Mar 28, 2018
Speaker Bio:
GLENN O'FARRELL, ICD.D, is a digital-innovation-driving CEO in the Canadian media industry. Glenn doesn’t think inside or outside – he thinks without a box. Glenn uses the power of new technology, creative partnerships, and international reach to transform traditional media into relevant, influential, high-traffic global platforms. He instinctively embraces the power and value of diversity. He consistently challenges the status quo to improve and grow outcomes for stakeholders.
A native of St-Malachie, Québec, Glenn is a technology enthusiast, runner, amateur singer-songwriter and inveterate fan of the Montréal Canadiens. He studied economics, law, business and corporate governance at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Université Laval in Québec City, Johnson School of Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. and at Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He is a member of the Québec Bar, Canadian Bar Association and Institute of Corporate Directors. Glenn is a frequent keynote speaker, panelist and contributing thought leader on digital media in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Europe.
In his current role as CEO of Groupe Média TFO, a public educational media enterprise located in Toronto, Glenn has led TFO’s transformation from a small-scale minority-language community broadcaster to one of the world’s leading digital providers of French language educational content – with an aggregate global audience of several hundred million across an array of innovative media platforms. Under his leadership, TFO developed and launched industry-leading, immersive virtual reality production studios to create new digital generations of educational content. In its dynamic new form, TFO has become an international educational content distributor/exporter. As well as leading TFO as its CEO, Glenn has also served as Executive Producer of films, television series, and award-winning educational digital content series.
Episode Overview:
Groupe Média TFO was originally a television channel. It was offering French-language educational programming across a whole spectrum of offerings from the very young to middle age to the older student population in a manner that was all about giving French language learners in Ontario an opportunity to have access to media content to help them in their learning journey.
About six years ago, Glenn and his team were tasked to basically turn it around from being a traditional classical analog media service into something that would very much embraced the digital opportunities.
Today, Groupe Media TFO launched itself into a new culture of being a digital media enterprise with all the educational content intact. They are helping promote content for the Francophones not just in Canada but across the globe where the French language is being used.
What You’ll learn in this episode:
- We would love to do more but we have limited means. Although we are getting developing access to new funding platforms and funding sources as we make our product available to new places, but we still have modest means, so we must make choices at the end of the day and where we try to make our choices is where we think we can have the most strategic impact on the journey.
- TFO and Industry, Custom Co-production formulations for Television and Internet, TV Broadcast, Internet Broadcast, Financing and distribution of content, acquisition, and development of content.
- There's no reason why anybody should stop dreaming about things that are important to us. learn from the things where you don't succeed. Learn from those failures.
- Canada has a great educational brand internationally. People look at Canada and say, these people have a strong credential.
- Learning in one of Canada's official languages and happens to be the minority language.
- Try to do a lot of reading early in the morning as a personal habit
- Keeping your eye open on as many of the breaking trends as you can.
- There have been studies across the world that have proven when children learn a second language or third language, no matter what it is, they are increasing their capabilities in a whole bunch of different ways.
Resources Mentioned
Book: Whiplash
Book: The Four by Scott Galloway
Book: The Master Switch by Tim Wu
Website: MIT Media Lab
Website: French Web
Website: World Economic Forum
Website: IDELLO
Website: Group Media TFO
Restaurant: La Buche Restaurant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennofarrell/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlennOFarrell
Company Overview:
Groupe Média TFO is a must-see destination for audiences seeking innovative educational and cultural content in French. It offers stimulating experiences and recognized content, at the forefront of digital learning. Proud of his public heritage, he celebrates the French fact in Ontario and elsewhere.