"Inside the Circus, How to Win" with Mark McKinnon

Mark McKinnon has worked for five successful presidential primary and general election campaigns and produces the hit television show “The Circus” for Showtime. Mark will talk about lessons learned over the course of a lifetime in the belly of the beast of politics. He has distilled the essential components of winning campaigns, and explains why sometimes the best ideas don’t win, but the best communicators almost always do. McKinnon is also a co-founder of the No Labels, an organization that encourages bipartisan dialogue and conversation. He is the former global vice chair of Hill+Knowlton Strategies and still remains an advisor to the firm. He has received accolades and praise from both sides of the aisle, with President George W. Bush saying, "I was really impressed by Mark’s creativity, and I was particularly impressed by his honesty.” President Barrack Obama has called him “a class act.” He attended the University of Texas at Austin where he served as the editor of The Daily Texan. He enjoys bicycling and is a two time Ironman Triathlon finisher. He credits many of his successes and happiness in life to his wife, Annie, and their two daughters.