Awards Nights · Gala Dinners · Fundraisers
An awards night is fifty tiny moments that matter enormously to somebody. Jo Casamento hosts galas, awards ceremonies and charity fundraisers with warmth, pace and a broadcaster’s polish — every name right, every winner celebrated, every sponsor thanked like it wasn’t on a card.
Jo is the ambassador and MC for Barnardos Australia’s Mother of the Year, an ambassador and host for Autism MATES, and a regular behind the microphone for the Windgap Foundation’s fundraising balls and events. She understands that a charity gala has two jobs — a wonderful night and a fundraising total — and hosts for both.
Based in Sydney, hosting Australia-wide — Jo has toured regional Australia for News Corp’s live event series, so an awards night in any city or region travels easily. Every event is quoted on run time, preparation and travel; send your date and venue to check availability.
Two decades on Australian screens, radio and mastheads — the credibility walks into the room before she does.
Placeholder section — not real quotes. The layout is built and ready; the six cards below are dummy text so the design can be reviewed. Replace with real quotes (name, job title, company, event) before this page is promoted.
“Sample quote — what the client said about the room, the timing, or how Jo handled a moment that could have gone wrong.”
“Sample quote — ideally names a specific save: the speaker who ran late, the AV that failed, the segment that needed care.”
“Sample quote — the strongest kind names a repeat booking, e.g. ‘back for the fourth year running’.”
“Sample quote — from a charity or gala client, on how the fundraising moment was handled.”
“Sample quote — from a brand or launch client, on tone and how well she represented the brand.”
“Sample quote — from a conference organiser, on preparation and how little they had to manage on the day.”
Repeat bookings carry the most weight — “back for the fourth year” outperforms any adjective.
The fee is never just the hours on stage — that’s the part everyone sees. Every booking includes:
No weddings. Corporate, media, brand and charity events are all Jo does — which means every hour of preparation goes into rooms like yours.
The names are the easy part. The real job is pace — keeping a long ceremony alive — plus rehearsed pronunciations, sponsor moments delivered with warmth, handling the unscripted (emotional speeches, technical stumbles) gracefully, and making every winner feel like the night was built around them.
Yes — it's a specialty. Jo is ambassador and MC for Barnardos Australia's Mother of the Year, ambassador and host for Autism MATES, and a regular host of Windgap Foundation fundraising balls. She hosts for the room and for the fundraising total.
Yes. Jo preps every finalist name and pronunciation, works through the run sheet with your producer, and can attend a rehearsal or tech run where the format calls for it. Preparation is included in how each event is quoted.
Jo hosts the room around them — building energy into the moment and keeping the night on track. If you have a specialist auctioneer, she hands over and back seamlessly; that's standard practice for big charity nights.
The popular Thursday-to-Saturday slots in awards season go months out. Jo is booking 2026/27 now — if your night is locked, enquire early; if it's close, ask anyway.
A few details is all it takes — you’ll hear back promptly, usually within a business day.