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A selection of 30 films celebrating the past 20 years of Japanese cinema streams online throughout the U.S. on Japan Society’s virtual cinema, including films by Hirokazu Kore-eda, Naomi Kawase and Takashi Miike Plus, online U.S. premieres of Sion Sono’s Red Post on Escher Street and Yukiko Mishima’s Shape of Red, a special focus on Kiyoshi Kurosawa and a selection of breakout films by up-and-coming filmmakers Red Post on Escher Street © 2021 “Red Post on Escher Street” Film Partners Japan Society and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan (ACA), in collaboration with the Visual Industry Promotion Organization (VIPO), announce the inaugural ACA Cinema Project online film series 21st Century Japan: Films from 2001-2020, streaming nationwide on Japan Society’s Virtual Cinema from February 5-25, 2021. As Japan’s film industry enters the third decade of the new millennium, this 30-film online series takes a look back at the last 20 years of Japanese cinema to celebrate some of the most remarkable narrative fiction films and filmmakers that define the era. Covering a wide range of production styles and genres—from small budget independent debuts to festival favorites and award-winning major studio releases—this diverse slate of feature and short films offers a guided tour of modern Japanese cinema, including special spotlights dedicated to the work of Kiyoshi Kurosawa and a selection of breakout films by up-and-coming filmmakers. A large majority of the films included are streaming in the U.S. exclusively on Japan Society’s Virtual Cinema. Series highlights include the online U.S. Premiere of Red Post on Escher Street, the latest film by cult favorite director Sion Sono (Love Exposure, 2009)—a comically reflexive, wildly unhinged, return-to-roots feature about a talented young director undergoing the production of a new film. Red Post on Escher Street is co-presented with Grasshopper Film, who will screen the title in tandem with Japan Society as part of the newly launched Projectr Movie Club from February 5-18. In addition, director Yukiko Mishima’s female-driven romantic drama Shape of Red makes its online U.S. premiere—a steamy tearjerker about a tenuous love affair adapted from the novel by Naoki Prize-winning author Rio Shimamoto featuring popular stars Kaho and Satoshi Tsumabuki. Billed as “Special Screenings,” these titles are planned to include pre-recorded video Q&As with the respective film’s director. Other highlights include harder-to-see gems by some of Japan’s most internationally prominent filmmakers, including: Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2009 Doona Bae-starring fantasy drama Air Doll; Naomi Kawase’s 2014 Cannes competition title and self-proclaimed masterpiece Still the Water; Takashi Miike’s 2005 family-friendly monster adventure film The Great Yokai War; Shinya Tsukamoto’s 2015 adaptation of Shohei Ooka’s famous anti-war novel Fires on the Plain; trailblazing gay director Ryosuke Hashiguchi’s 2001 LGBT-themed comedic drama Hush!; and the award-winning 2006 murder mystery drama Sway by Miwa Nishikawa, whose latest film Under the Open Sky (2020) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. “While it’s impossible to really capture the last two decades of Japanese narrative fiction filmmaking in its full breadth, we are excited to share at least the tip of the iceberg for these three weeks in February,” says K. F. Watanabe, Deputy Director of Film at Japan Society. “Online or otherwise, a large majority of these titles remain unavailable to watch with English subtitles in the U.S., so I hope this series provides an opportunity to create new fans of filmmakers such as Naoko Ogigami or Shuichi Okita and expand any preconceptions of what modern Japanese cinema can offer.” Katsura Toda, Senior Specialist for Arts and Culture at the Agency for Cultural Affairs, says, “The ACA Cinema Project was launched with the hope of sharing the diverse appeal of Japanese films to audiences around the world and to create more opportunities for these films to be seen. We are pleased to present U.S. audiences with the works of a great variety of directors—including well-established masters, filmmakers with distinctive voices and rising stars of the 21st century—and hope that many people will be able to encounter Japanese films in a fresh way.” $99 All-Access Passes with a 21-day rental window go on sale January 29 through February 4. $8 individual tickets with a 3-day rental window go on sale February 5. Individual tickets for Red Post on Escher Street and Shape of Red are $12. Japan Society members receive a 20% discount on all tickets via coupon code. All films screen online at japancuts.japansociety.org in Japanese with English subtitles unless otherwise noted. All titles available within the U.S. from February 5-25 unless sold out or otherwise noted. Titles also available beyond the U.S. are noted below. Lineup and other details are subject to change. For complete information visit japansociety.org. View the full film line-up here. Screeners available for most titles. Please send all press inquiries to Michael Lieberman at pr.lieberman@gmail.com. For inquiries regarding Japan Society and its Virtual Cinema, please contact Allison Rodman at arodman@japansociety.org.
STORY: The CAA School Safety Patrol team receives international award for their work
Scoring top marks in the category of Communications/PR Campaign of the Year, for Events and Observances, CAA School Safety Patrol ® team was awarded the Gold Stevie Award in the 17th Annual Business Awards for their work on CAA School Safety Patrol 90th Anniversary Campaign. The team worked on campaign elements like, alumni videos, a vest redesign, a choreographed dance called ‘The 45’ Dance and an float entry into the Toronto Santa Claus Parade. The award recognizes the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and working professionals worldwide. This year, the winners were chosen from a pool of over 3,800 nominations from 63 nations and territories. Some quotes from the judges on our entry: "All activities promoting the 90th anniversary reached perfectly their targets and especially the dancing must have leveraged the activities to something cool and awesome – just as kids said… Great ideas, at the same time simple and engaging! Great job." "Impressive and innovative campaign, very interesting!" "Most thrilling and engaging anniversary celebrations for an extremely important cause - safety of the school going kids. Thoroughly enjoyed the videos." The CAA School Safety Patrol program was developed to protect, educate and empower elementary school children on safe road-crossing practices. Along with CAA, the police, school boards, teachers, busing consortia, parents, and approximately 20,000 dedicated student volunteers give their time to ensure road crossings and school buses remain safe for young Ontarians. Approximately 900 schools in Ontario participate in the CAA School Safety Patrol program and works with over 50 partners to help deliver the program. For more information, visit https://www.caaschoolsafetypatrol.com/.
MEDIA RELEASE: CAA study reveals a majority of Ontario drivers favour provincial towing oversight
A recent study conducted on behalf of CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) indicates that 90 per cent of Ontario drivers agree with regulations such as tow truck licensing, certification and provincial oversight. The study, commissioned in April 2020, revealed that only 1 out of 5 Ontario drivers feel “very protected” under the current system. “Consumers should have the confidence that they will be protected regardless of where in the province they are and what kind of towing services they may require,” says Teresa Di Felice, assistant vice-president of government and community relations. The study also showed that half of Ontario drivers believe that tow trucks in Ontario are licensed. This is not the case. A lack of provincial oversight in the towing industry has led to a municipal patchwork of bylaws, which includes inconsistent towing rates, processes, and standards. It has also left motorists unsure on what the rules are, and how to protect themselves from fraudulent activities particularly when it comes to collision tow services. At present, only 18 of Ontario’s 444 municipalities have bylaws regulating towing. That is less than five percent of all communities across the province. “Provincial oversight should provide consistent levels of training for operators, ensure the vitality of an important service on Ontario roads, establish penalties for those that do not follow the rules and recognize people drive outside of cities boundaries.” Some other interesting facts from the study are: An overwhelming majority (91%) of the respondents oppose the idea of anyone driving a tow truck without specific tow truck driver education or training. More than 4 out of 5 respondents agree that the cost of towing and related fees can be misleading. In June, the Ontario government announced its commitment to assemble a task force to review and reform the towing industry. For over a decade, CAA has been advocating for changes to the towing industry. The announcement of a provincial task force is a strong step in the right direction. As part of the journey toward a fair towing framework, please join CAA, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Provincial Towing Association of Ontario (PTAO) for a virtual discussion on the challenges of the towing industry and an overview of what the future of towing could entail. The virtual townhall will take place on Wednesday, August 12, 2020 from noon to 1:30 p.m. To register and for more information, visit: https://www.caasco.com/blog/News/government-focuses-on-the-towing-industry-have-your-say The statistically representative study, commissioned by CAA SCO and conducted by Campaign Research between April 21st to 24th, 2020, surveyed 5,003 Ontarians that hold a valid driver’s license. The study was conducted through online surveys. A probabilistic sample of a similar size would have a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4%, 19 times out of 20.
MEDIA RELEASE: CAA announces the recipients of two provincial school zone safety awards
CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) is proudly awarding two dedicated school zone safety volunteers with Provincial Safety awards. Tyra Sayles, 13, from Brantford has received the CAA School Safety Patroller of the Year award, and Kerri-Ann Sagert a grade 4/5 teacher at Agincourt Jr Public School in Toronto, has received the CAA School Safety Patrol Supervisor of the Year award. “For over 90 years, the CAA School Safety Patrol® program (SSP) has been advocating for the safety of children on their way to and from school, and in school zones. Sayles and Sagert are true road safety champions,” says Leslie Rocha, community relations specialist, CAA SCO. Sayles has been in the program for three years, and excels in her extracurricular activities and academically as well. “I do my best to balance everything because I take pride in making the world a better place in the things I do,” says Sayles. The CAA School Safety Patrol program is a joint effort between CAA, the police, school boards, teachers, busing consortia, parents, and approximately 20,000 dedicated student volunteers. In Brantford, there are over 800 students that participate in the program. “The students really respect and listen to Tyra. When it was discovered that students acted differently once Tyra got off the bus, she offered to stay on the bus for an extra hour of the day with no hesitation,” says Richard Melski, SSP Patrol Supervisor. Sagert, has been a part of the SSP program for 10 years. “I believe in everything the program stands for so much that I actively promote the program to younger students at the school, who will become Patrollers themselves,” says Sagert. Toronto Police constable and nominator Claudia Bednarczyk says, “She understands the value of having the CAA School Safety Patroller program at the school, and knows how to run it effectively, with little help.” Both awards were announced last night in a year-end online celebration for patrollers in Ontario and Manitoba. Patrollers, teachers and supervisors took part in the virtual celebration hosted by DJ Metime also known as Sarah Barrable-Tishauer and choreographer, Boneless. In Ontario, approximately 900 schools participate in the CAA School Safety Patrol program. CAA SCO works with over 50 partners to help deliver the program. For more information, visit https://www.caaschoolsafetypatrol.com/.
MEDIA RELEASE: Watch for Bikes: Top nine tips for cycling safety success
The summer months are fast approaching and with more cyclists and drivers expected to re-emerge on the roads, CAA South Central Ontario (SCO) is encouraging motorists to keep the safety of cyclists in mind when sharing the road. “Cycling is an excellent way to stay active during the pandemic and many more are picking up the activity, but as the province works towards reopening, we need to stay vigilant for everyone’s safety,” says Teresa Di Felice, AVP of government and community relations at CAA SCO. All drivers and cyclists are advised to follow public health guidelines, be predictable, be patient, communicate their intentions with signals, regularly check blind spots, and turn on their lights during dawn, dark and dusk. “In Ontario, there are tough penalties for those who do not follow the rules of the road, yet many remain unaware of what these rules are. Whether you’re on two wheels or four, get to know the following rules and best practices,”adds Di Felice. CAA is also reminding all motorists of these important rules of the road: Be aware. Do not use headphones or mobile devices while driving and pay attention. Yield to cyclists. Motorists should not be driving in a bike lane unless making a right turn. Watch for the approaching cyclists and never speed up and cut off a cyclist when making a right turn Keep a safe distance. Drivers must keep at least a one metre distance from other cyclists. If it is not possible, safely change lanes to pass. The penalty for not doing so is a $110 fine. Practice the Dutch Reach. Avoid “dooring” cyclists by doing the Dutch Reach. CAA launched a new Dutch Reach video for users to practice as more people out on their bikes. Some cycling-specific safety tips: Ride with traffic. Riding against traffic flow is dangerous, illegal and a leading cause of car-bike collisions. Protect yourself. Drivers, use your seat belts. Cyclists, wear your helmets. Be visible. Use reflectors and lights in dark and overcast conditions. It’s the law. Be predictable. Obey traffic signs and be clear with your intentions with other drivers. Under Ontario’s Highway Traffice Act (HTA), a bicycle is considered a vehicle, just like car or truck and must follow the same rules of the road. Ride close to home. As cyclists start to use their bikes for the first time in awhile, remember to stay close to home as you are starting out. Put your cycling safety knowledge to the test with CAA’s new cycling safety quiz. For all other cycling information, visit caasco.com/cycling. If you run into a problem that cannot be fixed on the spot, CAA Bike Assist will transport you and your bicycle to wherever you need to go. It's available as part of your membership 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
TORONTO, ON., May 29, 2020 — International Data Corporation (IDC) Canada announced today the release of 20 new research reports to help vendors understand the impact of COVID-19 on the Canadian ICT market, including five new forecast documents. In addition, most analysts have created an additional report analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on their specific technology patch, providing our clients with additional details on the impact and guidance for vendors in that market. IDC Market Forecasts help technology suppliers identify market drivers and size, measure current performance, analyze leading market indicators, as well as plan for future opportunities and growth. The five forecast reports are listed below: Canadian Communications Services Forecast, 2020–2024: COVID-19 Turns Telecom Inside Out (IDC# CA45063520 ). This IDC study presents IDC Canada's five-year forecasts for communications services spending by market and customer segments, company size, industry sector, and region for 2020–2024 based on the annual update of IDC Canada's Communications Market Model and replaces our previous comprehensive spring and fall 2019 forecasts. "Communications providers are largely recession proof and fortunately investments in next-gen network technologies and architectures are allowing communications service providers to cope with unrivalled demand," says study coauthor Lawrence Surtees, vice president of Communications Research and principal analyst at IDC Canada. "But the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic is still a great unknown and its associated economic shocks could dramatically impact the current forecast." Canadian IT Professional Services Forecast, 2020–2024 (IDC# CA45064220 ). This IDC study provides the spring 2020 market size and forecasts for the Canadian IT professional services market. The professional services market is made up of four submarkets: Custom application development, IS consulting, Network consulting & integration, and Systems integration. "The Canadian IT professional services market relies on discretionary capital spending budgets, which are typically suspended or curtailed in times of economic uncertainty. 2020 will be a challenging year for professional services firms due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the market is expected to recover as the Canadian and global economies recover and businesses reinstate capital spending for IT projects," says Jim Westcott, research manager, Professional Services, IDC Canada. Canadian Infrastructure Outsourcing Services Forecast, 2020–2024 (IDC#CA45058420). This IDC study provides IDC's forecast for the Canadian infrastructure outsourcing services market for 2020–2024. It is an update of the previous forecast published in Canadian Infrastructure Outsourcing Services Forecast, 2019–2023 (IDC #CA43804019, May 2019). "The infrastructure outsourcing market continues to change, and COVID-19 will likely accelerate change. The decline in 1st and 2nd Platform technologies is leading to slow outsourcing spending on these areas, while the growth in 3rd Platform technologies to support digital transformation are increasingly incorporated into outsourcing and managed service engagements," says Jason Bremner, research vice president, Industry and Business Solutions. Canadian Consumer Wireless, Internet, and Wireline Voice Services Forecast, 2020–2024 (IDC# CA45059520). "In an already-competitive consumer market in the middle of great technological change, the global Coronavirus pandemic and the precautionary restrictions it has placed on Canadians has not only caused drastic socioeconomic changes but has forced consumers to weigh out the value proposition of each consumer service," says coauthor Manish Nargas, senior analyst for Consumer Services and Mobility. "Survival of the fittest is the call of the hour, and it seems that some consumer services will fare better than others after the dust has settled. While easier said than done, service providers need to think beyond the today's losses in order to plan for tomorrow's win." Canadian Consumer TV Services Forecast, 2020-2024 (IDC#CA45059620). This IDC study examines the forecast for Canadian consumer TV services subscribers and revenue. It also addresses the factors shaping the market as well as the key drivers and inhibitors underlying the forecast. "TV service providers will have to bring out their A game as they look to harness their next-gen TV service capabilities and create symbiotic, seemingly 'complementary' partnerships with OTT video providers to keep consumer eyeballs on their TV service platforms all the while combating economic ill effects of COVID-19 restrictions in the short term," says coauthor Manish Nargas, senior analyst, Consumer Services and Mobility at IDC Canada. "Based on our forecasts from May 1, 2020, we’re looking at an unprecedented 5.4 per cent decline for the year for the combination of telecom and IT spending in Canada. The cumulative impact of trade restrictions, supply chain impairments, commodity price declines, significant lay-offs and freefalling consumer and business confidence has led to a more dramatic impact on the overall ICT market than we had predicted in early April," says Nigel Wallis, vice president, IoT & Industries at IDC Canada. IDC develops detailed forecasting reports and analysis for major technology markets in Canada, which are published annually during the month of May. IDC's Forecast Scenario Assumptions for the Canadian ICT Market, 2020 and Beyond (IDC# CA46217620 , May 20 20 ) supports the underlying macroeconomic assumptions for each of the ICT market forecast reports. We also recently released a new interactive Canadian COVID-19 IT Impact Dashboard tool to help our clients visualize the impacts, in partnership with Rel8ed.to, which is available for everyone to use. For our clients that need to know the impact of the pandemic on ICT Spending beyond Canada’s borders, IDC created our global COVID-19 Resources microsite which contains more research reports, webinars, press releases and blog posts from around the world. We’ve also done a series of free webcasts for our clients with the first one on April 2 and the second one on May 6. Our third webcast in this series will occur on June 4th. Register today for COVID-19 Impact: Preparing for Recovery in the Canadian Tech Market. Here’s the list of our recently published Canadian-based COVID-19 research reports to help our clients meet the challenges from the pandemic, anticipate market changes and keep business moving: COVID-19 Impact on the Canadian ICT Market (IDC#CA46134820) Canadian Datacenter Infrastructure Action Item, Q2 2020: The Impact of COVID-19 (IDC#CA45057420) Impact of COVID-19: Canadian IT Services Market (IDC#CA46166120) All Priorities Aside: The Canadian Government's Singular Response to COVID-19 (IDC#CA46166920) The Impact of COVID-19: Canadian Security Solutions Market (IDC#CA46166520) Canadian Communications Service Provider Capex Spending, 2019–2020 (IDC#CA45063820) Canadian Government Wireless Price Policy - Ill-conceived and Horribly Timed (IDC# CA45663920) COVID-19 Business Impact: Hierarchy of Needs; Moving from Pandemic Risk Management to Organizational Agility (IDC# CA46228420) How is the Pandemic Crisis Impacting Digital Transformation in Canada? (IDC# CA46235620) Impact of COVID-19: Canadian Software as a Service Market (IDC# CA46166620) COVID-19 Impact: What’s Next for the Canadian Tech Market (IDC# CA46281820) COVID-19 Impact: Canadian Retail & Wholesale Market (IDC# CA45674020) COVID-19 Leadership: Canadian CIOs Strategize on Responses to COVID-19 (forthcoming) Critical Networks Provide Critical Care: Role of Communication Networks to Treat and Prevent COVID-19 (forthcoming) COVID-19 Impact: Canadian Vertical Markets Overview (forthcoming) For more information about the market forecast reports, the COVID-19 related reports, or to arrange a one on one interview with any of the report authors, please contact Cristina Santander at AskIDC@IDCcanada.com.
Working with Faculty Experts to Build Reputation and Market Visibility
The Baylor University Playbook Featured in CASE Currents Magazine PHOTO CREDIT: BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS As traditional and social media organizations such as Facebook race to expose and disrupt the onslaught of “fake news”, a major opportunity exists for higher education institutions to more prominently feature their research and expert opinion to quell this steady flow of misinformation. We know that the gold standard of news reports and social media posts are substantiated with expert research and opinion. What gets in the way of comprehensive reporting and dialogue? It’s often the lack of input from great institutions and their experts. More than ever, traditional media organizations need to provide a steady flow of credible information to trump the influx of unsubstantiated content. But the media (from local mainstream editors to award-winning international investigative journalists) struggle with big challenges: growing editorial demands, small budgets, little time, limits to accessing information – all restricting their ability to pursue new research, data and expertise. So how do they get around this and cut through the clutter? A lot of the responsibility falls on organizations to be more approachable to journalists to help them with expert sources. Schools doing this well are already boosting their reputation with media and other key audiences by showing the relevance of their institution and faculty. In this month’s CASE Currents magazine, a feature article titled “Are Your Professors Ready for Their Close-Up?” Eric Eckert, Baylor University’s Assistant Director of Media Communications and Faculty Development, shares with other institutions the process his team took to prepare its faculty experts for the media spotlight with an in-house training program and the necessary tools to succeed. the Baylor playbook is a great read for any organization looking to boost media coverage and build reputation. Eckert, whose list of responsibilities at the university includes “Faculty Experts”, notes: “We demonstrate our commitment to this program by investing in tools that spread awareness of our researchers’ work. In addition to the time we devote to training and promoting our faculty members, in 2017 our office started using ExpertFile, a content marketing platform that includes the capability to create dynamic faculty profiles that expose our professors to a wider audience of journalists. We can also manage media inquiries through the platform. The software has reduced the time we spend updating faculty profiles. We can quickly add photos, videos, and links to an expert’s media hits and create faculty spotlights—a feature that helps us rapidly promote a professor’s expertise to take advantage of breaking news.” ExpertFile worked with Baylor to develop a searchable platform and content placements for their experts integrated into the Baylor website. To extend the reach beyond the website, Its experts are now also synchronized with the ExpertFile global experts directory and are also visible to thousands of newsrooms throughout the world through our partnerships with the Associated Press and Dejero. Eckert goes on to explain his organization’s use and success with ExpertFile Spotlight. Spotlight is a unique content hub solution that is growing in popularity with marketing teams looking to quickly feature their experts in the context of breaking news, emerging stories, valuable research and newsworthy events. Virtually all of our clients are seeing the importance of providing relevant story angles that can be produced to help journalists on same day deadlines. Eckert goes on to speak of his experience with Spotlights: “In September 2017, we created a spotlight to distribute a Baylor law professor’s comments on President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw authorization for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. A media inquiry received through ExpertFile resulted in a guest appearance on a nationally syndicated radio program in Canada.” Other coverage generated recently by the Baylor team includes: Are you ‘phubbing’ right now? What it is and why science says it’s bad for your relationships The Washington Post You might be cheating on your spouse with your smartphone The Toronto Star Four bad habits that executives should nix The Economist Can ‘bedtime’ teas really help you fall asleep faster? Women’s Health The better way to take a break Fast Company The profile that experts develop through thought out programs such as Baylor’s can extend well beyond media to other key stakeholders, including potential research partners, funders, event organizers, student enrollment and employee recruitment. How are your marketing, communications and media relations’ teams working with your experts across the campus to build market visibility and reputation for your institution? We’d like to know. For more information on how ExpertFile Spotlight works or to read more success stories please drop me a line at Deanne Taenzer at dtaenzer@expertfile.com
Media Training Can You Afford NOT to Be Prepared When Reporters Come Calling?
Want to see someone in a respected position of power throw away a career in all of about two minutes? Stephen Duckett was an expert in his field. Respected globally. Until this… Watch this exchange Duckett wasn’t prepared to deal with media. He paid a serious professional price and left a lesson for us all to learn from. In fact, his exchange is used by a lot of media trainers on exactly what not to do in a crisis situation. As a former news producer, I remember scrambling to find an expert opinion or perspective when news was breaking. If a story required explanation and when it was beyond the grasp of even the brightest of reporters we needed the help of supporting sources. They were critical in helping explain, validate, and ideally, break down just what was going on to our audiences at home. When an outbreak struck, we needed an epidemiologist. When a rare earthquake shook the region, the search for a seismologist was on. Finding the expert wasn’t usually the problem. We had local universities, colleges, and health care facilities within arm’s reach. However, finding an expert who could effectively speak on camera often was. Our goal was to keep people from turning the channel – so boring, highly technical speaking experts simply wouldn’t do it for us. When I worked in TV, we needed someone who could explain a complex subject, in layman’s terms, and in sound bites of about 15 seconds. It may not seem like much, but it is a lot to ask. Explaining high level content is not easy, but the reality is that your audience needs complex subjects explained in the simplest of ways. To do this right, it requires understanding the roles and goals of media and media training. Anyone who will be representing an organization, institution, or corporation needs some form of coaching. It’s a must-have requirement for most CEOs and politicians. Turn on your news at just about any hour of the day, and you can easily tell who has been properly prepared and trained and who hasn’t. It doesn’t happen organically. It takes work. It takes expert coaching. Media-friendly speakers bolster credibility and get noticed. In times of a crisis, a trained speaker may be the missing piece that can make or break a situation a reputation. Those who are not trained stick out—in a very bad way. They stammer, evade questions, ramble and are usually incoherent. If the task is mainly to describe a current situation, an untrained expert may ramble or speak hundreds of feet over the head of the average person. If there’s a crisis at hand—a tragedy, a scandal, a lawsuit or worse—an untrained speaker risks making a bad situation worse. Take a look back to July of 2013—an out-of-control train carrying crude oil exploded, destroying the downtown section of Lac Megantic, in Quebec, Canada. Thirty buildings were leveled, killing 47 people. In this small town, everybody knew somebody who was killed. Edward Burkhardt, president of Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway Inc. arrived shortly after the explosion. He was the near-perfect storm—an untrained, and likely uncoachable leader. He was clearly in distress, rattled, arrogant, and unprepared. He fixed blame at the worst possible time, blaming the train’s engineer and the local fire department. A journalist asked how much he was worth. A town is destroyed, the world is watching, close to four dozen people are dead, and his reply was, “I’m worth a lot less now than I was last week.” Proper media training and coaching would not have prevented the horrible tragedy, but knowing how to speak during such a high-stress situation and knowing what questions to expect might have mitigated the visceral reaction of residents, industry and government officials. As it stands, Edward Burkhardt and the company, no matter how successful either had been in the past, are now forever associated with that interview. Conway Fraser worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for almost 20 years. He’s a Gemini award-winning journalist who worked as a national reporter and investigative journalist. These days, he specializes in strategic and crisis communications as well as media coaching. Conway’s worked with some of Canada’s top corporate executives, academic leaders, and politicians. In both journalism and in PR, he has seen executives who have spent decades building a reputation only to have it destroyed in moments because they weren’t prepared to deal with the media. They’ve either never received media coaching or, Conway says, have taken mandatory training but were never further invested in. In other words, he says, they thought they didn’t need media training and were only taking it to appease the Board or ownership. “Proper media coaching isn’t just about knowing how to spew a main message, use effective body language or bridge away from challenging questions,” Conway says, “In my sessions I also teach my clients about the media, what their job is like, what a day is like for a reporter, what they need from you and how to respect their role. If anyone doubts the value of that, they’re playing with fire. Ask Stephen Duckett.” Natalie Duddridge is a reporter for NY1. I worked with Natalie years ago in Canada at the start of her career. Natalie’s talent as a journalist has taken her to Ottawa (Canada’s capital), Toronto, and most recently, New York. New York sits at the top (sorry L.A.) of media markets in the United States. It has a huge audience of about 10 million people and it is hands down the most competitive media game on the continent. Reporters in these markets never get to rest. They’re either chasing stories, or when they are covering a story they had better have an angle, source, or expert that the others do not. And when you are in a race with at least six other news outlets, standing out isn’t easy. Finding experts and having them ‘camera’ or ‘microphone’ ready is a must. As Natalie explained to me, getting an expert for a story is absolutely crucial. In a market as diverse as New York City, those experts can range from police to politicians, to health and education officials, to scientists and artists. Natalie also lent some great perspective on just how a reporter puts together a story and how your expert needs to know that news is also about storytelling and not just details. “Last week I did a story about the heroin epidemic plaguing the Borough of Staten Island,” Natalie explained. “We like to begin our stories with a human element, in this case a recovering drug addict. In addition to his personal opinions and insight about how to prevent and slow the opioid crisis in the region, we also reached out to the local Drug Rehabilitation Center and interviewed a doctor as well as a therapist. We also interviewed the Staten Island District Attorney about the work he’s doing with New York State Governor to get more dollars for a drug task force to do everything from put more money into preventative education, build rehab centers, add police, fund additional assistant district attorneys to process criminal cases.” If you were counting, you can see she spoke with three key experts on the subject of the story. Each was essential in the reporting process. “For this story we featured several different experts on varying opinions on how this current drug crisis should be dealt with. All of the facts, stats and data for this story were based on the officials and experts we contacted.” Being prepared and knowing what the reporter wants are also ideal elements in conveying the right message. For TV, short, smart, and to-the-point responses work best. “We need a 10 to 15 second sound bite that is ideally informative and clear, and in some cases entertaining,” Duddridge told me. “When I am making calls to experts, I essentially do a pre-interview over the phone to hear how clearly they can explain a topic. If they are great at breaking down studies and terms into focused ideas that are concise and fit into a two-minute story, our job as reporters is so much easier.” A win/win scenario. Your message is delivered, your institution and experts are promoted and the reporter files a great story. It all seems simple. But it’s not. It takes training and preparation. If you are going to offer up your experts for an interview, they need to be ready. Media training takes time, it costs money – but it’s an investment in your staff and your institution. As we learned from the example above, not knowing how to answer, interact, and respond to media can be devastating. Performing under pressure only succeeds with practice and training. If your experts are media trained the reward will always outweigh the risk. Here are a few tips: Get media trained – Use a professional media coach. It costs money, but the professional development, readiness, comfort, and ability to deliver will pay off ten-fold. Media-friendly experts get noticed – When your expert is on the news, people see them. They are representing your institution, so think about what this means for your credibility and recruiting potential. You never get a second chance at a first impression – An old, clichéd saying, but it’s true. A weak speaker who comes across poorly imprints a negative impression on viewers, peers and your institution as a whole. It’s amateur hour, and it doesn’t need to be. Friends for life – Once you prove yourself as a worthy and media-friendly source, the media will keep coming back. Experts who can provide journalists with the information, perspective, and sound bites they need are not only appreciated but noticed and remembered by all media. Once you have established yourself as a reliable source, expect the reporters to come calling time and time again. Dividends – Every story where your expert looks good is positive earned media. Getting on NBC, CBS, FOX or any other nightly newscast is a huge win for your Communications Department. It’s exposure, promotion, and advertising—and it’s free.
Showcase Your Experts to Generate Media Attention and Grow Business
This blog was initially posted by our friend David Meerman Scott on his blog, read it here Some of your most important assets for securing interest in the media as well as educating your buyers are the experts who work at your organization. As a part of a virtual newsroom or other appropriate place on your site and blog, highlighting your employees is a great way to generate attention. When reporters are looking to quote someone in a story, having a name, photo, bio, and examples of content makes it much more likely they will want to conduct an interview. This is especially true when you are newsjacking. Similarly, when buyers are exposed to the smart people employed at your company, they will be more likely to trust and want to do business with you. Yet most companies feature only the senior management team on the site, not those with particular and interesting expertise. University of Ontario Institute of Technology shines spotlight on faculty researchers For example, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), a public research university located in Oshawa, just outside Toronto, was founded in 2002. That makes it one of Canada’s newest universities. With an enrollment of more than 10,000 students, UOIT offers a range of undergraduate programs, plus graduate programs in science, engineering, health, and information technology. But because it is such a new institution, the marketers and public affairs people at UOIT have to work extra hard to make sure that potential students, donors, partners, and other constituents know about the school. Unlike other universities, UOIT cannot rely on decades of families that send their children and grandchildren to the institution and support it with financial contributions. So one way the school reaches out to new audiences is by promoting with the media the many faculty experts who teach and do research at UOIT. “We focus on the experts within the institution,” John MacMillan, director of communications and marketing at UOIT told me. “We have very few resources, but we have a lot of really interesting people who are focused on very exciting things, like using big data and looking at issues of disability and how it relates to the insurance industry, among other things. We are able to reach the media and people who are organizing conferences or booking speaking engagements.” MacMillan uses the ExpertFile software platform as a way to easily showcase UOIT thought leaders in what they call their Expert Centre. He publishes, promotes, and measures the expert content as a tool to engage business prospects, media, and conference organizers. “We needed to have a way of getting out those important stories that we know are of interest to media, to producers, to editors, but also in many ways to partners, to institutions that might be interested in working with us,” MacMillan says. “And we needed to have a way that did a better job of telling our story to those various groups.” MacMillan started with 26 profiles for faculty in the Expert Centre, and is steadily expanding to a planned goal of 200 profiles. He says that an ideal expert is one who is already comfortable with digital technology. “We’re amplifying the presence of each of those faculty members—whether they are involved in multimedia, whether they have their own websites, or whether they have their own followings—and presenting them in a way that gets some response. Part of their success as faculty members lies in establishing their bona fides with granting authorities or with the government or with others. The Expert Centre augments their legitimacy.” Adding credibility to your newsjacking efforts Having profiles available to the media also helps your newsjacking efforts. When you comment on something that’s newsworthy and a reporter finds it via search, they often want to know biographical information on the person before they quote them. Having a link to the bio of the author of that timely blog post is a great way to add credibility and to increase the liklihood of being quoted. As an example of the action that can come from an Expert Centre profile, MacMillan cites Dr. Isabel Pedersen, an associate professor at UOIT and Canada research chair in Digital Life, Media, and Culture. “She focuses on a sociological perspective of wearable computing devices,” he says. “Her research looks into questions like: ‘When we wear gadgets on our body, how will that shift the reality for us? How will it change the way we interact with other people? How will it allow us to participate in digital culture?’ She is one of the early profiles that we created because she is one of our Canada Research chairs, a distinguished researcher who is working on an area of particular national and international importance.” Dr. Pedersen’s Expert Centre profile contains her bio, photo, links to her Twitter and Google Plus feeds, and a list of past speaking engagements, as well as video content, previews of her book Ready to Wear, and articles she has published. The profile attracted the attention of a reporter from IEEE Spectrum magazine, the publication of the world’s largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence. “They were working on a story about wearable technology, and they wanted to interview her,” MacMillan says. “That’s a magazine from the U.S. that has a much broader readership than anything we’d be able to position her for, and it came along as a result of somebody seeing her profile and deciding that they wanted to speak with her. That’s an example of where we’ve been able to use our resources in a very efficient way, in a manner that gets a story out well beyond our own physical boundaries and that tells about the uniqueness of the work that’s going on at this university.” A lesson learned from the early days of the UOIT Expert Centre was the importance of having the profiles appear in a consistent voice. “When we started out, our assumption was that the individual faculty members or individual experts would develop their own profiles,” MacMillan says. “We realized that would result in a lack of consistency, so we hired a writer, and her job was specifically to interview our experts and to create a story for each of those experts so that when someone does look at this, they’re looking at a consistent story, a consistent tone, and a consistent brand for the university. I’ve learned from creating our Expert Centre that I share some one of the same challenges as faculty members: if you don’t manage your digital presence actively, someone will do it for you. I like to think that our Expert Centre has helped our faculty to curate their digital content as much as it’s helped our university to strengthen its brand.” The ExpertFile platform Your employees are a great resource for generating interest in the media as well as a way to show potential customers and partners that you are doing interesting work. Showcasing them is easier with the ExpertFile platform, a SaaS application that helps organizations make their experts more visible. In my mind, ExpertFile is to showcasing people what HubSpot is to showcasing content. What’s traditionally held many organizations back is that until now, there hasn’t been an online platform to simply organize the growing base of expert content that is being produced across organizations every day. Yet this content is what many audiences are looking for. They want to easily reference everything from biographies to speaking engagements, to social feeds and multimedia assets. “Experts are a great way to humanize an organization and make it more approachable, yet many marketers struggle with how to best showcase these people online,” notes Peter Evans, founder and CEO of ExpertFile. “Adding expert profiles to various sections of your website such as your media room is an ideal way to create more engagement on your site and drive valuable speaking, media and customer inquiries. Experts are quickly becoming the new frontier for content marketing.” Disclosure: I am on the advisory boards of both HubSpot and ExpertFile. Peter Evans, ExpertFile CEO, is a friend.
Do small businesses need to worry about the Canada Training Benefit?
The recent federal budget was supposed to be good news. The Canada Training Benefit would give workers money to help pay for training, provide income support during training, and offer job protection so that workers can take the time they need to keep their skills relevant and in-demand. Seems simple, but when you look deeper at the details – there may be some serious risks to small businesses in Canada. "Canada's skilled labour shortage is getting worse, and small firms are the hardest hit," CFIB president Dan Kelly. "Providing a training benefit to workers is a positive step, but the needs of employers need to be factored into the equation." Employers would be required to provide leave and job-protection to employees regardless of the type of training an employee wishes to pursue, such as Latin classes or interpretive dance. The program, well-intentioned, will have an impact on small businesses in Ontario and across Canada with a lot of scenarios and aspects to consider! We have an expert who can help. Corey Houle, Principal at Freelandt Caldwell Reilly LLP, is an expert in the areas of small business strategy. Contact Corey to arrange an appointment regarding this topic by clicking the contact button below. Sources:
