Jen Friel

Jen Friel, born on December 8, 1984, in Hartford, Connecticut, developed an interest in technology at a young age. At eight years old, she established her first computer ‘company,’ where she taught adults how to use early software applications such as WordPerfect, Juno, and Prodigy. This foundational experience in technology led her to become recognized as a significant figure in the technology sector. Her career progressed to include various roles in movie marketing and indirect cellular activation sales, demonstrating her versatility in different industries. During this period, she also became a personality on LiveVideo.com while working for principals at MySpace. These early career stages laid the groundwork for her later entrepreneurial endeavors and contributions to digital media.

Friel later launched Talk Nerdy To Me .com, a platform that gained significant attention and was optioned by Warner Bros. and Jerry Bruckheimer. In August 2015, CBS acquired Talk Nerdy To Me, Lover for a put pilot, signifying the commercial and creative appeal of her work. She played a key role in developing the Throwback.to Facebook page, an IAC property, growing its audience from 4,000 to over 500,000 likes in under nine months, achieving a routine reach of over 9.4 million. In television, Jen was part of Comcast’s inaugural ‘social television’ network, Vidblogger Nation, which aired for three seasons in over 50 million homes. Her entrepreneurial spirit also led her to the CNBC show, West Texas Investors Club, where she successfully pitched her app, Whats Up The App, LLC, securing a $50,000 investment from Rooster McConaughey and Butch Gilliam. She sold WUTA in July 2015 to business owners in Islamorada, FL. Friel’s career also includes speaking engagements at national conferences, such as The Women Powering Technology Summit and The Social Media Strategies Summit, and serving as a Professor For A Day at California State University for two consecutive years.

More recently, Jen Friel has focused on neurodiversity advocacy, driven by her own late diagnoses of autism, ADHD, stealth dyslexia, and prosopagnosia. Through her platform, Talk Nerdy To Me®, she shares personal insights on these conditions, working to raise awareness and improve understanding, especially among women. Her advocacy extends to addressing the mental health challenges associated with undiagnosed neurodivergence. Friel’s efforts have included impactful discussions with organizations such as Stanford Medicine, NASA, and Time Magazine through her Clubhouse presence, where Talk Nerdy To Me® hosted over 350 discussions for 285,000 people. She has also sold additional TV shows to the History Channel and MTV, further demonstrating her continued influence in media. Jen Friel’s work reflects a commitment to educating and empowering others, leveraging her experiences to promote resilience and embracing unique perspectives.