Emmy Award-winning broadcaster: majority of career in top-25 market. In corporate communications, Brian drove business results at major names like The Boeing Company and Seattle-Tacoma Int'l Airport, using audience-focused messaging.

BREAKING NEWS: Click here for thoughts on the demise of Spirit Airlines and shadiness of airline mergers & here for why Doug Henning-style "illusions" fail for security.

Brian has worked with global business leaders to instill the WIFM - "What's In It For Me" is how most audiences think. We want to know the stories behind the products and programs.

Working with HR leaders at both Boeing and a global railroad maintenance company, Brian is an expert in employee communication that drives business results. In his most recent role, he created an employee communications plan from scratch and the results got the CEO's attention. 

• Annual survey response rate hit a record high
• Engagement scores jumped 10%

"You are reliable to drive results! The engagement scores for Loram are up and much of that has to do with your writing."
     - Bradley A. Willems, CEO Loram Maintenance of Way

A son of a Marine, Brian led branding of a special Veterans recognition campaign, creating branding, logo, videos and written material.  Link to jobs.loram.com/veterans.

Brian has extensive aviation communications experience: FEMA certified in several Incident Command System (ICS) response levels and a week-long disaster response training at the NTSB headquarters near Washington, D.C. His work earned "Top Honors" at Boeing and attracted national media attention at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Leading customer service communications gained attention from numerous Seattle and national media, USA Today, Q13 FOX and KUOW radio, among others.

Brian managed several high-profile projects at Boeing, including airplane flyovers for Seafair and the Boeing Classic Golf tournament. 

He was also recruited by several divisions to plan and moderate webcasts and corporate events. Brian created webcast standards using TV principles of prep, presentation and production values. Prior to Brian, communicators virtually "winged it" on webcasts, not a good idea at a company that builds airplanes. 

Moderating a panel with Ray Conner, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes & Chris Chadwick, CEO of Boeing Defense, Space/Security at a supplier management event.

From the Ice to the Sky:  Meet Al Secord, former pro hockey player who flew an MD 80 and 737 for American Airlines (he retired in 2023). Feature originally on Boeing.com. 

Brian grew up watching him play for his favorite team, the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks - an all time favorite story. Great guy to meet in person and as the video shows: a true pro. 

Thanks to American Airlines for making the story happen!  For the record, I miss the shiny silver livery on American planes; the dull grey isn't nearly as great. (they had to do that because some newer models aren't fully aluminum)

Writing and storytelling is the core of Brian's career. In grade school, he hated multiple-choice tests but loved writing assignments.  

 

Below is a link to some of his favorite TV news stories. (Yes, we write our own stories) Covering the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup win, including live reports in Edmonton,  Hurricane Katrina aftermath and flying in a B-1 Bomber and Marine Osprey are career highlights. Click here for the video highlights.
     

Brian can quickly identify the difference between a 737-800 and 738 MAX-8, can you? He's served as a contributor to AirlineReporter.com. Click here to see published stories. 

A former Northwest Airlines 757-300, with NW tail number, carrying the Minnesota Vikings on a charter trip to Seattle.  - Brian DeRoy, photo. 

Doug Henning-style illusions make bad security

 As a frequent air traveler and former media spokesman for a major U.S. airport, the death of a trespasser on the runway of the Denver International Airport continues the “security illusion” that continues to be pushed at airports and elsewhere.

The word “illusion” is in all due respect to the late, great, Doug Henning, who was branded as a famous “illusionist.”

How often do we go through airport security lines to see some little old lady getting patted down or groped by airport security? People in official-looking uniforms look at your ID and then sternly wave you to the security scanners, while massive security holes are present.

This security illusion is designed to make you think you’re safe. “Illusionist” Henning was a TV fixture in the 80’s, having nine specials on NBC, one drew 50 million viewers! I remember watching him as a kid. The whole key to magic is having viewers focus on one thing while the actual “trick” happens elsewhere.

With all the money spent on this supposed security, hundreds of passengers on a recent Frontier Airlines flight leaving Denver had their takeoff aborted when an intruder apparently got easily jumped over the airport fence and ran onto the runway and threw themselves at the plane as it was taking off.

The intruder was homeless and had a long criminal history, at least 17 arrests and sadly, died by suicide as he was sucked into an engine.

Just think, if a homeless person can easily hop a fence, imagine if trained terrorists decided to do this?

While little old ladies were likely being patted down inside the building, outside there’s not even a decent enough fence or high-tech monitoring system to trigger an alert if someone is near an aircraft in operation.

Fortunately, the impact happened just before the pilots were going to pull up and go into the air. If there was an engine failure at lift-off, the Denver plane could have crashed – much like the UPS MD-11 engine failure earlier this year that exploded, killing 14 people and injuring 23 others.

The death toll could have easily been more than 200 for the Denver runway incursion.  

During my time as media relations officer at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, employees who had access to the airfield received special training. The rule was simple: the red line around the perimeter was called “the line of death” there was no passing it whatsoever. That line was outside the runway and taxiways.

“Hope” is not a security strategy, nor is just giving an illusion of security.

While working in Seattle, 3,000 uninvited guests came to the airport because the elected political leaders who ran the airport thought it would be a good idea to have a press conference at the airport to criticize federal immigration policies (something local airports have no control over).

That security illusion included having fewer cops for the entire airport than you can count on two hands for a Saturday. Officials had to stop the light rail going to the airport because the protestors far outnumbered the few cops there.

Protestors ended up shutting down TSA security checkpoints and incoming travelers were stranded as exit gates were closed for hours. The January 2017 incident got dicey when those “guests” refused to leave at 2 a.m. and a wave of police reinforcements had to pepper spray people.

Security illusions get even worse. In 2018 Seattle had an airline worker jump into a parked plane and take off! True, this actually happened. The airplane thief could have crashed into a full stadium or other populated area. Fortunately, he nose-dived into the Puget Sound and only killed himself.

Big death tolls should not get people to wake up – but the precedent has long been set. In 1993, terrorists tried to blow up New York’s World Trade Center.  The buildings were targeted again in 2001 in widespread attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in NYC, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania.

Shocking but true in 2001, items like box cutters were allowed as carry-on items. (That’s what the terrorists used to take over the planes) Airplane cockpit doors weren’t fortified because airlines were too cheap to protect their most important employees, despite numerous calls for them to do this far before 9/11.

Right before 9/11, the illusions of security were alive and strong – travelers went through checkpoints while there were gaping holes in basic security procedures.

Outside of aviation, security illusions happen all the time. President Donald Trump has had several attempts on his life, despite having a whole brigade of armed guards.

As a TV news reporter, I’ve covered several presidential events and had to submit my date of birth and social security number the day before the event. At the event sites, media have to leave the event room, and put their gear there hours before for a “security sweep.”

As this illusion happens, people still have gotten too close for comfort, including Trump being shot from 150 yards away during a campaign rally that killed one person.

Whether it’s protecting high-profile people or airports, these recent security embarrassments need to be a call to action for everyone.

No little old ladies have ever hijacked an airplane and hopefully won’t soon – so leave them alone.

Doug Henning’s successors should be the only ones practicing illusions. These recent massive security fails require a serious look at fortifying all aspects of targeted security and increasing technology ASAP.