Case Studies, Testimonials & Client List

Here’s just some of what LMI’s corporate and government clients have said after taking a ‘Credible Spokesperson’ training seminar.

Case Studies

"Good style from the coach and a very positive learning environment"

When Lovink Media Inc. won a provincial bid to provide cross departmental training over 4 years Jon Lovink began a series of media training courses that ranged all the way from deputy ministers to communications staff working in crisis management on issues such as floods, fires and tsunamis. The training work continues to this day.


This was a fantastic course and will be huge help my day-to-day job as well as it gave me some new strategies for dealing with media requests. It also reinforced my current toolbox. The practical scenarios and role-plays exercises were huge help. I now have a much better idea of how to organize scrums and prepare holding statements. It will is also be a big help in my daily work on issues management. Good style from the coach and a very positive learning environment. This would be a huge benefit to anyone working in a public affairs office. The skills are really transferable to our daily jobs – not just interactions with media but when we are preparing all Minister’s materials.

"The media training Mr. Lovink has provided has been of great value in helping Parks Canada"

In Western Canada few federal government departments get more media exposure than Parks Canada. Preserving ecological integrity and encouraging visitors sometimes creates curious bedfellows and creates conflicts between tourism operators, the ski industry, highway users and local communities. Seeking help in lowering the intensity of conflict driven headline news media coverage Parks Canada hired Jon Lovink to provide extensive training and counsel to its staff across western and northern Canada.


Parks Canada Agency is very pleased with the media training and strategic counsel services LMI provides the Agency. Since 1999, Mr. Lovink has conducted many media training sessions with staff at all levels across northern and western Canada, including the Pacific region. He has also provided extensive strategic counsel services to my office. The media training Mr. Lovink has provided has been of great value in helping Parks Canada manage its external communications in a consistent and integrated fashion. It has been very well received by staff and has made an important contribution to our spokesperson capacity in the West and the North. His strategic communications counsel has also been of excellent value in assisting us in managing communications with the news media and other important Agency stakeholders during a time of close public scrutiny. I am pleased to recommend Jon Lovink’s work.

Gaby Fortin, Former Director General, Parks Canada

testimonials

Best instructor and media training I have received in 18 years of working in emergency management career fields. Really appreciated Jon's passion for the topic. I feel way more confident as a result.

Pader Brach, Director, Environmental Emergency Program, BC Ministry of Environment

Hi Jon, thanks for coming in and putting us through the ringer as it was a great learning experience which I think the team enjoyed very much.

Brad Wakefield, VP Operations, Jupiter Resurces

I just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you again for the media training seminar; I really enjoyed it! I know the skills learnt will benefit the BC Parks team whenever we are asked to provide an interview.

Gina Bugslag, BC Parks- Ministry of Environment

“Just wanted to send a personal note in lieu of your evaluation. The day was excellent. You have taken a lifetime of experience and made it into an extremely informative lesson which is not only applicable to the subject areas and media demands forthcoming, but also day to day business communication. At these latter stages of a career one can get used to the idea that there isn’t much left to learn, but you certainly nullified that myth for me. The handbook is on my desk and will be a tool close by. Many thanks.”

Dr. Ken Roblesky, Veterinarian – Meat Inspection Program, BC Ministry of Agriculture

“It wasn’t easy for our executive and management team to put other priorities aside in order to take LMI’s two-day media training course. But it turned out to be a very good decision. Jon did an excellent job of bringing his experience and wisdom to bear, and tailoring the course to our organization’s unique circumstances. I highly recommend this training to any organization for which media engagement is a prospect, whether or not that is welcomed.”

Ken Baker, CEO, BC Forestry Innovation Investment, Vancouver

Thanks again for a great session yesterday. I know the Executive Team all learned a lot and can see enormous value working with you in the future as we develop the dominant crisis scenarios and look to practice them and get feedback from you.

Mario Siciliano
Vice President, External
Bow Valley College

Jon Lovink is an excellent public speaking coach, who has the right breadth of skills and depth of knowledge to make a big, positive impact on his clients. I was nervous coming into the training but Jon has a great personal touch that taught me to be comfortable and relaxed in what are often very high energy situations. I also just had a blast in his workshop, and left with a clear understanding of how to tell my story and get my message across in the swirl of media and public scrutiny.

Evan Wooley, Councillor, Calgary City Council

“Great job today. We needed a base hit and Jon hit a grand slam. His engaging style is contagious. We resolved a pressing communications challenge and were able to successfully add depth to represent Alberta One-Call’s Team.”

Mike Sullivan, President, Alberta One Call

“Jon is a media relations and communications expert with many years of experience in local, regional and national news from reporting to producing to leading as bureau chief. He has been a key resource to me and my team in areas including media training, presentations and general preparation for how to handle the TOUGH questions, whether they be from the media, board members, shareholders or even your spouse!”

Frank Burdzy, President & CEO, Champion Petfoods LP

I just want to say thanks again for your media training course. We’ve all been talking about how much we appreciated and enjoyed it. Your expertise and engaging delivery made it a genuinely eye-opening and invigorating experience. It must take a ton of energy to travel and lead the course so we hope you know it’s really helpful and very appreciated.

Debbi Salmonsen, Executive Director, CFMF

I’m very pleased with how things went and feeling optimistic about our ability to handle a crisis now. The feedback from the CEO and senior management group was very positive. Thanks Jon.

Victoria Kilpatrick, HR Manager, The McElhanney Group Ltd., Vancouver BC

Thanks again for the excellent training today. The feedback was fantastic. I'll be in touch.

Rosetta Lubbers, HR Director, Canbriam Energy Inc.,Calgary AB

Thanks Jon. The course was awesome. I learned a lot! How to face my fear, set the agenda, deflect hard questions that I cannot answer, and come prepared with messages.

Amy Amos, Executive Director, 
Gwich’in Renewable Resources Board.

Thanks again for the training Jon … I found it very worthwhile as a refresher, and to learn some new and very helpful tips to use in dealing with the media. I will certainly share these tips when prepping my spokespersons (for success rather than merely survival) going forward. It was also extremely helpful for me to examine the news cycle from the social media perspective. Even though I am well aware of the power of SM in driving a story it perhaps hit home a little better this time … and finally being better able to manage my fear in front of a camera and your useful tool for remembering messages was very empowering for me. Much obliged!! Cheers.

Toni Riley, Senior Communications Advisor AANDC/Communications and Public Affairs

The seminar was very enjoyable and the course presenters were particularly knowledgeable and credible.

James O’Hanley, Deputy Chief Commissioner, BC Oil and Gas Commission.

“Thanks you so much for a really eye-opening training session last Friday. I learn a lot each time I hear you speak. I thought you did a really good job connecting with all the participants – some of whom are actually incredibly cynical about PR. I was amazed how you established credibility with them and created an intimate space where they were really trying to improve as spokespeople. I can’t imagine anyone else having that same impact in such a short time period. Thank you!”

Laura Judson Public Relations and Communications Officer, Parks Canada

“Congratulations on the course you have developed, I would have no hesitation in recommending it to colleagues."

Steve Taylor, Research Scientist, NRCan

Hi Jon, I was "eavesdropping" on the Minister last night (mostly because his office is right across from mine and I couldn't not hear him), and he was speaking very positively about the training to another Minister, so I think you were a hit.

Shaun Dean, Executive Director, Cabinet Communications, Government of Northwest Territories

“When Black Gold receives a request for media and spokesperson training or crisis communications counsel we recommend Lovink Media Inc. Jon and his team have the experience and knowledge to generate meaningful results for our diverse clients. This trust has been earned over the past decade by the consistent delivery of quality work.”

Jason Swan, VP Operations Black Gold Emergency Planners Inc.

Jon helped me and our team at CCTA with strategic media and communications training. This helped me become more confident and effective in communications and created a solid base to build on in terms of both public speaking and understanding media.

Michael Hennessy, CEO, Canadian Media Production Association, Canadian Cable Television Association

“I want to thank-you personally for all the expertise you passed on to me. I took a media-training course or two from Jon Lovink and it was critical when I came face- to-face with the Pine Lake crisis. I tried to imagine how you might handle the situation. Thanks again!”

Dennis Dudley, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist, Environment Canada, BC

“I received great feedback regarding our crisis communication training session. Our executives found your presentation engaging throughout. They particularly liked your understanding of our business and this helped us apply the training more effectively. The tools provided were excellent and can be used everyday.”

Kristin Mason, Director of Investor Relations, Equal Energy

“This was a fantastic course and will be huge help my day-to-day job as well as it gave me some new strategies for dealing with media requests. It also reinforced my current toolbox. The practical scenarios and role-plays exercises were huge help. I now have a much better idea of how to organize scrums and prepare holding statements. It will is also be a big help in my daily work on issues management. Good style from the coach and a very positive learning environment. This would be a huge benefit to anyone working in a public affairs office. The skills are really transferable to our daily jobs – not just interactions with media but when we are preparing all Minister’s materials.”

Government of BC Communications Staff Evaluation

“As I’m sure you may have picked up over the weekend we had fire over the past few days. I just wanted to pass along that the training you provided the other week worked like a charm. We took a pretty pro-active stance, gave the media regular updates and as much access to the fire scene and technical experts as we reasonably could. We even conducted a formal media briefing on Sunday in the same room where we did the training, complete with media kits and the whole nine yards. We’ve gotten national coverage, in both official languages, and our messages came through loud and clear. Thanks for all the tips and techniques, they worked like a charm.”

Robert Sheldon – Superintendent, Elk Island National Park

“Recently I had the opportunity to bring Jon in to train several of my agencies in communications and media strategy. Beyond being an notable expert with impeccable credentials, Jon’s training brought a barrage of positive feedback about the delivery, content and professionalism. I continue to hear my colleagues speak of lessons learned from these sessions and applied in situations facing them today. I recommend Jon without hesitation and suggest that if you have the opportunity to receive advice from him, don’t hesitate.”

Barry Davidson, Currently Senior Advisor, Minister of Transportation, Government of Alberta

Client List

Client confidentiality is a cornerstone of LMI’s business practice.


Alberta Environment
Alberta One-Call
BC Forestry Innovation Investment
BC Government Communications
BC Oil and Gas Commission
Bethany Care Society
BlackGold Emergency Responders
Champion Pet Foods
Canadian Avalanche Association
Canadian Energy Pipeline Association
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Tourism Commission
Canbriam Energy Inc

Calgary Public School Board
Calgary Homeless Foundation
Canbriam Energy Inc.
Conoco Phillips
Devon Energy
Environment Canada
Equal Energy
Government of Northwest Territories
Government of British Columbia
Government of Nunavut
Health Canada
Justice Canada.
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Long Run Exploration

MEG Energy
MGM Energy
Mount Royal University
Nufarm
Nabors Canada
Natural Resources Canada
Public Works and Government Services
Painted Pony Oil and Gas
Parks Canada
Pengrowth
Shell Canada
University of Calgary
Vermilion Energy
Zargon Oil and Gas