explain the idea behind History By Mail
• What happened after the episode aired and the powerful “Shark Tank effect” that followed
• How Ari’s passion for historical storytelling eventually led to an unexpected interaction with magician David Copperfield
About Ari Siegel
Ari Siegel is the founder of History By Mail, a subscription service that delivers replicas of historical documents along with the stories behind them. A longtime Toastmaster, Ari credits the organization with helping him develop the communication skills that prepared him to pitch his business on national television on Shark Tank.
Ari Siegel lives in Chicago, Illinois and can be reached at: https://historybymail.com
You can also watch Ari's Shark Tank Pitch as well as his follow up appearance on YouTube.
