Special Movie Screening with Animation Producer, Barry Weiss, Yogi Bear

Yogi Bear may be smarter than your average bear, but Leading Authorities’ Exclusive Speaker Barry Weiss is smarter than your average person when it comes to animation and production. Leading Authorities is hosting a special screening of the new movie, Yogi Bear, this January in Chicago. Weiss is the animation producer for the film and has used his past experience in the film industry to create another unique experience for viewers. Weiss will share behind-the-scenes stories about making the movie and how his lessons from Hollywood can help business.

Weiss has a profitable track record that includes creating animation characters for the film, Stuart Little as well as the Spiderman franchise. Weiss uses innovation and opportunity to create use of a technology that delivers an experience that otherwise could not happen. Walt Disney once said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible,” the impossible is what Weiss tries to create everyday in the production studio.

Weiss is a visionary animation and entertainment executive with an $8.6 billion track record.  He has worked on some of the most profitable and award-winning projects of the last fifteen years.  As an animation executive, producer, and collaborator with Sony and Turner, he is recognized as a creative business leader in the evolution of the animation business and art form.

Yogi Bear is a 3D live action/CGI film that features Dan Aykroyd voicing as Yogi Bear and Justin Timberlake voicing as Yogi’s sidekick Boo-Boo. The film follows the adventures of Yogi and Boo-Boo in their adventures through Jellystone Park.

For more information and to RSVP— please contact Shani Ben-Shlaush at shani@lauthorities.com or by calling (202) 721-2361.

Ron Dellums Seeks Representation with Leading Authorities

Leading Authorities is pleased to announce representation of Ron Dellums who will be available for speaking engagements after January 3, 2011, upon conclusion of his term as mayor of Oakland, California. Mayor Dellums is a political icon who previously spent 28 years in the US House of Representatives and was one of the founders of the Congressional Black Caucus. His presentations inspire audiences with lessons learned about leadership, politics, and the power of collaborative partnerships to affect change. 

Dellums was elected to the House in 1970. Initially elected in opposition to the Vietnam War, he became a recognized expert in military and foreign policy and rose to become chair of the House Armed Services Committee. Dellums used his leadership positions to question US policy and brought about the first real strategic debates on military policy in the post-Cold War world. He was also a leader in the fight against Apartheid in South Africa. It was the Dellums’ bill that passed the House and made divestment US national policy, helping the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa to win the release of Nelson Mandela and his election as president of a democratic South Africa.

Since leaving Congress, Dellums has been president of an international management company and a leading spokesman on the tragedy of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and throughout the world. He was chair of President Clinton’s Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS. He is the author of several books, including a recent autobiography Lying Down With the Lions: A Public Life from the Streets of Oakland to the Halls of Power. He was elected mayor of Oakland in 2006.

Dellums speeches are filled with energy, humor, and inspiration. If you are interested in bringing him to your event in 2011, please contact us at 1-800-SPEAKER.

LAI’s New Exclusive: Former National Security Advisor Gen. James Jones

Leading Authorities is proud to announce exclusive representation of former National Security Advisor General James Jones. General Jones has spent his life serving and protecting America and American ideals. He is sought after for his wisdom, guidance, and global insights. As the former commander of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, he led all military operations for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and later, as National Security Advisor, he brought clear vision and steady leadership to America’s interests around the world. One of our military’s most decorated leaders, Gen. Jones has held many distinctions including serving as the former commandant of the Marine Corps and as the State Department’s Special Envoy for Middle East Regional Security.
 
Gen. Jones has also held highly regarded leadership positions in the civilian world, including serving as the  president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy where he worked to unite energy consumers and producers for a common goal—to increase the variety of the U.S. energy supply and associated infrastructures, to advance international cooperation on energy issues, to protect national energy security, and to promote better understanding of changes to the global climate and its effects on the environment.
 
In his presentations, Gen. Jones will be speaking about national and international security, energy, and the leadership requirements for success in the 21st century. He offers insights into international energy policy, strategies for protecting our national energy interests, and ways to work together to address global climate changes.

If you would like more information on General Jones for your upcoming event, call 1-800-SPEAKER to speak with a program consultant.

Midterm Elections

With the Midterm Elections finally here, we will all finally find out how things will turn out for all key races across the country. Leading Authorities political speakers will be all over the television news networks tonight covering election results. Here’s a list of who’s on each station:

NBC

David Gregory

Chuck Todd

Charlie Cook

ABC 

Amy Walter

Matthew Dowd

Ron Brownstein

CNN and ABC

Donna Brazile

CBS

Bob Schieffer

Dan Bartlett
FOX
Geraldine Ferraro
 

PBS

Stu Rothenberg
 

MSNBC

Morning after analysis with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski 

If you are interested in booking one of our political insiders for your upcoming event, don’t hesitate to call me at (202) 783-0300 — I’d love to talk politics and speakers with you soon.

Meeting Trends: Using a Listener

There is an assumption that once meeting attendees sit down to hear a speaker, they know what to do. But to make sure you get the best possible return on investment from your meeting, you want to make sure attendees are taking responsibility for their education. The trick is to create ways to build audience engagement into the session itself. 

One of the new trends we are seeing is using a listener. The listener is an audience member who is given the responsibility to listen on behalf of the audience and take the content to the next level. The listener will stand up at the end of the session and summarize what they got out of the talk, reinforcing key points and themes. The listener works on behalf of the audience, to convert the content that’s coming from the stage into something relevant and actionable.

We recognize that not every meeting attendee is eager to volunteer for this kind of spotlight-grabbing assignment. But every group has a fearless soul unafraid to take on the task. Once the listener presents their summary, you will find that other attendees will voice their additions to the summary. Using a listener ensures the audience fully embraces the speaker’s content, and it instigates discussion and participation.

Want more ideas for engaging your audience? Talk to our event advisory team at 1-800-SPEAKER. 

LAI Panel: The Political Environment and the Economy

Foreclosures. Jobs. Financial Regulation. These are bold-faced issues that will continue to affect the American economy, no matter the results of the midterms. Leading Authorities hosted a recent panel of experts at the US Chamber of Commerce to discuss the political environment and the economy, and propose predictions for the future.

The panel consisted of:

Matthew Slaughter, associate dean of the MBA Program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a former member of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Executive Office of the President. He proved his expertise of global finance and currency when examining the issue of US stagnation in relation to Chinese currency.

Marci Rossell, the former chief economist for CNBC, displayed her ability to explain complicated financial issues in easy to understand terms. She has a skill for relating these issues to the average American’s everyday concerns.

Doug Holtz-Eakin, the former director of the Congressional Budget Office, and director of domestic and economic policy for the John McCain presidential campaign, displayed his trademark self-deprecating wit. His prediction for the Bush Tax Cuts—a two year extension (a prediction that most of the panelists agreed with).

Amy Walter, the political director of ABC News, provided a snapshot of how the candidates are using the economy as a catalyst to grab voters by their emotional core. The current anxiety about the economy is playing out in the campaigns, and influencing the anti-incumbent fever.

Ambassador Jim Glassman served as moderator. With a career that spans the fields of business, politics, media, and government, he displayed his unique, multi-discipline perspective on the complex financial matters. Currently the host of Ideas in Action on PBS, he proved adept to moderate the many-layered discussion.

If you are interested in booking Matthew Slaughter, Doug Holtz-Eakin, Amy Walter, Marci Rossell or Jim Glassman for your next event, please call us at 1-800-SPEAKER.

Meeting Trends: Using a Listener

There is an assumption that once meeting attendees sit down to hear a speaker, they know what to do. But to make sure you get the best possible return on investment from your meeting, you want to make sure attendees are taking responsibility for their education. The trick is to create ways to build audience engagement into the session itself. 

One of the new trends we are seeing is using a listener. The listener is an audience member who is given the responsibility to listen on behalf of the audience and take the content to the next level. The listener will stand up at the end of the session and summarize what they got out of the talk, reinforcing key points and themes. The listener works on behalf of the audience, to convert the content that’s coming from the stage into something relevant and actionable.

We recognize that not every meeting attendee is eager to volunteer for this kind of spotlight-grabbing assignment. But every group has a fearless soul unafraid to take on the task. Once the listener presents their summary, you will find that other attendees will voice their additions to the summary. Using a listener ensures the audience fully embraces the speaker’s content, and it instigates discussion and participation.

Want more ideas for engaging your audience? Talk to our event advisory team at 1-800-SPEAKER

New Ideas for Political Debates

For an energetic and comprehensive look at all sides of the issues, Leading Authorities often recommends political duos to our clients. We work exclusively with several political powerhouse teams you should know about.

Dana Perino and Donna Brazile
Whip smart and opinionated, both Perino and Brazile tell it like it is. Together, they present a frank and friendly discussion that paints the political picture in fine detail, providing the most intelligent perspectives from each side of the aisle. 

Martin Frost (D-TX) and Tom Davis (R-VA)
Former Congressmen, both Davis and Frost chaired their party’s respective campaign committees during crucial election cycles. Political junkies, they love to talk strategy. On stage, they create a compelling give and take that never ventures into nasty territory.  

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski
The co-hosts of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Scarborough and Brzezinski spend each morning debating the news of the day with a roundtable of political insiders. They bring the same passion for news to their presentations, offering a witty, dynamic and fast-paced perspective on the current political and media landscape.

Trent Lott (R-MS) and John Breaux(D-LA)
Former Senators famous for their ability to reach across the aisle,  Lott and Breaux share a passion for finding solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems. These two Southern statesmen bring trademark candor and wit to every debate.  

Dan Bartlett and Anita Dunn
Two of the most experienced and thoughtful figures in American politics, Bartlett and Dunn bring unique insight from their respective terms as White House Communications Strategists. This is a powerful, funny, and intriguing presentation about what goes on behind-the-scenes in the White House, and likely scenarios for the future. 

Plus, don’t forget about the always insightful pairing of Charlie Cook and Stu Rothenberg, and our favorite political “frenemies” Terry McAuliffe and Ed Gillespie. Call a program consultant for more information about these political powerhouse teams.

Tommy Spaulding’s Groundbreaking New Book, It’s Not Just Who You Know

LAI Speaker Tommy Spaulding’s powerful combination of business savvy, compelling stories, and practical insights has produced a groundbreaking book—It’s Not Just Who You Know—that for the first time in decades truly advances new and innovative ideas about the value of building powerful relationships.

Tommy doesn’t just point out the obvious—that relationships are important in business and in life. He goes even further by drawing from a deep well of heartwarming illustrations that literally show us why relationships matter, how they work, and, most important, how they can change the hearts and minds of people and organizations.

As a teenager with a learning disability growing up in Suffern, N.Y., Tommy’s father gave him the classic book How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Tommy soon realized relationships were his lifeline—the one thing at which he excelled and the one thing that would help him compete against the more academically gifted kids. Now he’s written a book that builds on the framework of Carnegie’s perennial best seller.

With hard work and a focus on people, Tommy became a leader in his high school and in his community. And even though there were those who told him he’d never make it in college, he earned an undergraduate degree at East Carolina University, two master’s degrees, and an honorary doctorate.

Tommy backpacked around Europe, South America, and Asia. He taught English in Japan and received his MBA in Australia. He worked on a presidential campaign. And after a brief sales career at IBM Lotus, Tommy eventual became the youngest president and CEO of Up with People, the international global leadership organization whose casts of young people have performed around the world for decades. He’s the founder of several national nonprofits, and now is a speaker, consultant, and president of the Spaulding Companies.

In It’s Not Just Who You Know, Tommy shares how relationships shaped the course of his career, not just by helping him advance along the way but also by helping him understand the value of building relationships of true significance. By studying the relationships in his  own life and the power of the relationships he saw all around him, Tommy refined his understanding of why relationships really matter and how to make the most of them. As a result, the book is filled with new concepts and groundbreaking ideas. It’s Not Just Who You Know provides insights into things like …

• The economic value of ROR—Return on Relationships
• Understanding the “Five Floors” of relationships
• How to build lasting, loyal relationships with customers and clients
• How to improve employee morale and reduce turnover
• How to empower yourself, your employees, and your co-worker to think and act with a purpose larger than self
• How to move NSW (News, Sports, Weather) relationships toward a Fifth Floor, or Penthouse, level
• How to move beyond networking to the more powerful concept of “netgiving”

Tommy uses his inspirational stories to illustrate how to advance relationships, but this book isn’t just about helping you win friends and influence people for your own sake. It’s about helping you win friends and influence them toward something that matters: A life of significance. An organization with purpose. A better world.

Ken Blanchard, author of the international best seller, The One Minute Manager, shares the deeper power behind Tommy’s message. “Practicing these principles not only improves the financial health of individuals, organizations, and communities—it brings joy and fulfillment as well,” Blanchard writes in the book’s foreword. “Life is about more than winning friends and influencing people—it’s about serving others. When you make a difference in other people’s lives, guess what? It makes a difference in your life, too.”

In It’s Not Just Who You Know, Tommy provides practical, insightful tools for building relationships, but not just relationships that help you “network” your way to the top. The relationships that really matter—Fifth Floor relationships, as he calls them—create better organizations. They lead to more profitable businesses. They have a positive impact on communities. As Tommy likes to say, they make the world spin better.

The 6 Biggest Fly-In Mistakes

Leading Authorities Speaker David Rehr

Washington Fly-Ins can be one of the most effective ways to advocate your issue, but many associations fall victim to common mistakes. David Rehr, a Capitol Hill insider with more than 25 years of lobbying experience recommends you don’t do the following:  

#6           Don’t complicate the “ask”. Go into your meeting with a member of Congress or their staff with a clear, concise request. If you muddle your message or ask for too much, it’s easier for the member to say, “Maybe next time.”

#5           Don’t be invisible. These Lobbying Days are your time to shine. Maximize your association’s positive visibility during your Fly-In for longer-term advocacy success.  You compete with the thousands of visitors going to member offices to get free tickets and tours.  Make sure your folks can be seen in the crowds as members and staff walk by. 

#4           Don’t assume your attendees are prepared or know what to expect. They have busy lives back home, and may not fully grasp how important their presence in DC can be. They are often “intimidated” too, thinking members and staff know more about their issue than they do!  The association office should help by providing talking points, background materials—even a map of the Capitol Complex can make a big difference. 

#3           Don’t forget to report the results. Too often, results of meetings are not systematically captured to strengthen future Government Relations efforts. Make sure your members follow-up with the association office after their meeting.

#2           Don’t forget to give credit to your association leadership and staff. These events are the result of hours of hard work by the DC staff. Building a good relationship with this DC-based team can be beneficial in the future, so don’t forget to say thank you.  Since you can’t brag about your team, be sure there is someone at the Fly-In who can.

#1           Don’t miss-out on future opportunities. A successful Fly-In event can be the launching pad for other activities, like membership and PAC campaigns, and future leadership possibilities.  Great association Fly-Ins create momentum for all the other endeavors!

For more insight on how to produce a truly effective Fly-In, check out Leading Authorities’ new video primer “The Capitol Hill Sales Call.” Contact Jonathan Sper at 202-204-1043 or jonathan@lauthorities for more information.