When a local Honolulu Independent wanted to go up against the network affiliates in town they called us. We designed the set, created the graphics, consulted on the hiring of talent and trained the technical crew. Working with our set designers and lighting experts we completed the on-air look while working with Sales Department for a advertising market media blitz including bartered radio cross promotions, local cable spots and heavy collateral advertising. The original concept - an on-the-hour, 5 minute broadcast - eventually expanded to 3 daily, half hour programs that now regularly vie with the affiliates in this vibrant marketplace.

Created a Cable Sports Network

Owning the broadcast rights to the University of Hawaii's sporting events, Oceanic Cablevision was all dressed up with no where to go! We were brought in with the simple request to do something. As there were no mobile units in Honolulu at the time, equipment was rented and set up, on a per game basis, in a rental truck; crews were hired and a show was formatted, rehearsed and put on the air. Additionally, a pre-game and post-game show was created, talent was hired and the broadcast became an instant ratings winner. Working with the sales staff, billboards and sponsorships were created and packaged as well as spot production, offered through Oceanic, amounting to a financial success during the very first season on the air. Moving on to Basketball, and eventually Football, a very dedicated fan base, on all of the Hawaiian Islands, was able to see University of Hawaii sports live...on cable. Resulting in a 35% increase in subscribers, working through a network which linked all the independent cable companies in the state, all taking place at the same time that ESPN was trying to make a name for itself as a fledgling regional sports network.

Mentored Start-up National Cable Television Network

Advised Retirement Living Television, a start-up, national cable television network as a Production Finance Consultant by supplying the design and creation of a series of working, production budget templates for use in all of their current programming. Led the team, and instigated contact, that negotiated a successful studio facilities, manpower and workspace contract with ABC News in Washington DC on behalf of the client. Advised existing accounting department personnel in the elements required to capture, track and forecast a broadcast operation - due to a lack of television environment experience. Worked closely with programming, production and senior network executives to enable a smoother transition from start-up to established media player. Assigned, primarily, to a live, daily two hour broadcast because of my background in Network television, but active in all elements of network operations as required by the client.

Corporate Television Pioneer

A FORTUNE500/NYSE company needed to increase its internal communications capabilities. In 1980, the corporate use of television was limited to training films - but why not develop an in-house network of video programs? Working closely with the V.P. of Corporate Communications, who appeared as the host of the program, a video magazine show was created which aired quarterly on a network of monitors and VCR's distributed worldwide to all of the offices and divisions of this company. Soon, State-of-the-Corporation videos were produced, H.R. projects, employee relations videos and finally community out-reach programs. A national Corporate Television Production industry leader, with more than a dozen national awards for projects we produced for them, this program resulted in the creation of an entire division within the corporation and encouraged the establishment of an industry which is now quite viable and respectable. We are proud to have pioneered this form of business communication. The London Group is ready and able to serve a variety of corporate media needs.

International Project Management

The 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games presented a real challenge in many ways. One was how does the Olympic Committee produce a decidedly American sport such as Baseball for an International audience? Our President was chosen to manage the 2 Baseball Venues. His knowledge of the sport and broadcasting was a great match...and his ability to speak Spanish made managing his staff of more than 75 a non-issue. This venue was the first international use of HDTV which made broadcast history when linked with the digital production truck used for the World feed.

Although there were many projects between them, a recent project for King Abdullah II of Jordan also frames our experience. A live event in Amman showcasing the IT Community of the country featuring a video production shot on location in 7 countries on 3 continents with 4 different camera crews. We were responsible for both the event, which hosted more than 200 IT industry leaders including Apple, Oracle and Microsoft, and the large screen video projection of the piece. Re-cut and assembled as an infomercial the piece is being placed on commercial television throughout the MENA region. Another example of our international ability is a recent project consulting to the Prime Minister of Poland as a Media Specialist working directly with this leader and his ministers mentoring them in media training (on camera), press conferences and instigating a series of Town Hall Meetings which resulted in a 20 point increase in the Prime Minister's approval rating. Another project worthy of mention is our work for the Aqaba Special Economic Zone in Jordan. Management of the entire Communications Component, on behalf of Pricewaterhouse Coopers for this landmark enterprise was our responsibility. Working under the auspices of the Prime Minister's office and the Palace as well as with the private sector, our consulting services included a Communications Strategic Plan, Media Training and Core Message Development seminars. Additional work was done in the realm of advertising, promotion and media relations as required by the Board of Commissioners for the Zone.

While working as the Resident Advisor to Broadcast Media in Bosnia & Hercegovina for 10 months during 2002, Canter worked with private radio and television stations mentoring them on programming, production, marketing and management techniques. Chief among his clients are Mreza Plus the most successful private television network in BiH. While ratings leaders in entertainment programming since their launch in August of 2001 - he guided in the expanded formulation of staff and facilities, developing program concepts and building their newsroom in order to launch a national, nightly Evening News Program to service both the Federation and the Republika Srpska offering objective, fair and professional journalism to the residents of this former Yugoslavian republic. Headquartered in Sarajevo, Canter designed, developed and administered a program for live, daily reports from The ICTY in The Hague covering events surrounding the Milosevic Trial and led his clients in the first ever commercially successful broadcast endeavor related to national elections in BiH.

Moving to Yerevan in late 2002, Canter became Chief of Party for the Internews Network Armenia Civil Society Program. A USAID project then in its 7th year, he led the program through the steps from sub-grant, donor recipient to becoming a sustainable, self-sufficient freestanding NGO. This was accomplished through the creation of a fee-for-services entity that would provide a self-funding mechanism for the NGO through a continuation of services to the commercial clients that he developed, including other USAID implementing partners as well as local and international businesses and organizations. Managing a local staff consisting of more than 45 broadcast and production professionals the project produced a weekly, trilateral [magazine style] television show with sister projects in Georgia and Azerbaijan as well as a weekly single-theme talk show, investigative reports and numerous radio productions - as well as staging national journalism and production competitions. Working with both private and public broadcasters, the Internews project conducted more than 35 weeks of advanced journalism and production seminars and workshops with leading international consultants and trainers each year. Facilities include NLE editing suites, off-line bays, digital audio production, a 3-camera studio and advanced computer graphic production capabilities. Numerous projects created and produced under the Internews Armenia banner have received international recognition. Lastly, the work of this program inconjunction with other international donor organizations resulted in changes, through advocacy, in the Mass Media Law, the Radio & TV Commission Law and the establishment of a Freedom Of Information Act. In February of 2005, Internews Armenia launched itself as a completely sustainable entity serving the commercial community of Armenia and international clientele while still serving the broadcast community that they had supported for more than eight years.

Under a contract to Nathan Associates and JE Austin Associates Canter traveled to Colombo, Sri Lanka in February of 2005. Initially brought on to assess the Visitor Industry vis-a-vis a movement to encourage tourism post-tsunami, a plan was designed and presented to USAID within a week of his arrival, which resulted in an immediate $3.5 million award being granted to the project to implement the Outreach Campaign that he had created. Incorporating a value added element to the upcoming Visitor Industry Trade Fair in Berlin, Germany [ITB], he was able to form a stronger synergy between the private sector industry that he represented and the Sri Lanka Tourist Board [Government] to leverage the overall positioning and strategy of the industry. The project identified and linked local advertising and promotion expertise in a public/private partnership to launch a campaign that focuses on both the people of Sri Lanka while simultaneously targeting known visitor markets in Western & Northern Europe and India with provisions to explore new regions in North America. With the unanimous sign-off of the private sector, Canter created an action plan that included a separate but equal ad campaign for the India Marketplace to work in parallel with activity on-going in Western Europe and re-positioned the working relationship between the government funded Sri Lanka Tourist Board and the Visitor Industry at a new, synergistic level. Handing off the project to his team of Sri Lankan experts after 8 months, the project continued with visible results including sustained visitor numbers and was highlighted by an increase in the employment numbers for the hospitality and related tourist industries of this country in the 12 months following the tsunami of 2004.

Accepting an offer from Development Alternatives Incorporated [DAI] of Bethesda, Maryland to be part of a start-up USAID business development project in Jakarta, Indonesia, Canter joined a team of ExPats and local experts to launch a Competitiveness Project in November, 2005. This $20 million program would work with SME's throughout Indonesia, to focus on industry wide [value chain] Cluster development. Forming, and leading, a team of five local Marketing Communications Advisors who would work out of a series of Regional Competitiveness Centers, Canter's work as the project's Senior Communications Advisor will be to develop a series of national messages that would inform, educate and make Indonesia aware of the mission of The SENADA Program. Government relations, media relations and public awareness are the three components of his program that are to be put in play during the first year of operation. The SENADA event that would highlight and position the project will be a National Competitiveness Forum that will be designed, developed and organized by Canter and his team at the first anniversary. This is the first such project [Competitiveness/Cluster Development] undertaken by this USAID Mission and will become the focus of much scrutiny by the people, the media and the government of Indonesia, who will be a very visible partner of SENADA during the next four years.

Joining a new USAID funded project in July of 2006 in Amman, Canter is working within the Ministry of Finance to help design and implement a Public Outreach and Education program for the people of Jordan. Consulting directly with the Deputy Prime Minister [who is also the Minister of Finance] on the re-drafting of the Tax Code, the requirement was to go beyond simple changes to the law and engage the people of Jordan who have enjoyed a system of tax holidays that were about to be eliminated. Various sectors of the country public and private, were introduced to factual, timely and simplified information about the changes to the system which allowed for a direct involvement with the Government for the first time since the introduction of a tax system in 1985.

Underscoring the message was the request to accept the improved, unified code and underscore one's obligation and duty to support the country, through the payment of taxes. This stance was in direct response to the Palace's new National Agenda, positioning the Minister and his senior staff as representatives of, and available to, the people of Jordan. A complex plan for dissemination of changes was designed, created and delivered to a varied group of stakeholders utilizing a diverse set of collateral, positioned through a full faceted mass media campaign and series of one-on-one, people-to-people presentations organized and managed by Canter and involving the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance and his Director General of the Tax Department.

Additionally, the Bearing Point team, who holds this contract with USAID, will be working to reform the tax policy and administration of the Ministry as well as to implement a new system of Results Oriented Budgeting. Working out of the Ministry allowed Canter daily contact with his Government of Jordan counterparts and proved to be the key to this successful campaign. The foundation of the campaign is to enable the Government to work closer with the Lower House of the Parliament, who were at odds with the new regulations due to historical differences.

Media Communications Consultant; SOS International, Department of Defense Contractor, Global Awards Portfolio. Working across this firm's entire global portfolio, answering directly to the COO, to improve media & client relations, branding and marketing communications and to assume management of a cyber document repository housed within a portal designed for their Foreign Media Relations Program. Mentoring a group of international media analysts in their 24/7/365 monitoring of open source venues for the DoD. Also consulting to the Business Development, Capture and Proposal Departments of this multi-national, Information Operations and Strategic Communications services firm located in New York, Virginia and Iraq.

Television Series Production

In our 20th year as a production entity, we have been the creators, producers and distributors of 4 television series. One of our first, Bodies in Motion, is the longest running exercise show on television. Another was a weekly real estate show which generated more than 12 offers a week on showcased homes over its 26 week run. The pilot episode for an Outdoors show which became a cornerstone of the successful ESPN Outdoors Series was produced and directed by our president, in 1996, and is still airing on a weekly basis. And, in 1999 a bi-lingual national sports special was produced and aired on an syndicated network of more than 125 stations including the top 5 marketplaces. Baseball: The Spanish Dream was the first national sports special to be broadcast in Spanish and English and highlighted current and former stars of the game.

In the summer of 2001, a series of infomercials The Vieques Videos were produced for the United States Navy. Shot on location in Puerto Rico and Washington DC these shows delivered the integral elements of decision to the people who would be casting the votes about their home, La Isla Nina - Vieques. Produced entirely in Spanish (an English version is available) these shows highlighted, in a balanced and fair way, the issues. Environment, Health and Economy as well as an anchor show which covered the history, status quo and future of the crucial relationship between the U.S. Navy and the people of Puerto Rico who live on the island of Vieques were presented. An international crew consisting of Puerto Rican television production professionals joined the TLG crew to produce this video series under the supervision of Production Executive and writer, Bill Canter.

Clients Served

The following is a partial list of our clients served: ABC Television, Aloha Airlines, American Airlines, Aston Hotels & Resorts, AT&T [New York], Avis, Bank of Hawaii, BBC, The Baseball Network, Burson-Marsteller [New York], Carlson Group [New York], Cathay Pacific Airlines [Hong Kong], Chancellery of the Prime Minister [Poland], CBS Television, Chemonics International, Chevron USA, CNN, DuPont Corporation, Eastman Kodak Company [New York], ESPN, First Family of Travel [Chicago], Gannett Communications, Grey Advertising [Chicago], Hashimite Kingdom [Jordan], Hawaii Department of Education, Hawaii Maritime Center, Hawaiian Airlines, Hawaiian Tel/GTE, HBO, Hill & Knowlton [Washington DC], Hyatt Hotels, International Executive Services Corporation, Jordan-United States Business Partnership, King Hussein Foundation [Jordan], Major League Baseball International, MSG Engineering [Cairo], MSA Advertising [London], NBC Television, National Restaurant Association, National Rifle Association, Pacific Resources Inc, Paramount Studios, PGA Tour Productions, PriceWaterHouse Coopers, Retirement Living Television, Reuters, Seattle Natural Gas, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Showtime Network, SOS International, Tropical Rental Cars, United Airlines, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Xenex Corporation [Sweden].