NEWS RELEASE – MARCH 17, 2026
ELO is pleased to announce that Phil Cooke, Ph.D., Cooke Media Group, Los Angeles, will be speaking at this year’s ELO Forum Toronto on Wednesday, November 18th.
He will deliver a condensed masterclass on “Helping Leaders Clarify, Protect & Amplify Their Message.” His session will include a Q & A and deliver a series of clear takeaways.
Phil spoke to our ELO Forums in Winnipeg and Vancouver in 2023 and delivered a high-value and entertaining session.
Phil is a strategic advisor to church, nonprofit, and media leaders navigating crisis, credibility, and cultural influence in a rapidly changing digital world. He has worked with senior leadership teams globally to strengthen reputation and clarify mission. He is the author of "Church on Trial" and “Maximize Your Influence” as well as many other books on leadership and creativity, and has produced media projects seen worldwide.
His client list has included studios and networks like Walt Disney, Dreamworks, and USA Network, as well as major Christian organizations from the Voice of the Martyrs, The Museum of the Bible, The Salvation Army, and the YouVersion Bible app. He has also worked with many of the most respected churches in the US.
He has produced TV and film programming in more than 60 countries around the world, and in the process, has been shot at, survived two military coups, fallen out of a helicopter, and been threatened with being put in prison in Africa. During that time, he helped some of the largest Christian and non-profit organizations in the world use the media to tell their story in a changing, disrupted culture.
Phil produced and directed the television specials on the “Nativity Cribs of Malta” for the Museum of the Bible, and “Inexplicable: The Rise of Christianity in Asia,” and produced “The Insanity of God,” a feature documentary that premiered across the US. According to former CNN journalist Paula Zahn, Phil is rare—a working producer in Hollywood with a Ph.D. in Theology. He’s appeared on NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, Fox News, and his work has been profiled in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
His book, One Big Thing: Discovering What You Were Born to Do, was named by the Washington Post as one of the Top Five Business Books for 2012. Co-written with Jonathan Bock, The Way Back: How Christians Blew Our Credibility and How We Win it Back, takes a hard look at why today—particularly in the media—Christians are dismissed as irrelevant. Cooke and Bock show the Christian community how we can once again astonish our critics, and in doing so, completely transform the world for good.
His book, Maximize Your Influence: How to Make Digital Media Work for Your Church, Your Ministry, and You, is the ultimate reference book for pastors and Christian leaders in today’s digital age.
Learn more in our previous blog posts:
The Importance of Credibility, Strategic Living & Excellence: Interview with Phil Cooke
Hollywood & The Creative Process: Interview with Phil Cooke
Hollywood, Communications & The Church: Interview with Phil Cooke