Friday 2:00 – 3:15 PM 

Location: Gateway 1

You want to write a book. Not only that, but you want to see it published. If you want to go beyond the self-published route, this session will give you practical tips in presenting your book for publication by commercial publishers. We’ll have plenty of time for questions. The session will include publishers and a published author.

Greg Erlandson has served in Catholic media as a journalist, author, editor, publisher and president.

For 15 years he was President and Publisher of the Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division after having served first as the editor of OSV Newsweekly and then as Editor in Chief for all editorial content.

He previously worked as a foreign correspondent in the Rome bureau of Catholic News Service, where he covered the Vatican from 1986 to 1989. He also served as news editor for the National Catholic Register when it was based in Los Angeles.

He is co-author of the 2010 book, Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal and has written many articles, editorials and columns.

Erlandson is past president of the Catholic Press Association.  He has served as a consultor for the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. In 2014 he was one of six international experts appointed by the Council of Cardinals to the Vatican Media Committee to propose reforms for the Vatican’s diverse media operations.

Friday 10:00 – 11:30 AM

Location: Gateway 1

Is it more than just format? Or it may not involve a format change as some newspapers have shifted their content to magazine style while still printing on newsprint. And vice versa, what does shifting to a magazine format and schedule, such as monthly, mean for messaging and reporting?

Panelists will also discuss planning strategically for such a shift in format or schedule.

Patrick M. O’Brien is president and CEO of FAITH Catholic, a non-profit publishing and communications company of the Diocese of Lansing. FAITH Catholic serves 29 dioceses and numerous Catholic organizations with the following: magazine publishing, web solutions, parish resources and marketing services.

In 2000, O’Brien was part of the team that created FAITH Magazine for the Diocese of Lansing. FAITH signaled a change in Catholic diocesan publishing. As demand grew for this model, a publishing company was formed to serve the Catholic Church. In 2005, O’Brien was named FAITH Publishing Service’s first president and CEO.

In 2007, O’Brien was also named president and CEO of Liturgical Commission Publishing. In 2009, O’Brien led the merger of FAITH Publishing and LCP to form FAITH Catholic. In 2012, MassTimes.org became part became part of FAITH Catholic and is the flagship of FAITH Catholic’s array of online solutions.

Prior to forming FAITH Magazine, O’Brien worked in advertising serving clients such as Case, Caterpillar, Pfizer, Rhone Poulenc and Lincoln Mercury. O’Brien graduated from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit with a BFA in 1993 and completed two years of graduate work at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein Seminary.

Friday 10:00 – 11:30 AM

Location: Gateway 1

Is it more than just format? Or it may not involve a format change as some newspapers have shifted their content to magazine style while still printing on newsprint. And vice versa, what does shifting to a magazine format and schedule, such as monthly, mean for messaging and reporting?

Panelists will also discuss planning strategically for such a shift in format or schedule.

Malea Hargett is the editor of Arkansas catholic, a weekly newspaper for the Diocese of Little Rock for 105 years. She also oversees the diocesan and newspaper websites, diocesan directory social media, newspaper e-edition and e-newsletter.

Friday 2:00 – 3:15 PM

Location: Gateway 5 

Now that most Internet traffic is mobile, search and SEO are changing quickly. We’ll look at best practices for structuring your online content and give tips that you can implement to drive more website traffic and social interaction. We’ll also deal with “analysis paralysis” and show how to get actionable data from your analytics reports.

James Little is the chief innovator at Destination Toolbox, a digital development and marketing company based in Branson, Mo. In his 20 years in the Internet industry, he’s overseen the development of more than 200 websites, including work for the Diocese of Little Rock and Arkansas Catholic newspaper. He was previously Director of Internet Marketing for the Branson/Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, where he managed the tourism destination’s official website and $1.25 million digital advertising campaign. He is a member of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Branson. You can find him at DestinationToolbox.com and @bransonjame

Friday 2:00 – 3:15 PM

Location: Gateway 4

The pope doesn’t come to town often, but how we plan for a major event can influence how we plan for the events that happen more often, whether planned or not. And with new technology making it more affordable and easier to repurpose content, it’s good to plan for advance, day of and follow up communications efforts.

Helen Osman has worked in communications for faith-based organizations since 1984, shortly after she moved to Central Texas with her husband, John. They have recently returned to Austin, after an eight-year hiatus in Washington, DC, where she coordinated communications for the US Catholic bishops and shepherded the visits to the United States of Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 and Pope Francis in 2015. She has served as president, secretary and a board member of the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada, and received its highest honor for personal achievement in 2012. Today she provides communications support for international, national and local entities, including the Orthodox Churches gathering for their historic Holy and Great Council to be held in Crete later in June.

Friday 2:00 – 3:15 PM

Location: Gateway 3

Designers and wordsmiths often don’t speak the same language, but a strong, collaborative relationship between these two fields is critical to creating successful and engaging publications and other materials, as well as compelling digital content.

Target Audience: Designers, editors, writers and photographers who want to better understand each other’s perspectives and challenges.

Kayla Simon is an Art Director, award-winning graphic designer and creative problem solver. She graduated from Grand Valley State University with a BFA in Graphic Design, and a fierce ambition to make the world better through graphic design. She found her calling at FAITH Catholic because she is able to combine her faith and talents in design. She has a passion for great typography, exploring the world of color and meeting challenges head-on.

Friday 10:00 – 11:30 AM

Location: Gateway 4

How does a Catholic communicator avoid cynicism, burn out and an exhausted spirit?

Target audience: All communicators who may struggle with keeping the faith amid the pressures and responsibilities of their jobs. Catholic media professional, or media professional who is Catholic?

Greg Erlandson has served in Catholic media as a journalist, author, editor, publisher and president.

For 15 years he was President and Publisher of the Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division after having served first as the editor of OSV Newsweekly and then as Editor in Chief for all editorial content.

He previously worked as a foreign correspondent in the Rome bureau of Catholic News Service, where he covered the Vatican from 1986 to 1989. He also served as news editor for the National Catholic Register when it was based in Los Angeles.

He is co-author of the 2010 book, Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal and has written many articles, editorials and columns.

Erlandson is past president of the Catholic Press Association.  He has served as a consultor for the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. In 2014 he was one of six international experts appointed by the Council of Cardinals to the Vatican Media Committee to propose reforms for the Vatican’s diverse media operations.

Friday 10:00 – 11:30 AM

Location: Gateway 5

Added value is many things: more readers, lower costs, more revenue, a new digital resource for students and scholars, and digital archiving for the future. The Catholic News Archive is a hosted, Catholic, nonprofit, and collaborative solution that demonstrates how vision becomes reality.

Pat  Lawton directs digital initiatives and services of CRRA, consulting members and scholars to understand their needs, communicating and facilitating collaborative initiatives among members, and is also a Librarian at the University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries. Before that, she was an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Science teaching in the areas of digital libraries and organization of knowledge; prior to that she taught at schools at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign. She has been recognized for excellence in teaching.

She is a frequent researcher, speaker and writer, nationally and internationally, on collaborative and digital initiatives, and serves on the Executive Board of the Catholic Library Association.

Pat holds a B.A and M.L.S. from Indiana University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.