Schulich Arts & Media Management Conference to discuss current media trends

Richard Stursberg, executive vice-president of English services for CBC/Radio-Canada, will talk about current trends in the communication industry as the keynote speaker at 2009 Schulich Arts & Media Management Conference.

The one-day conference, presented by the Arts & Media Management Club with the support of the MBA Program in Arts & Media Administration at York’s Schulich School of Business, will run on Saturday, March 14, from 9:30am to 5pm in the Executive Dining Room of the Seymour Schulich Building, Keele campus.

Stursberg brings to the conference his broad experience with private and public communications organizations. He oversees all aspects of CBC/Radio-Canada’s English-language programming services, which includes CBC Television, CBC Newsworld, The Documentary Channel, CBC Country Canada, CBC Radio One, CBC Radio 2, CBC Radio 3 and CBC.ca.

In addition to his experience at the CBC, Stursberg was executive director of Telefilm Canada, president and CEO of Cancom Broadcast (Canadian Satellite Communications, now Shaw Broadcast Services) and Star Choice. During the 1980s, he worked in the federal Department of Communications as assistant deputy minister of culture and broadcasting and assistant deputy minister of telecommunications, research and technology.

The conference will also feature leading industry experts Martha Fusca, president and CEO of Stornoway Communications; Tim Shore, founder and publisher of BlogTO; Elliott Hurst, co-founder of Supernova; Peter Grant, a partner at McCarthy Tétrault; Rob Bolton, digital marketing manager at Warner Music Canada; Keith Durrant, president of ecentricarts inc.; and Bob Mackowitz, a radio guru at CKK Productions.

Three panels comprised of industry experts will discuss entrepreneurship in arts and media, developments in new media and cultivating Canadian culture.

The goal of the Arts & Media Management Club is to complement academic study with exposure to and networking in the world of arts and media. It hopes to foster relationships between Schulich students and other Faculties at York as well as the wider arts and media community.

For more information about the conference or to register, visit the 2009 Schulich Arts & Media Management Conference Web site. Space is limited. Tickets include a full day of panels, networking, food, refreshments and a cocktail reception.