Valeri LeBlanc comes to her work on building better places through a complex career that has unified her interests in business, technology, media, strategy and marketing, and community service. She is an award-winning video producer, an expert in media technology, and a shrewd business strategist whose understanding is practical and effective. She is also a visionary, and her work has included many technological and business breakthrough innovations.
It began early. At the age of thirteen she had a first-class broadcast license and could engineer a radio station. In high school she began her work in photography, and wrote a slogan for Sunkist which was used in national campaigns, “Fresh from the Sun to Sunkist to you.” In college, she worked for the campus radio station and television production studio, where she produced some of the first distance learning programming. After college, her interest in media and entertainment focused on real people and informational programming. Her interest in community extended to government and economic development. And these interests were combined with an interest in business, especially strategy and marketing; always with an eye toward new technologies and their business and communications applications. Here are some of her accomplishments.
Media Production
Real People, Real Issues, Real Understanding
—Created a syndicated program to help hospitals develop business for practicing physicians, executive produced and produced the weekly series and developed the marketing program for it. In the first market, Baton Rouge, Our Lady of the Lake hospital won the Public Relations Society of America’s award for the best PR/Marketing campaign in the country. After one year on the air, consumers were asked which asked hospital had the best doctors. More than ninety percent said OLOL Hospital (although all doctors practiced at all hospitals). Tapes of the programs circulated at the public library at about 400 per month.
—Produced various programs from facilities she designed and built in New Orleans (see below) including documentaries on lead paint, low income housing opportunities, and programs on various cultural icons and events. One series, on New Orleans music, is being acquired by the National Jazz Museum in Harlem for their archives.
—Developed a local programming format for Baton Rouge Cablevision. Executive produced and produced four cable ace award winning programs including: 49+ a lifestyle program for older Americans; LAWLINE - DWI a five part document series on drunk driving which was distributed nationally by MADD; As We Grow, a parenting program which was distributed nationally by VOA and which also won awards; Stateline, a program which aired statewide on cable television initially for Governor Buddy Roemer and which later covered other important issues.
—Produced and syndicated into 108 markets America’s Champions, an hour long documentary with accompanying news features on the Olympics Track and Field Trials, which resulted in attendance at the trials in New Orleans which was the second highest in the history of the event, surpassed only by Los Angeles, a much larger market.
—Developed a regional cable network, BLAB TV which programmed three hours a night of talk television programs in five markets: Pensacola, Mobile, New Orleans, Richmond and Tampa. Developed the concept, found funding and distribution, developed the programming look and feel and the sets, as well as the advertising packages.
—Developed one of the first shopping channels in the country in Dallas for a member of a Louisiana department store family.
New Media / Marketing
Reaching a Ready Market
— As a consultant, assisted in the development of SPUN TV, a lifestyle website for 18-34 year olds, featuring the sale of new artists in music, media, fashion, and other relevant products to the age group.
— Created a hotel web sales tool which the clients have used to create a first contact close for inquiries, solving a difficult problem in sales to meeting groups, and reducing costs for printed promotional materials.
— Created long form television commercials with trackable direct sales of overnight packages for Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans.
— Produced and directed political television advertising campaigns for various Louisiana candidates for state and national offices.
— Developed and executed marketing programs for Dr. Allen Johnston who as an orthopedist, became the foremost local authority on sports injuries in Baton Rouge (300% increase in billings in the first year of implementation). Marketing included a television feature for a sports program and a newspaper column to promote his practice.
— Developed a technology and funding plan for a LPTV channel, lost the FCC lottery for the channel, assisted the winners in putting up a hotel channel with initial first money from the Cable Television Association convention-related revenues in New Orleans.
— Working with two partners, created a new media strategy document which the first Bill Clinton campaign for President used including: developing the first web site for a presidential candidate, sending long form television to all the delegates in Florida, and using the “town meeting” presentation and debate format.
Business Technology Applications
A Better Way
—As a technical consultant to the City of New Orleans, conducted a compliance audit and secured $1M in funding annually to develop a digital studio and training facility as well as access television channels. Created the first digital from acquisition to playback television facility. Identified the Panasonic DV camera as the new digital camera for news gathering (at a time when no major television station had used anything but Sony equipment for 25 years). Again, as a technical consultant to the City of New Orleans, developed a wireline and wireless ordinance of General Applicability (one of the first in the country after the Telecom Act). Also for the City of New Orleans, have undertaken the creation of communications tools for better public meetings coverage on the web to reach displaced citizens with more complete information, and for multiple communications systems for emergencies.
—Developed and sold an MMDS system for Baton Rouge General Hospital especially their Cardiac Care Department (which did the first open heart surgeries in the South). The system allowed physicians in their offices and homes to see the patient and the patient’s monitored information on a television screen. The system is still state-of-the-art.
—Developed a system, complete with day/night cameras and a control room for use by grain elevator operators along the Mississippi River to replace multiple federal inspectors (who were hired because of “shorting shipments.”) Sold the system to a dozen grain elevators.
Economic Development
Paying Dividends
—Developed with Gary Esolen in PLACES, a new methodology for tourism design, development and marketing, based on product research into the “real” place and a process of using those findings to build and market a destination. Consulting clients for this methodology have included: New Orleans, Philadelphia, Colorado Springs, Ithaca, Cancun, Finger Lakes Wine Country, Route 6 Tourist Association, The Pennsylvania Wilds Corporation, Lake Placid, the State of Pennsylvania, Aruba, The Czech Republic, and various tourism businesses.
—In support of economic and place based development through tourism, working for Philadelphia and the State of Pennsylvania: produced and edited podcasts for the Pennsylvania Wilds Corporations to promote tourism through their website, photographed across the northern tier of Pennsylvania for PA Tourism, produced an HD video library for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. including some long form television spots for airing in special national programming.
—Worked with the State of Pennsylvania to develop the Pennsylvania Culinary Society, tasked with the responsibility to develop a Pennsylvania Regional Cuisine and market the restaurants and inns which helped create it to the megalopolis.
—Working for Economics Research Associates, assisted in the development of the State of Louisiana’s tax incentive program for film, music, and digital media.
—Represented internationally, the sale of Music From New Orleans, a thirteen part music program featuring New Orleans musicians. Marketing included all major television outlets in the US, Europe and Asia.