Stephen E. Terrell
Press

On the record.

New By Stephen · Ad Age · Opinion · October 14, 2026

“A complaint is information. It is not a verdict.”

His billboard came down in Fort Lauderdale in 1994 after a complaint. It was back up in 24 hours. His second op-ed for Ad Age, on the difference between a complaint and a verdict.

Stephen E. Terrell in Ad Age
Read it in Ad Age Tear sheet (PDF)
By Stephen

In his own words.

Opinion pieces and articles published under his byline.

  1. Ohio Capital JournalOctober 23, 2026Vice President JD Vance: The Ohio ‘hillbilly’ who learned to punch downCommentary. A gay Ohioan on the vice president’s Texas joke, the insinuation that followed, and the Senate Leadership Fund ad Ohio voters should check. Ran on the front page; picked up by Yahoo News.
  2. Ad AgeOctober 14, 2026A complaint about your ad is information—it is not a verdictOpinion. The 1994 Fort Lauderdale billboard that was taken down after a complaint and back up within 24 hours, and what a complaint actually tells a brand. Tear sheet (PDF).
  3. Ad AgeSeptember 28, 2026“Our industry treats credit as a courtesy.” On creative credit as compensationOpinion. Drawn from the Betty White campaigns he led. Tear sheet (PDF).
  4. cleveland.com / The Plain DealerMarch 2026Inside Wexner’s Machine: Power, Insulation and SilenceGuest opinion. Tear sheet (PDF).
  5. cleveland.com / The Plain DealerFebruary 2026They Once Protested Power. Now They Defend It.Guest opinion. Tear sheet (PDF).

Earlier bylines, 2012–2022: trade and industry press on life settlements, longevity and financial toxicity, written as an executive of The Lifeline Program, Golden Opportunity Network and 2Cancer.com.

  1. ConquerDecember 2022The Burden of Financial Toxicity for LGBTQ People with CancerCredited to Stephen E. Terrell, President, 2Cancer.com.
  2. Insurance ForumsApril 19, 2017Trend Watch: New Opportunities for Advisors and Retiree Clients with Unwanted Policies
  3. Insurance ForumsJanuary 11, 2017Life Settlements and the Misinformation Game
  4. WealthManagement.comOctober 19, 2015The Good vs. Bad of Life Settlement Capital
  5. WealthManagement.comAugust 18, 2015Life Insurance Liquidation and Other Key Trends
  6. WealthManagement.comJuly 28, 20153 Questions You Should Ask Your Life Settlement Professional
  7. Advisor PerspectivesJune 30, 2015A Case Study for Using Life Settlements
  8. WealthManagement.comJune 16, 2015Understanding the Longevity Calculation
  9. ThinkAdvisorApril 7, 2015Understanding Life Settlements Can Increase AUMOn ThinkAdvisor’s author page; byline shows as “thinkadvisor” after the redesign.
  10. WealthManagement.comMarch 24, 2015Survey Shows Life Settlements Remain Misunderstood
  11. InsuranceNewsNetMarch 11, 2015Life Settlement’s Benefits Often Are Misunderstood
  12. Advisor PerspectivesFebruary 24, 2015A Fresh Look at Life Settlements in 2015
  13. ThinkAdvisorNovember 14, 2014New Life Settlement Options Are a Win-Win for Insureds and HeirsOn ThinkAdvisor’s author page; byline shows as “thinkadvisor” after the redesign.
  14. WealthManagement.comNovember 10, 2014Knowing the Hard Truths About Life Settlements Can Capture Money in Motion
  15. ThinkAdvisorSeptember 23, 2014Term-to-Perm Profit with Life SettlementsListed on ThinkAdvisor’s author page for Stephen E. Terrell; the visible byline reads “thinkadvisor” after the site’s redesign.
  16. InsuranceNewsNetSeptember 4, 2014Pros and Cons of Life Settlements to Help with Retirement Costs
  17. California BrokerSeptember 2014Pros & Cons of Life Settlements as Retirement Costs Grow
  18. WealthManagement.comAugust 29, 2014Sell Half, Keep Half: Newest Life Settlement Option
  19. ThinkAdvisorApril 29, 2014Tomorrow’s Life Settlement: Integral to Retirement PlanningOn ThinkAdvisor’s author page; byline shows as “thinkadvisor” after the redesign.
  20. ThinkAdvisorApril 30, 2012A ‘Boom’ in Life SettlementsOn ThinkAdvisor’s author page; byline shows as “thinkadvisor” after the redesign.
  21. ThinkAdvisorApril 16, 2012Know Your Life Settlement RulesOn ThinkAdvisor’s author page; byline shows as “thinkadvisor” after the redesign.
01 · About him

Coverage that names Stephen.

A selection from three decades. The complete record of press is available on request.

  1. GlobeNewswireJuly 8, 2026Brand Strategist Stephen E. Terrell Comes Home to OhioPress release announcing the site. Carried by Yahoo Finance.
  2. News 5 ClevelandOctober 31, 2025You Can Adopt a Child for Christmas with Project NoelleBy Maya Lockett. Quotes Stephen as a Project Noelle volunteer: “We’re putting children into a safe zone that they haven’t had.”
  3. LifeHealthJanuary 11, 2024Barbara Eden, the Legendary “I Dream of Jeannie” Star, Joins WeBuy75.comNames Stephen as Branding Innovator at WeBuy75.com and quotes him on the casting.
  4. Scott Page, MediumFebruary 4, 2022Remembering My Behind-the-Scenes Relationship with Betty WhiteFirst-person account, not independent reporting: “My friend and vice president of marketing, Steve Terrell, firmly insisted that we try to get Betty.”
  5. LifeHealthJanuary 14, 2014The Lifeline Program Celebrates 25 Silver Years of Life Insurance SettlementsBusiness Wire release. Scott Page credits Stephen with proposing Betty White: “When approached about hiring Betty by Stephen E. Terrell…”
  6. Los Angeles TimesMarch 31, 2012Facebook’s Timeline Format Spells Trouble for Some CompaniesBy Mike Swift. Opens on Stephen, as The Lifeline Program’s senior vice president of branding: “It is really creating a communication problem between us and our client base.”
  7. NBC Los AngelesOctober 13, 2011Betty White is ‘Still Hot’Quotes Stephen, as co-founder of The Lifeline Program, on the “I’m Still Hot” video.
  8. AceShowbizOctober 13, 2011Betty White Shows Her Moves in ‘I’m Still Hot’ Music VideoQuotes Stephen on the social-media strategy behind the campaign.
  9. Billboard2011Betty White, Rapper With a CauseQuotes Stephen, as The Lifeline Program’s senior vice president of sales, marketing and public relations, on using social media to build the “I’m Still Hot” campaign.
  10. California BrokerApril 2010The View from The Top, Part I: The Life Settlement Market Begins to Pick UpBy Leila Morris. Quotes Stephen as executive vice president of The Lifeline Program.
  11. The AdvocateMay 27, 1997, pp. 44–49Your Money… or Your LifeFeature on the viatical business that pictures Stephen.

Announcements and contact mentions.

  1. Business WireAugust 19, 2011“Most Trusted Celebrity” Betty White and The Lifeline Program Declare a Contest WinnerRelease; quotes Stephen on bringing the winner to the video shoot.
  2. BroadwayWorldFebruary 13, 2013Betty White Gives America’s Favorite Mom Special Birthday PresentNames Stephen as the Lifeline Program contact.
  3. PRWebJanuary 20, 2017Veteran Life Settlement Professional Launches New Business to Help Fund Golden YearsRelease announcing Golden Opportunity Network; names and quotes Stephen.
  4. PRWebAugust 17, 2017Lusarie and Oest Awarded the Golden Opportunity Network ScholarshipRelease; quotes Stephen as president.
02 · His campaigns

Campaign coverage.

  1. The New York TimesMay 13, 2010Betty White Was a Killer Draw on SNLRan the Lifeline Program campaign image, credited to The Lifeline Program and Mike Ruiz Photography.
  2. ReutersJanuary 2012Betty White retirement coverageCoverage of Betty White during the Lifeline Program partnership.
  3. Fox NewsSeptember 1, 2011Betty White Heats Things Up as Star of Sexy New Music VideoSet visit to the “I’m Still Hot” shoot. Names The Lifeline Program as sponsor and the Los Angeles Zoo as beneficiary.
  4. Long Island PressOctober 13, 2011Betty White Music Video: ‘I’m Still Hot’Release coverage. Reports the remix was recorded for The Lifeline Program.
  5. Access HollywoodBroadcast“I’m Still Hot” set segmentTelevised coverage of the shoot. The original segment is no longer online; still below from a recording of the broadcast.
  6. The Daily BuzzBroadcastBetty White Music Video on The Daily BuzzSyndicated morning-show segment on the “I’m Still Hot” campaign. Archived on The Lifeline Program’s YouTube channel.
  7. Southern VoiceNovember 3, 1994, p. 4Florida billboard flap settledThe Fort Lauderdale billboard, removed and restored the next day.
  8. The AtlanticOctober 4, 2018The Gay Men Who Have Lived for Years With Someone Waiting on Their DeathCites the 1996 “Cash infusion therapy” ad. The article does not name the advertiser.

Related · Hollywood Legends in Advertising, Stephen’s guide to celebrity spokespeople 75 and older.

Access Hollywood broadcast still: Betty White smiling on the I'm Still Hot set, seated on the throne
Access Hollywood — from a recording of the broadcast.
03 · For clients

Press he secured.

For Cashing Out, the New Yorker documentary short, Stephen ran the LGBTQ+ press push from September 2025 to January 2026. The campaign record names his outreach on these four; the full press record lists all seventeen tear sheets and says plainly which placements it does not claim.

  1. OutSeptember 10, 2025What to know about the “AIDS profiteering” doc
  2. InstinctSeptember 14, 2025Matt Bomer is an Executive Producer for AIDS Docu “Cashing Out”
  3. Washington BladeSeptember 15, 2025Short film explores little-known corner of AIDS history
  4. AttitudeSeptember 25, 2025Selling death for dignity
Media

Interviews, commentary, images.

For interviews, commentary or images, call or email directly.

Email Stephen Media line 440-529-1952AboutOne-sheet (PDF)