Barry McLoughlin, President of McLoughlin Media, one of North America’s leading media training and consulting firms will be our keynote speaker on June 18th. Barry’s speech – The world has changed…now what? - will focus on the power of social media, podcasting and other new media phenomena that have transformed the nature of news coverage, political campaigns and managing issues for governments, corporations and politicians.

What will it mean for politics as usual? For traditional media? For individual citizens? For the expectations of our institutions in society? Will it empower people or just lead to more ‘noise’ in the environment. Barry will tackle these issues with real-world examples of the good, the bad and the ugly of communications, laced with a dose of humour.

Barry’s career has included stops as a stand-up comedian, television writer and trainer of media techniques. He’s a media junkie and loves golf. One day, golf may love him back.

We asked Barry five very important questions.

What is your best memory of creating media for other people to enjoy?

My very first experience was certainly the most memorable. Along with my writing partner at the time, Ken Shaw, we created a concept for a television comedy series and I left Carleton University to write the series for Global TV. It was called “Sshh…it’s the News!”

Which media creator has been most inspiring to you and why?

My late brother Stephen was my first collaborator in creating comedic content. His mind was so quick, his punch lines were incredible, and we inspired each other to take chances with our material.

What do you think is the most important consideration to media relevance?

A fresh voice with something to say – about what’s really going on in our lives.

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I tend to think that the three most useless words in our language are: ‘woulda’, ‘shoulda’ and ‘coulda’. Having said that….perhaps I woulda, shoulda and coulda done much of the same with about 25 fewer pounds!

How do you hope your PAB2010 session will change the way people think and/or act?

As content creators, to appreciate their potential to achieve something profound.