Executive Assistant

John Beattie

** ********** *****

Toronto, Ontario

Canada M1C 3E3

647-***-**** aborqt@r.postjobfree.com

Senior Media Professional

*-**** **** *****-******* media professional with more than 30 years extensive experience in Canada, the United States and overseas. Experienced not only in storytelling but in result-oriented marketing of ideas to an audience on many platforms. Trademark skills include innovation and team- building.

Experience

11/08 to Present Senior Advisor to the Premier of Ontario

07/08 to 11/08 Consultant CTV

02/04 to 07/08 Executive Producer Global News Toronto

07/03 to 02/04 Creator DriveTV

09/92 to 07/03 Senior Producer ABC News, New York

07/87 to 09/92 Executive Producer CTV Ottawa

09/83 to 07/87 Producer CBC-TV News Toronto

08/82 to 09/83 Reporter CBC-TV News Ottawa

05/79 to 08/82 Producer CTV News Toronto

08/76 to 05/79 Editorial Assistant CTV Ottawa

07/74 to 08/76 Director Ottawa Cablevision Community TV

Additional- various producing assignments for NBC News, BBC News, Peter Jennings Productions, Visnews, WTN and CNN.

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Detailed-

Senior Advisor- Premier of Ontario

The Premier’s office lead in the plan to bring Ontario Government communications with the public and the media into the digital information era- introducing new platforms for outreach using social media including live video streaming. Ontario’s communications strategy now leads most other jurisdictions.

The Premier’s Office lead for the Ontario Olympic project- designing strategy to not only engage Ontarians but break through the media clutter of the games and capture the attention of the world promoting Ontario Tourism and Industry.

Ontario’s pavilion at the Vancouver Games won awards and my unique manipulation of various Ontario new technologies far surpassed everyone’s wildest expectations.

I realized early on that the film Avatar was going to be the blockbuster of 2010 and to show the world Ontario is on the cutting edge in virtually everything I created a 3d theme for the Ontario’s pavilion.

I produced a 4d motion ride taking visitors on a wild tour of Ontario tourism hotspots. It received rave reviews and had people lining up for more than two hours in the rain. The ride is now the centrepiece at Ontario Place.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/a-movie-that-shakes-splashes-and-smells/article1630612/

I found a small start up producing auto-stereoscopic 3d TV sets in Toronto and paired them up with Sheridan College and created the first without-glasses 3d game anyone had seen using Ontario Blackberries as controllers.

The crown jewel was the use of a small Ontario tech company that monitors alpha and beta brainwaves. I created the idea of re-writing their software that would allow someone in the Ontario pavilion to take a seat- and then manipulate their brainwaves and take control of the lighting on the CN Tower, on Parliament Hill and at Niagara Falls. I negotiated a deal with the CTV consortium to provide live cameras and fibre into the pavilion so participants could control the lights in real time. Media from all over the world came to try it out- selling Ontario as a smart hi-tech place to invest- where there are also wonderful icons to visit.

http://www.marketnews.ca/content/index/page?pid=6540

Consultant- CTV

I was hired as a consultant by CTV to look at new ways of developing programming on multiple platforms for the network’s Toronto news channel CP24. I designed the way they cover elections and created the first ever talk show broadcast live from a moving streetcar. I left when Ontario made me an offer I could not refuse.

Executive Producer- Global News

I was invited to Toronto to fix Global Toronto’s news management problems- that included lack of real direction, confusion over leadership, morale problems that were leading to serious staffing issues and inability to develop stories that would engage the sought-after demographic of the supper-hour news audience. I accomplished all of those goals- helping to create a fiercely competitive TV newsroom with smart stories that grew Global’s audience.

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I also introduced new technologies into newsgathering in Canada while at Global. It was the first TV newsroom to use live video streaming from evdo equipped laptops in the field. And I also introduced cofdm microwave to Canadian newsgathering- transmitting live from moving vehicles during snowstorms.

I was the only Executive Producer at any Global station. I was downsized when Canwest stock dropped under 75 cents.

Creator- DriveTV

This was an idea that came close but in the end could not get off the ground. The notion was simple- soccer moms, dads were opting for minivans with dvd players to keep the kids entertained in the back seat. The problem was access to new content. I created a partnership with Nelvana and Corus to use their program inventory to create dvds that would contain commercials aimed at kids on the road. They would be distributed at gas stations.

Corus was excited about it- but negotiations over rights bogged down with the producers of the programming and I moved on.

Senior Producer- ABC News

I was hired by ABC News to be Peter Jennings’ anchor producer and during my tenure based out of New York I covered almost every major story in the world. I field-produced, wrote and edited Jennings’ stories for World News Tonight and special events. And I traveled with him for live remote broadcasts all over the world.

I was also seconded by ABC News & Sports President Roone Arledge to work on special projects in areas that involved the News division’s vital interests. My obit of Roone may be the only piece of journalism that aired on every network.

I was also seconded by Disney Chairman Bob Iger to work on special projects for the entertainment company.

I produced the award winning weekly feature called ABC’s Person of the Week and the award winning The Century .

I won three Emmy awards while at ABC and two of the George Foster Peabody awards- that are often called the Pulitzer Prize of broadcasting.

I left ABC because I wanted to try something new. But even after I left I was drafted by Peter Jennings Production company to create two documentaries for ABC- one was the history of country music- the second- the story of hockey. Both were in development when he died.

Executive Producer- CTV Ottawa

I was hired by CTV Ottawa to develop a strategy to turn around a ratings slump caused created when the CBC in that market was making a hard push for numbers.

I worked on the marketing plan and the look of the station. I redesigned the look of news, its format and added new technologies. CTV Ottawa was the first to purchase an SNG/MW truck in the CTV system. Prior to its arrival I negotiated with CNCP the first use of inter-city fibre optics in Canada and created regional broadcasts using the technology in Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston and Belleville.

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Within a year the ratings were not only back but growing to unheard of levels. That’s when I moved on to my next project- talent recruitment.

At the time it was extremely rare for a private broadcaster to recruit someone from the CBC’s National to work for a local station. I brought parliamentary correspondent Kathy Wright to CTV Ottawa and I landed Mike Duffy- something that made the front pages of newspapers across the country.

I created a network show for Mike Duffy called Sunday Edition . It was a co-production of virtually all of the CTV affiliates- rather than a network production. Remember, CTV’s owners were not often in agreement during that time frame and alliances for something of this nature were difficult to forge.

Sunday Edition was a ratings success- pulling in more viewers every Sunday morning than CBC’s National did on Sunday night. I left CTV Ottawa when ABC made me an offer.

Producer- CBC News

I helped create the CBC Network News program Midday and produced segments and news coverage for The Journal .

Reporter- CBC News Ottawa

I spent a year working as a reporter working for the CBC in Ottawa. It was fun- but I realized that my real calling was producing.

Producer- CTV National News and News Specials Toronto

At CTV I worked on all of the major stories of the day- including constitutional issues, the first Quebec referendum, wars in the Falkland Islands and Lebanon and the Royal Wedding.

Editorial Assistant- CTV Ottawa

I learned about broadcast TV from the ground floor up in my first broadcast job. I became very interested in using graphics to tell stories. I left when CTV made me an offer to join the network.

Director- Ottawa Cablevision Ltd.

I worked at every level of programming at the cable company including shooting and directing and producing.

References-

Max Keeping- VP News- CTV Ottawa 613-***-****

Ron Waksman- Sr. Editor Global News 416-***-****

Robert Hurst- Former Pres. CTV News 416-***-****

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Paul Slavin- Sr. VP ABC News 212-***-****

Personal- Married with 4 children

Interests- the video wall in my home.

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