“Dana brought an incredible depth of knowledge and firsthand experience to my LGBTQ+ journalism class at Northwestern University. Through her work with queer media outlets across the country, she has developed a unique understanding of hte challenges facing independent LGBTQ+ newsrooms, as well as the exciting ways they are collaborating and innovating. Her presentation on the LGBTQ+ Media Mapping Project offered students valuable insight into the landscape of local LGBTQ+ journalism nationwide. She was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and generous in sharing her expertise with the next generation of journalists.” — Jake Wittich, adjunct professor at Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism
“A masterclass in narrative storytelling.” - Dorrine Mendoza, Family Independent Media Sustainability Lab
"Watching Dana Piccoli moderate a panel is seeing a master at work. Her ability to entertain a nearly 1,000-seat crowd of fans while putting A-list talent at ease takes discipline and a little bit of magic and Dana has it in spades. She's well researched, hilarious (see: Gifs) and it's not surprising that she has her own growing family of fans including me. One thing is for certain. Dana Piccoli, Fairy Gaymother, master of ceremonies, is one of us." - Jessica Payne, Digital Marketing Strategist (Brand Organics)
"I've attended a lot of panels at cons and gotten the chance to see many different moderators and experience different styles of moderation. Dana Piccoli is definitely one of my favorites, if not my favorite, moderator. Her infectious energy makes the panels/Q&As fly by in the best way. She is able to connect to the guest(s) and audience with ease and without overshadowing the guest(s). Dana gives plenty of time for audience questions, and for the guest(s) to have a little fun on stage. Dana also makes sure the discussions stay respectful, which is extremely important for guest and audience alike (nobody wants to be in the audience when someone asks a question that makes you cringe). Dana's moderation vastly improved what was already a stellar convention experience." - Catherine Meushaw, Staff Writer, 4 Your Excitement (4ye.co.uk)
"I was lucky enough to be a participant on a panel moderated by Dana Piccoli. She immediately made everyone on the panel and in the audience feel welcome and excited. She was prepared with fantastic questions and also had the ability to be flexible when an interesting topic came up that she could see people were interested in exploring. At every moment during the panel Dana always had the audience in mind and made the panel about serving their hunger for knowledge and information the panelists possessed." Christin Baker (President of Tello Films, Clexacon panelist)
“I don’t know who Dana Piccoli is but I feel like she runs the lesbian community.” - AbbyG, X (Twitter)