Stephen Pritchard's media blog

Season’s Greetings

stephenpritchard — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:36:40 +0000

Wishing everyone the best for the festive season…

New services and a new focus for ens: media

stephenpritchard — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:06:44 +0000

Over the next couple of weeks will see a new focus for ens: media, this blog (and time permitting, the static web site too). It is long overdue, but it is time that these pages reflected what the business is about these days (for information on my journalism work, remember to visit stephenpritchard.com, which will continue to list upcoming commissions, occasional kit reviews, and other comment related to the trade).

From the new year, ens: media will be expanding its remit, as a journalist-led production company. There is growing interest in audio and video content, especially online, in both the corporate and editorial sectors. We will focus on projects where the hands-on input of journalists adds real value to clients, whether that is producing a podcast, putting together a video news release, organising conference multimedia coverage, customer interviews and video case studies, or even producing one-off films and packages.

As part of this, we have moved to larger premises, in order to expand video and audio editing capabilities, and have set up a working partnership with Starlight Productions, conveniently located in the same building as us. Starlight has excellent corporate and broadcast credentials, including regular work for the BBC; their portable production unit (PPU) is a real, lower-cost alternative to outside broadcast units. For samples of our joint work, please see this video produced for IT Expert Magazine. Of course, if you have your own in-house or contracted video company, ens media can work with them, adding that vital journalistic input on a freelance basis.

In addition to video, we offer a podcast production service for corporate and editorial clients. Services include scripting and story development, presenting, production and engineering and post-production, including editing and encoding. We can accommodate small groups for round-table interviews in our studio in south London, as well as handling remote interviews over ISDN, and IP. We can provide a present-and-produce service (for editorial) or a production-only service for corporate work, or if you have your own preferred voice talent.

As part of our broadcast consultancy service, we can support businesses setting up their own video and audio content with advice on what to say (messaging), how to say it (media training) and the technicalities of putting the message out there (production, post production and engineering). We can even help set up remote ISDN or IP links, advise on equipment purchase, and assist with soundproofing and studio design.

Finally, ens: media will carry on offering media training services, with an emphasis on handling online broadcasting and social media as well as print.

For research and writing services, please contact Stephen Pritchard directly at stephenpritchard.com

Why the US is important when pitching stories for the FT

stephenpritchard — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:46:12 +0000

I’ve been working on a couple of FT stories this week and thought it might be worth recapping why so many PR pitches fail to make the grade: they focus too much on the UK.

It’s worth repeating that unless it is for a report that is for the UK only, FT content is written from a global viewpoint. In particular, the US audience is a very, very important readership.

Pitches have a much greater chance of success if they reflect that, and offer high-quality global or US interviewees or examples.

Don’t just take my word for it though: this quote is from Rob Grimshaw, managing director of FT.com.

“The US is FT.com’s biggest market, with more subscribers and registered users than in any other region, and we see a great deal of potential in building on that substantial base of loyal US readers.”

(please see here for the original story on journalism.co.uk, about the expansion of US financial coverage).

So, to recap, the audience is not UK, nor EMEA, but global with a strong US presence. That’s why we put so much store on US angles and truly global commentary in FT stories.

If clients don’t get it, by all means show them Rob’s quote…

Video review: Panasonic FT1

stephenpritchard — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:11:36 +0000

I’ve posted a quick (2 minute) video review of Panasonic’s FT1 digital camera over at stephenpritchard.com.

It’s worth checking it out, and a companion piece I will be recording on syncing with external audio for a more professional result.

Any company that says “our execs won’t be appearing on video” should think about what happens when journalists, bloggers, or even disgruntled customers, can carry something like this in a jacket pocket.

Please think internationally

stephenpritchard — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:08:28 +0000

I really don’t like to complain but unfortunately I’m forced to put up this note regarding PR pitches for this Autumn’s features in the FT’s Digital Business. Digital Business (and the FT of course) have a global audience. That means the content has to have a global outlook.

If you are going to make an unsolicited pitch for your clients for upcoming features, please keep this in mind. There is no bias in favour of UK customer examples. In fact, unless they are globally known organisations or brands, it is very very unlikely I will want to feature them.

And I will not, under any circumstances, interview UK or other country executives, or regional types. Any client executives put forward need to be on the global management team. Also, I will not, unless the piece is specifically about marketing or sales, speak to executives in either discipline.

Photographers’ rights: time to make a stand

stephenpritchard — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:54:46 +0000

Apologies for cross-posting but given the importance of the issue, I thought it best to reproduce the whole post from stephenpritchard.com rather than just link to it.

It seems to be increasingly difficult for working photographers and video makers to work freely in public places in the UK. A minority of police officers and other officials seem to believe that public order and anti-terrorism legislation can be used to prevent anyone taking pictures or video, without any real evidence of a threat to public safety. For some reason, professional photographers and photo or video journalists, as well as keen amateurs, seem to be at the sharp end of officials’ displeasure.

For a particularly extreme example, see Henry Porter’s piece in the Guardian following allegations of mis-treatment made by Kent amateur photographer Alex Turner.

Experiences, such as those reported by Turner, appear to be increasingly common. And there are serious implications for professional photographers who need to work in public places.

It is doubtful that the legislation cited to Turner, and used elsewhere against photographers, is meant to operate in this way. It is also strange to see so much attention being focused on professionals or people with professional-looking kit, when so many members of the public carry and use simple digital cameras or camera phones. It would have to be an extreme double bluff for those with nefarious intentions to go to the trouble of carrying complex, bulky and above all highly obvious professional equipment to capture images that might assist them in planning crimes, given the capabilities of a £50 pocket compact.

Whether or not Turner was sensible (rather than within his rights) not to identify himself to the officials in Kent is a mute point. Working journalists should — and usually do — carry recognised ID, either in the form of employers’ identification cards or the UK national press card (available, for example, through the NUJ or for video crews, BECTU). Professionals working at demonstration and other public order events often wear their press card where it is clearly on view to police and other officials.

Citizen journalists, bloggers and others who are not eligible for a staff or union card are in a more difficult position, as are amateurs and students. But there are a few guidelines that can help take the heat out of most day-to-day situations:

carry media ID, if you have it;

carry a business card (amateurs and part-timers can easily order cheap and professional-looking cards online);

sometimes it helps to ask permission — unless doing so prevents covering the story;

make sure you are in a public place — there are places, such as shopping centres, which are not;

in a public order situation or crime/accident scene, identify yourself to the officer in charge before taking pictures, unless it prevents you capturing the story

if you work in a specific area or beat, get to know the local police and PCSOs, as well as private security guards. Building trust always helps, and can provide a rich seam of tip offs.

know your rights and read the police guidance (such as this from the Met)

stay calm and polite even in the face of hostility

Meanwhile, groups such as the NUJ, BECTU, and CPBF and the British Journal of Photography are actively working to raise awareness of the law and also for legislative change. Click here to contribute to the BJP’s online campaign on Flickr.

New survey: media training

stephenpritchard — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:39:09 +0000

This is one for the in-house PR and marketing folk. We are trying to gauge the extent to which spokespeople are being trained for multi-media interviews (podcasts, online video, as well as conventional broadcasts).

Anecdotal evidence suggests that many are not, but I will post a summary of results here in a few weeks’ time.

Here’s the link – thanks for helping out.

Survey on podcast logistics

stephenpritchard — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:18:01 +0000

I’m looking at how flexible people are when it comes to recording podcasts, and trying to find out whether there is more scope for remote (down the line) interviews.

If you are a PR (agency or vendor) and have five minutes to complete the survey here, that would be a great help.

If you are interested in remote interview technology, or training for podcasts and broadcasting, please click here to get in touch.

More on pitching

stephenpritchard — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:28:10 +0000

For another view on the pitching story, please see an interview with Digital Business editor Peter Whitehead, courtesy of Paul Stallard’s blog.

New podcast series on cloud computing

stephenpritchard — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:31:58 +0000

Apologies for cross-posting but we’ve put a lot of effort into this!

Every cloud has a silver lining – at least it does if you’re trying to rein in your IT spending. That’s the message from interviewees in a new series on cloud computing in the FT Digital Business podcast. You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (for UK listeners, it’s in the Business section of the directory), or you can play it here from the web.

First up is a commentary piece from Digital Business columnist Ade McCormack, and then an interview with Mike Redding, of Accenture Technology Labs. We’ll be adding more interviews over the coming weeks.

If you all subscribe to iTunes – who knows, we can get Digital Business into the UK iTunes top 20. Here’s hoping.