About Mario

Mario Armstrong is a 2x Emmy Award-winning host, columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine, and technology expert on NBC’s TODAY Show. He is an entrepreneurial builder known for turning big ideas into powerful media, live experiences, and lasting opportunity.

As a familiar face on NBC’s TODAY Show, Mario has become one of the country’s most trusted voices on technology, innovation, and personal reinvention. He has hosted live events, conferences, and conversations for leading brands including NetApp, Capital One, IBM, and Vimeo, connecting with audiences from intimate executive rooms to arenas of 10,000 attendees.

What sets Mario apart is that he is not just a host, he is a builder. When traditional doors did not open, he created his own, independently developing, funding, and producing a television show that transformed a New York City office lobby into a studio and went on to win an Emmy. That same entrepreneurial mindset now drives everything from keynote talks and premium brand experiences to new ventures designed to help people move forward.

That entrepreneurial drive was not born from comfort. Mario knows what it feels like to look successful in public while struggling in private. He once stood beside Al Roker on NBC’s TODAY Show in front of millions of viewers while his bank account sat at negative $37.53. That experience never left him. It sharpened his belief that visibility alone is not enough, and that real success means building ownership, stability, and opportunity behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera.

That belief now lives inside OWNR!, the AI and media platform Mario co-created to help aspiring artists and creators build more sustainable, ownership-driven careers. Blending storytelling, technology, and real-world opportunity, OWNR! reflects a mission that has become central to Mario’s work: helping people bridge the gap between talent, visibility, and actual momentum.

Born and built in Baltimore, Mario brings warmth, credibility, and uncommon range to every room he enters. He runs his company alongside his wife and business partner, Nicole, believes deeply in creating your own opportunities, and shows up with the same energy whether he is leading a high-stakes corporate event, interviewing top-tier talent, or building something meaningful behind the scenes. He meditates daily and has a sneaker collection his family considers a category of concern. 😀