At this transitioning period, Rizzo also met Nancy Lauterbach, the founder of Five Star Speakers and Trainers after a show in Orlando, Florida, and according to Kelli Vrla in "Speaker" (a publication of National Speakers Association) of September 2010, "she took him under her wing and helped him structure his presentation. In his first showcase, Rizzo ranked dead last out of 23 speakers because he tried to sound like a "serious motivational speaker." He soon realized his humor was the key to his authenticity. "I was light years ahead of many professional speakers because I had command of an audience," Rizzo says. When Rizzo incorporated humor in his next showcase, buyers immediately hired him. He signed an exclusive agreement with Five Star, and his speaking business took off. Rizzo credits Lauterbach with helping him establish a foothold in his new career." Rizzo had a PBS Special which he created by himself, and he was also the executive producer. In an article published on December 08, 2006 by Oprah Radio (via Oprah.com), Mehmet Oz wrote that "Steve Rizzo is the author of "Becoming a Humor Being", and the creator and executive producer of his own nationally syndicated PBS special. After doing stand-up comedy for many years, Steve transitioned to being a professional humorist speaker." A publication by McGraw-Hill (introducing Rizzo's book, "Get Your SHIFT Together: How to Think, Laugh, and Enjoy Your Way to Success in Business and in Life") says, "[Rizzo reaches] well over 50,000 people a year through his talks and weekly Rizzo-Gram e-mails." Rizzo was featured on MSNBC and Oprah and Friends radio network as a consultant. In the introduction of Rizzo's book, "Get Your SHIFT Together: How to Think, Laugh, and Enjoy Your Way to Success in Business and in Life", published on the website of McGraw-Hill, Rizzo is described as ""The Attitude Adjuster", is a personal development expert whose clients include American Airlines, BP, JPMorgan Chase, Scholastic, and Sprint, among others. As a standup comic, he has headlined with many titans of comedy, including Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy, Drew Carey, and Ellen DeGeneres." At a National Association of Trailer Manufacturers (NATM)'s event in 2002, Rizzo was a keynote speaker.