MARCH 2009 NEWS . . . .

John Cleese - available now from Kruger Cowne

We are delighted to announce that the remarkable and highly accomplished actor, author and motivational business speaker John Cleese has joined Kruger Cowne and is now available internationally for motivational business keynote addresses and after dinner events.

Although John Cleese is best known for such comedy classics as “The Frost Report, Monty Python, Faulty Towers, and a Fish Called Wanda,” his experience in founding and helping to run Video Arts Training film company, underlies his motivational speaking. From 1972 to 1991 Video Arts produced 100 films teaching skills in management, sales and service. Cleese wrote and appeared in many of these. In addition he co-wrote to best sellers about psychology “Families and How to Survive them,” and “Life and How to Survive it.” He is currently a visiting professor at Cornell where he talks to Cornell students about business, psychology, and writing.

He, speaks to business audiences all over the world, largely about the interface between management and psychology, and most often about creativity and innovation.

John uses a lot of humour in his presentation, but as he learned from his 20 years at Video Arts, the jokes are used to illustrate the points he is making.

For US booking information contact Beth and for rest of world contact Mark.

The 'Three Dogs" - John Simpson, Ranulph Fiennes and Robin Knox Johnston - return home from the North Pole. . .

John Simpson CBE (BBC World Affairs Editor), Sir Ranulph Fiennes (Polar Explorer and Adventurer) and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (single-handed round the world master mariner) have just returned to the UK from the final part of a three-way ‘role reversal’ series whereby each of them takes the other two to an area of their expertise and introduces them to what they do in their lives.

Part one was where John Simpson, as the World Affairs Editor of the BBC took Ranulph and Robin to the Afghanistan war zone. Part two was where Robin Knox-Johnston, as a round-the-world master mariner brought his share of grief, trauma, adventure (and the inevitable sea-sickness) to the other two by sailing them around the most threatening seas in the world – Cape Horn. Part three, just completed, is where Ranulph Fiennes, as one of the world’s most accomplished polar explorers has introduced John and Robin to the extremely hostile, yet immensely beautiful, North Pole.

The entire adventure has been filmed by the BBC for a feature series that will be launched in March 2009. It will gain world attention and probably produce a number of books.

We have negotiated an exclusive agreement with the three of them to deliver either an hour or 90-minute presentation on the amazing adventures that they will have completed. Their combined presentation will provide a fabulous and riveting show.

John Simpson will introduce the presentation, talk about the purpose of the television series, what happened in the making etc and lead with his part (Afghanistan) for ± 20 to 30 mins followed by Ranulph Fiennes (North Pole) of ± 15 to 20 mins and Robin Knox-Johnston (Cape Horn) of ± 15 to 20 mins. There will be incredible visuals to be shown plus each of them wish to incorporate some of their existing visuals to set the scene and explain to audiences why they were chosen for the expedition.

The overall messaging will seriously show motivation and leadership and demonstrate to the audience the need for recognizing leaders in their field and working as a team to identify and achieve goals.

For more information contact Gina.

Gordon Ramsay wows Vegas audience . . .

Gordon Ramsay appeared at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas in February as CLSA's primary keynote speaker and where he delivered a speech on the need to consider change and adaptation in business to a capacity audience.

CLSA were delighted with Gordon's contribution to the conference and said "Gordon Ramsay was absolutely fantastic. The whole audience loved him and that he attended the private dinner was just the icing on the cake ".

Gordon Ramsay is a highly inspirational and motivating business speaker and is available for events worldwide. For more information contact Gina.

Bob Geldof presents award to Archbishop Tutu . . .

15 Feb 2009: Galway. Following a lengthy standing ovation, Archbishop Desmond Tutu addressed a packed audience of over 1000 people at NUI Galway’s Literary and Debating Society event. The Noble Peace Prize winner called for a sense of ’togetherness’ in order that humanity might combat the challenges of climate change and economic meltdown.

Archbishop Tutu, who led South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, was critical of the vast sums spent on military budgets, when so many lacked clean water, education and basic healthcare. Referring to the ’so-called war on terror’, he said there was no way to win ’as long as there are conditions in the world that make people desperate’.

Sir Bob Geldof, who told the packed auditorium ‘how privileged we are to be in the same room as an historic giant’, introduced the Archbishop.. Sir Bob was making his first visit to NUI Galway in over 30 years, since he gigged in the college bar with the Boomtown Rats.

At the end of proceedings, Sir Bob Geldof presented the Literary & Debating Society’s highest accolade, the President’s Medal, to Archbishop Tutu. The medal has previously been awarded to such notable figures as philosopher and linguist Noam Chomsky, US Senator Mike Gravel, Congressman Bruce Morrison, and former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

All information and images courtesy National University of Ireland, Galway.

Sir Bob Geldof is available internationally for keynote conference speeches and after dinner events. For more information contact Mark.

Orbison's Butterflies for Eurovision . . .

Barbara Orbison’s company, Still Working Music, employs a host of talented songwriters of international acclaim. Orbison recently sent one of her writers, Billy Burnette, who played in the band Fleetwood Mac for ten years, to Norway where he teamed up with Norwegian songwriter Dave Eriksen.

The team co-wrote “Butterflies,” a song that has won many European music competitions and is now a finalist in Norway’s Eurovision Song Contest. If it wins in Norway, the song, performed by Tone Damli Aaberge, will go on to compete in the European finals of the Eurovision Song Contest, taking place in Moscow May 12 to 16. Barbara Orbison is currently in Oslo where she will be making an appearance on the televised program.

To learn more about the Eurovision Song Contest, click here.

Barbara Orbison is available to speak about many aspects of the music industry, from her late husband Roy’s historic career to the continuing growth of her own music empire. For more information contact Beth.

YouBloom Founder, Phil Harrington, joins Kruger Cowne. . .

Phil Harrington is CEO and founder of YouBloom whose vision is to become a thriving global economy of artists and friends, inhabited by socially and environmentally conscious communities from all over the world, providing the space and the tools for their entrepreneurial, creative, and spiritual ambitions to be liberated and bloom.

Additionally, Phil is founder and CEO of the Human Health Project a free online medical case submission service with case commenting and outcomes generation. This service will be released in the first half of 2009. Long term, a knowledge database will be built up and searchable by the medical profession as well as the public.

Phil has created a voice improvisation workshop/performance called “Voce” which has been evolving over the last 20 years where individuals go through a simple process of introspection and expression. Traditional and modern composing techniques are used to open the individual voice, access self-knowledge, and sing the "inner song".

He has released two albums of songs, “Voce” in 1996 and “The Laundry Room” in 2008.

Phil is available internationally for keynote conference speeches and after dinner events. For more information contact Beth.

Kathy Eldon opens JOURNEY: Iamges of War / Celebrations of Peace exhibition . . .

Santa Monica, February 2009: Kathy Eldon opened the JOURNEY: Images of War / Celebrations of Peace exhibition in Santa Monica. The travelling exhibit of Dan Eldon’s work is a powerful, affecting tribute to a young artist and his rich, brief life. Containing photographs from Dan’s work in Somalia with the Reuters News Agency, large reproductions of his collages, and a variety of art supplies and personal belongings, the exhibit has inspired audiences in six countries.

Dan Eldon was the son of a British father and American mother, who grew up in Kenya, and attended four colleges in England and the US, including the Pasadena Community College and UCLA. At the age of 21, he was among a small cadre of journalists who alerted the world to a major famine in Somalia. As many as 1,000 people a day were starving to death when Newsweek, Time, and many international daily newspapers began to pick up Dan’s images in 1992, triggering an international mission to deliver aid to Somalia. One year later, Dan and three colleagues were killed by an angry mob in the aftermath of a tragic bombing raid by UN troops that killed or wounded more than 100 Somalis.

Founded by Kathy and Amy Eldon in 1998, Creative Visions Foundation uses arts and media to support "creative activists" like Dan who use their brains and imagination to initiate positive change in the world around them.

Kathy is available internationally for keynote conference speeches and after dinner events. For more information contact Beth.

New Faces at Kruger Cowne UK office . . .

To help cope with our recent expansion both within the European and US markets Kruger Cowne have recruited some wonderful new faces.

Emily Bowden joins us as Management Assistant and will be able to assist with any management related questions or issues.

Debbie Bunn has joined us to up-weight our client services team and has assumed a role of Sales Executive.

Gerard Moxon joins us in the capacity of International Sales Director and will be working with our teams in all territories.

We wish them all great success and are sure that they will be as happy working with you as we have been in the past and that you will find them of great support and assistance.

Welcome Emily, Debbie and Gerard.