Leading Authorities - Another THREE Telly Awards!

Cheers to our video production department for being awarded three 2010 Telly Awards, which recognizes the very best in the fields of advertising and video and film production. That drives our grand total to seventeen, a remarkable achievement for a DC-based production facility. Picked out of a field of more than 13,000 entries, LAI was awarded the Silver Telly for our "Great Meetings Start Here" video (here), which highlights the strengths and capabilities of Leading Authorities.

In addition, LAI has won two bronze Telly Awards: for the Lockheed Martin "Quest For Excellence" video, seen here, and the WICT promo "Your Leadership Journey". Not only is the production first rate, but clients agree--original promotional content boosts attendance and builds excitement for upcoming events.

The Telly Awards was founded in 1978 to honor excellence in local, regional, and cable TV commercials. Non-broadcast video and TV program categories were soon added. Today, the Telly is one of the most sought-after awards by industry leaders, from large international firms to local production companies and ad agencies.

To learn more about how the Leading Authorities' video production department can create a dynamic and engaging video for your next event (and maybe an award-winner!), call me at (202) 721-7675 or email me at saul@lauthorities.com

Bob Ballard -- The Great Explorer: June 15

If you didn't get a chance to see undersea explorer Bob Ballard on 60 Minutes Sunday night, I wanted to pass along a link to the story on the CBS website. Ballard, who is best known for discovering the Titanic, revealed new secrets from his expeditions, including details about a clandestine Navy mission that was just recently declassified. The segment displayed Bob's high energy, insight, and fascinating adventures--the same qualities that make him such a winning presence on stage.

In last night's segment, Ballard took 60 Minutes correspondent Lara Logan with him to hunt for ancient shipwrecks off the coast of Turkey. While Bob can't take your entire audience with him on his ship, he can re-create the high drama and stunning visuals of his expeditions on-stage. His presentation is a dynamic journey that keeps your audience on the edge of their seats, and leaves them motivated, inspired, and thinking about the world in new ways.

Watch the 60 Minutes segment here, and read about Bob on the LAI website. If you are interested in booking Bob Ballard for your next event, don't hesitate to give me a call at (202) 721-7675

Insight on Foreign Affairs from Stephen Hadley

Earlier this week, we had the pleasure of hosting an event with Stephen Hadley, who served as National Security Advisor for the President from 2005 to 2009, and who has played instrumental roles in U.S. national security and defense under three Republican Presidents. Mr. Hadley received very high marks on his presentation and I am taking this opportunity to share some of his observations.

The recent economic crisis has accelerated the shift in growth from developed to emerging markets. It is Asia, not Europe or the U.S., that will lead the world out of recession. The greatest growth will occur in Asia. While Brazil and Chile provide hopeful examples for Latin America, other regimes such as that led by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, will be a drag on growth.

The U.S. must engage on a larger scale in Asia. Major Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea want the U.S. to play a more active role to balance the power of China. The fact is the U.S. has better relationships with each of these countries than they do with each other. There is a great opportunity here for the U.S. to play a stabilizing role.

China needs major problems such as North Korea and Iran solved every much as does the U.S. One of China's greatest worries is that it must create 25 million new jobs each year just to absorb its growing labor force. This is a major challenge and requires economic and political stability.

In Afghanistan, it is critical to recognize that we must engage Pakistan to have success. And to have success in Pakistan, we must engage Afghanistan.

The U.S. is at a dead end with Iran. Sanctions will not work. Iran will continue its uranium enrichment activities. The U.S. and its allies will need to explore other options to change Iran’s behavior and protect its national security interests. Decisions about next steps will have to be made later in the year or early next.

These are just a few of Mr. Hadley's observations, in a discussion that revealed that the interconnection between politics, security, and economic issues has never been greater. U.S. companies and associations which understand this will enjoy competitive advantage.

Mr. Hadley and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are business partners in a consulting firm, The Rice Hadley Group. Mr. Hadley is also a senior advisor for international affairs at the U.S. Institute of Peace. A thought leader on international affairs and security, Mr. Hadley is an excellent speaker, and I encourage you to consider him for a future meeting.

If you are interested in more information on Mr. Hadley, please drop me a note.

Secretary Margaret Spellings

Secretary Margaret Spellings spoke to the Texas Society of Association Executives last month in Austin, addressing domestic policy issues, education, and workforce preparedness, and how business, professions, and industry can impact the public policy debate in Washington. 

At a time when public opinion is clearly on the side of bi-partisan cooperation to effectively tackle the issues that matter most to Americans, Secretary Spellings record on "No Child Left Behind" is a model for this kind of effective action. As a Senior White House Advisor and as a member of the President's Cabinet, Secretary Spellings had a major influence on a wide range of domestic public policy issues. Now as a speaker, exclusively represented by Leading Authorities, Spellings addresses U.S. competitiveness, workforce preparedness, and the critical role of effective educational policies to ensure U.S. leadership in the global economy. 

Secretary Spellings is a powerful, engaging, and effective speaker for corporate and association groups. Please drop me a line at saul@lauthorities.com if you would like to check her availability for an upcoming meeting.

LAI's New Exclusive--NYTimes Editor Nick Bilton

I am writing to let you know Leading Authorities is exclusively representing Nick Bilton. Nick is the lead technology writer/reporter for The New York Times Bits Blog, as well as their Design Integration Editor and the User Interface Specialist for New York Times R&D. He is the author of the forthcoming book I Live in the Future: & Here's How It Works.

The book is being published by Random House/Crown and has received massive amounts of pre-release attention and praise. Check out Nick's new book here.

In his high-tech and fast-paced keynote presentation, Bilton helps organizations understand what the world will look like two or twenty years from now, and how it will change the narrative of communication. He explores the effect our culture of bite sized information is having on our brains, and plugs into the next generation of content and interaction. Bilton focuses on the landscape of technology, culture, and society, helping to analyze the implications and predictions of tomorrow. Plus, audiences can expect keynotes that take advantage of cutting edge technology, involving the latest in graphics, audio slide shows, videos, and data visualization.

If you are interested in learning more about Nick Bilton, please don't hesitate to call me at (202) 721-7675. We look forward to working with you.

Morning Joe's Mika Brzezinski -- Leading Authorities New Exclusive

Leading Authorities is proud to announce exclusive representation of Mika Brzezinski, the smart, savvy, and insightful co-host of MSNBC's Morning Joe. With her partner Joe Scarborough, Brzezinski spends each morning debating the news of the day with a roundtable of political insiders, journalists, and headliners. World affairs have been a constant presence in Brzezinski's life--the daughter of former National Security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, she worked her way up as a broadcaster on ABC, Fox, and CBS, where she worked as an anchor and 60 Minutes correspondent before joining MSNBC. Brzezinski is also the author of All Things at Once, a best-selling memoir released earlier this year.

On stage, Brzezinski is often paired with her on-air co-host, Joe Scarborough. Together, the duo bring the same natural repartee and off-the-cuff commentary they display each morning on television, and offer a thoughtful, dynamic, and fast-paced perspective on the current political and media landscape. Mika and Joe reveal a true passion for discussing and debating the news and laughing about its absurdities. With Morning Joe receiving mountains of buzz this year (read the recent New York Times article), pairing Mika and Joe together on stage is a rare chance to give your audience real insight coupled with real star power.

If you are interested in booking Mika Brzezinski for speaking engagements, please contact me at (202) 721-7675.