Laurence Mozafari

Valuable 500 company, Channel 4's strategy "Equity by Design" is a game-changer for fair representation, both within the broadcaster and the entire industry. Here's a breakdown: ➡️ "Equity by Design" focuses on making decisions based on diverse voices and data. This means more inclusive content, workplaces, and work practices for everyone! ➡️ Channel 4 is all about investing in partners who share their values of equity and inclusion. A great example of collaboration! ➡️ Creating and nurturing a respectful and inclusive culture is a top priority. Create a space where everyone thrives! ➡️ Channel 4 isn't afraid to tackle tough societal issues. They'll be leading discussions on things others shy away from, making sure all voices are heard. This isn't just talk - Channel 4 already surpassed their 2023 diversity goals! But they're not stopping there. "Equity by Design" is their roadmap to becoming a frontrunner in positive change, especially as they transform into the world's first public service streamer. Full story: https://lnkd.in/epruTais #Channel4 #DiversityMatters

25

Pleased to say I'm now the Reviews Editor for UploadVR! Freelancers, this means I can commission reviews and previews, so please get in touch via email or DM. PR/devs/publishers, if you're looking to share an upcoming release, email is hstockdale [at] uploadvr [dot] com. Rates have been slightly increased, too. We will pay freelancer writers $140 for previews, while reviews are $225. If you're looking to pitch features, those are still being handled by my EIC, Ian Hamilton. EDIT: Because there's been some confusion, I would like to make clear that those rates are what we'd pay our freelance writers for their work. Not what we'd charge a studio. Unless you're looking to promote your game via a sponsored post, we'd never charge studios for standard coverage.

171

27 Comments

Short Form Editing Masterclass *24 Hours*👇 REALLY QUICK - Sravan who is head of production at InsideAMind has just done a 20 minute breakdown of his Short Form Editing workflow completely for FREE on the Podcast Industry Network! High Value, Precise & Digestable information only up for the next 24 hours. If you want to learn more from one of the best in the game. Look no further ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eae3nzVR #shortform #shortformediting #editingmasterclass #editingshortform #shortformcontent #podcasting #podcastmasterclass #freetraining

1

The Continuing TV Freelancer Job Search It can be traumatic and deeply embarrassing to admit that you haven’t received a single job offer in months. But for many experienced TV freelancers, myself included, sadly that is currently the case. I feel for you all.   But enough of the doom and gloom. There are reasons to remain optimistic. Terrestrial TV ad revenues are slowly heading back in the right direction, and strategic co-productions and sponsorship deals are ensuring ambitious HEV global projects remain financially viable. So please do hang in there.   However, if you are truly at your wits end and can’t cope with yet another rejection, you could always utilise the Schrödinger principle.   1.    Apply for multiple jobs 2.    Smash your phone 3.    Delete your email 4.    Relax in the perpetual moment where you did (and didn’t) receive an offer.   Admittedly, that’s not the most attractive economic proposal, but its the best I can do late Friday. Happy weekend everyone. #TVJobs #UnscriptedTV #TVProduction

34

8 Comments

Some years ago, the first Looking Glass Survey revealed (unsurprisingly to many) a mental health crisis in the Film and TV Industry. That crisis is still very much still here - with signifiant problems in the culture and conditions within the industry, and research last year showed that only 11% of people felt the industry was a mentally healthy place to work. Things needs to change, and they are - slowly. But in order to know what needs to change specifically, and how we change it (and who needs to make those changes), we need to collect meaningful pan-industry data. And this is where all of you come in ... Completing the survey gives the Film and TV Charity a chance to gauge how longstanding issues like bullying and harassment, working conditions and culture are affecting our workforce, and whether there’s been positive progress since they launched the first survey in 2019. As such, spreading the word and ensuring we secure a wide cross-section of industry workers is vital. Survey filling can often feel a pain - especially when we all have busy schedules, but if you are either a permanent or freelance workers from any corner of the industry - so not just those working on production - but anyone in any role that supports the creation and distribution of screen entertainment., then please, please can you fill in the survey - as it will genuinely help us all make a difference. I have a love-hate relationship with this industry. I can see its amazing merits, and I can see how it can also hurt others, and their families too! But 25 years on I'm still plodding away, and trying to do my little bit to make it a better place to work... all of us have some meaningful things to say about our experiences, and this survey is the perfect opportunity to get those thoughts down... You can find the survey here https://bit.ly/45z88hf

18

3 Comments

The results of a consumer survey undertaken by the Night Time Industries Association smashes the current narrative being pushed in some areas of media and politics that the UK public (of all ages) has changed the way they engage with the NTE. Data from over 2300 respondents shows: *52% are not able to afford to go out   *44% say Labour stands out as the political party most supportive of nightlife and culture   *68% of 18-24 year-old respondents participate in social activities several times a week or more *43% attended cultural events at least once a month over the past six months.   *76% felt impacted by the inability to go out during the COVID-19 pandemic   *37% indicated that lower drink prices would encourage them to go out more frequently, with better late-night transport cited by 23%. *Dining out is the most popular activity (55%) with younger respondents favour going to the cinema, playing sports, and attending nightclubs. Full report: https://buff.ly/3VIJ0Ad

3

Today from 9pm on #skynews

2

The odds are slim that you’ll be waiting with bated breath today for news from a Westminster Media Forum, but if you work with gambling brands, there’s a lot at stake. There are some phenomenal statistics related to the gambling industry, but the most telling one is that since the inception of the National Lottery, almost half of all adults now gamble once a month. And yet, the Lottery isn’t officially considered gambling, doesn’t come under the jurisdiction of the Gambling Commission, and will get little or no attention in today’s discussions. If they come into play, then last years’ proposals of a statutory levy and a gambling ombudsman may mean the sector has to adapt an awful lot, but it’s a safe bet to say it’ll all mean little to the Lotto. https://lnkd.in/gADP6rfs

9

🚨 More great news with SME Today🚨 I’m doing a series of Podcast Related Articles for SME today 🎙️ The first one: “Dip Your Toe Into Podcasting - by adding audio to your existing communications is here”💥 Do give it a read and share to anyone who might find it useful 💡 As always much appreciated 🙏 Community & Business Partners CIC you were used as an example! https://lnkd.in/e42ycMPs

39

Anyone looking to avoid pitfalls, and explore the potential, of live broadcast at their events should get a load of the expertise shared by three industry stalwarts: including our very own Abi Hemingway - Live Broadcast Innovator! Video coming soon!

9

At CaliberAI, we have been pressing this issue for five years (and Conor Brady, as a former, pre social media era national newspaper editor, for many more before that), as well as built unique tech to help manage it. Shane Coleman asks, if we can't trust internet platforms 'to deal with something so overtly wrong and menacing, how can we trust the social media giants to deal with more subtle issues?'. It's actually the reverse - compel them to address the 'subtle issues' first, and the overt stuff will follow. Internet platforms' historical immunity from liability for defamation by way of safe harbour is a key part of these companies' business models, and a core driver of Trust & Safety policy in Big Tech generally. The kind of tinkering around the edges that we've seen in the form of The Digital Services Act - not to mention the opportunity being missed with the recently unveiled Defamation Bill, which appears to be fairly oblivious to the implications of generative AI - are highly unlikely to be sufficient going forward.

7

This marks a big step forward for our titles. The launch of news apps for the St Helens Star and the Wirral Globe, with full access for our digital subscribers. I firmly believe it is one of the most positive strides we’ve taken towards shaping our digital future. The Star and Globe were born as large-scale ‘free’ distribution newspapers half a century ago. They remain at the heart of their communities and provide a vital service, providing trusted news and information for our readers - connecting them with their communities. Both titles have had to evolve over the past decade and we’ve seen this through the enormous audience growth of the websites and the ongoing development of the print titles (which has driven newspaper sales). As we look to expand our growing number of digital subscribers and loyal audience, these apps are the next significant step, offering an improved user experience for subscribers that includes access to all online news and content - and digital e-editions of the weekly newspaper editions. We have some introductory offers on at the moment (£5 for 5 months), so give our apps a try and let us know your feedback. https://lnkd.in/e9EWA2Uy #news #digitalsubscriptions #journalism

18

1 Comment

💡Archive of broadcast PR tips incoming💡 I’ve posted several Twitter/X threads of broadcast PR tips during my time at Sky News, but a lot of them have been lost to the sands of time, and my many bad opinions about my favourite TV shows. So I’ve dug them out so you don’t have to, and I’ll be reposting them here (in slightly augmented form) to make them easier to find and come back to in future. Today’s focus: B-roll 📺 B-roll can be key when pitching to TV news. Some companies/charities really lend themselves to some visual illustration e.g. we once booked a chocolate company that ended up sending us no B-roll of the chocolate factory making chocolate - a massive error that I hope to prevent in future. Good B-roll makes for good TV, and of course paints your company/client in a better light. 1/5 Please remove as much digital text from your B-roll as you can. Subtitles and headings on video don’t look great when being played over the top of the interview. If the words are at the bottom I can try and remove those, but emblazoned right across the middle makes it hard. You’re also trying to make life as easy for producers as possible, so the less they have to edit to make it look better, the happier they will be. Remember this is TV news, not an advert, we don’t need to see the message printed on screen - your spokesperson should be conveying that in the interview. 2/5 If possible, please supply said B-roll with the original pitch email. I totally understand that’s not always doable, but it helps. It just means fewer follow up emails for you and for me, and we can get future shows prepped in more detail. 3/5 When your guest is on air, it doesn’t look great to have B-roll with them in it. Seeing someone interviewed on TV and also seeing them in the overlay can be a bit jarring. Often you’re better off showing your company in action - maybe you make stuff, or you have a nice headquarters to show off. 4/5 Don’t have B-roll of your beautiful factory or office? No problem! Most iPhones can now record video in 4K at 60FPS. If you have no B-roll, it can be as simple as setting your phone camera settings to max and playing cameraman! It’ll probably look better than 90% of the user generated content we show on telly. Just please remember to shoot in landscape, not portrait format, and not to pan too fast or too much, it can make the viewer feel a little seasick. Around 3-4 minutes of B-roll is fine. 5/5 Lastly, don’t feel under too much pressure to send B-roll if you’re say, an insurance or law firm. Those aren’t particularly visual professions, and the guest has been booked for their expertise, rather than the visual element. Of course if you think you have decent B-roll to send over regardless, more power to you!

110

5 Comments

Linkedin hivemind! We're running a webinar in June 'All your Video Production Questions Answered". We're looking for questions and challenges that people face when commissioning content. Please let me know any questions or challenges you have in the comments 📽

4

📣 In years to come the comments of Gary Roden, the now ex-boss of the £365m Co-op Live arena, dismissing the concerns of small venues, will be taught in business schools as how not to do communications and messaging over sensitive issues. 😲 He said many small venues were struggling because they were badly run. Days later, the large venue he was running, cancelled its opening shows by the nation’s favourite funny man Peter Kay, because: “It is critical to ensure we have a consistent total power supply to our fully electric sustainable venue, the completion of which is a few days behind.” Words matter. 👟 I bet Regis Schultz, CEO of JD Sports Fashion wishes he hadn’t pledged to make £1bn of profit. His reputation is only slowly rebuilding after coming in with a mere £935m in the last end of year numbers. The transformation of the Bury-headquartered retail giant into a global brand seems very much on track again. ⚽ This week we also ran the story of footballer John Barnes being banned as a company director after failing to pay his taxes. The gleeful tinge to that story angered me a bit. This was the The Insolvency Service saying, “look at us, a high profile prosecution”. ⚖ But like the police, and other enforcement agencies, and as we saw recently, the Post Office, they like to prosecute easy targets. 👨‍⚖️ Meanwhile there are fraudsters out there getting away with it because frankly they run rings around the authorities, including the Insolvency Service, when they refuse to co-operate, draw out legal processes and, in some instances, cry ‘mental health’ when the screw tightens. Sometimes it's left to the media and private companies to do the hard yards and seek a different form of justice. 😁 I wish Jo Ahmed well in her mission to lead Big Four accountancy and advisory firm Deloitte, but there remains a disconnect between the positive external messaging and the firm's humbling retreat from the corporate finance world. ☔ Elsewhere, there’s more coverage of some of the major deals on our Rainmakers Substack, including the sale of NRG by Palatine, a buyout at Johnson Tiles and the potential sale of Donald Trump’s favourite fake tan product, St Tropez by PZ Cussons. Have a great weekend.

85

10 Comments

Sign up below to find out how much #OOH influences offline AND online commerce (you might be surprised!) and how small changes to creative and strategy can make a big impact to sales. #OOHWorks

4