Sean McLaughlin (media activist & educator)

Sean McLaughlin is a community media pioneer, media reform advocate and educator who has presented expert testimony internationally, at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, and at various state and local government agencies regarding media access, community media, and broadband media development for public, education and governmental services (PEG Broadband). He is credited with co-founding the community access media movement in Hawaii and pioneering next generation media access projects for the City & County of Honolulu, Maui County and Kalawao County and more recently in Humboldt County, California.

McLaughlin has served national organizations, including the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisers as an elected Board member, the Alliance for Community Media as chair of their public policy work group, and the Alliance for Communications Democracy as a Board director.

He taught "Politics of Media" at the University of Hawaii - Manoa for several years, and created a successful media production and consulting firm (Ikaika Media) before working as Director of Telecommunications for the Honolulu City Council and working as President/CEO for Akaku: Maui Community TV, interim Executive Director for the Honolulu Community-Media Council, and Executive Director for Access Humboldt.

McLaughlin founded or co-founded: Human Services TV Network, Community Media Producers Association, 'Olelo: Community TV, and Hawaii Consumers.

He has earned many awards, including: Awards for Cable Excellence (ACE), National Association of Counties Civic Education award, and Maui's Outstanding Non-Profit Executive Director (2004).

Education

*McLaughlin received his undergraduate education at Dartmouth College.
*He has attended a variety of seminars, workshops and seminars including: Aspen Institute, World Association of Press Councils, Pacific Telecommunications Council, and many more.

Trivia

*Sean is an adopted member of the Taketa family, with roots going back to the Kingdom of Hawai'i.
*Sean has an older sister, an older brother, a younger sister and younger brother.
*Sean McLaughlin's formative years were spent in the Washington, DC area, in Northern Virginia.

External links

*FCC panelist bio (2004) [http://www.fcc.gov/localism/072104_docs/mclaughlin_bio.pdf]
*Access Humboldt [http://accesshumboldt.net]
*Akaku: Maui Community TV [http://akaku.org] which he developed over nearly a decade
*Sean's parting speech to Akaku Board of Directors [http://kauai.net/ctpa/archives/08-01-2005_.html]