April 28th, 2009
Last week, we had a photo call and interview at Primal Fitness with Dianne Bourne of the Manchester Evening News which has run in the paper today.
For those of you who read the MEN, you’ll know that Dianne is one of a team of journalists in training for the Bupa 10K Great Manchester Run. Her weekly column has covered the highs and lows of training for the event from starstudded running sessions with Manchester celebrities to trying out the latest training equipment.
When our friends from eco gym Primal Fitness asked Democracy for some PR support we considered Dianne the perfect journalist for the job and after pitching her the idea, she agreed. The only problem? I had to come too.
Suddenly classes that begin with animal movement warm ups including crawling like crocodiles, leaping like frogs and swinging like monkeys seemed less funny and a lot more like hard work.
Undeterred, I dashed to the shop, picked up some new gym equipment and met Dianne and a photographer at the gym ready for anything.
Our work out was short, but in a short time you can cause yourself a lot of pain! Sledgehammer bashing alternated with squats on a 20 second rotation that had both Dianne and I initially giggling, slowly becoming silent, and then completing the final sets with gritted teeth and determination.
Gym creators Simon Whyatt, and Fernando Ajmad put us both through our paces with a specially created workout that would support both our fitness levels.
Today, the Manchester Evening News ran Dianne’s experience – with a full page review and a front page flash. After a quick catch up with Dianne today, I wanted to know would she be going back? The answer - yes.
Primal Fitness is most certainly not an ordinary gym, but for someone who wants something more than the ever so dull running machine and the usual weights system, this is the place to be. So much so, that even I’ve signed up!
by katie
and tagged Bupa 10K Manchester Run, Dianne Bourne, Manchester Evening News, PR, Primal Fitness, public relations
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April 8th, 2009
It’s not me that wants to see the money, you understand, but a benefit cheat from Wythenshawe who arrived at her court hearing wearing socks emblazoned with the phrase and dollar signs.
If you read The Daily Express you found out about this yesterday, if you read the Manchester Evening News you found out about it on Monday but if you were chatting to the photographer who snapped the shot the you’d have known last Thursday.
The photographer, Paul Simpson, was at the launch of Gary Keedy’s Benefit Year (our latest client win) last Thursday night in Hale to take some pictures of the event, Gary and new Lancashire coach Peter Moores. Ever ready to expand my journalist contact book, we got chatting and he told me about the great shot he’d got earlier that day.
When I met the team at the MEN last month Sarah Hartley was keen to impress on me the importance of syndication from a regional news point of view – and back in the office, Jennifer was keen to impress the same message from a PR point of view.
As I continue my role as an apprentice, I realise I’ve been blinkered to many of the ways journalism works. Something that I’d have previously thought of as a coincidence (the Express covering a story that had run in the MEN), is actually part of a well oiled machine that serves to catapult regional news to a national audience.
by Jennifer O'Grady
and tagged Daily Express, Manchester Evening News, PR, Press Photography, socks
Posted in Democracy, Media | No Comments »
April 6th, 2009
The Democracy office is in shock: The Press Gazette is closing its print version after 43 years and removing news content from the website.
This is the latest sad news to reach us. We’ve been carefully watching news of the changes at the MEN as well as hearing the concerns of our friends there and it would seem that it’s not a good time to be journalist.
And yet, in the same newsweek, The Lady (beating the Gazette’s 43 years by 80) is undergoing something of a revamp as the title continues to thrive.
Famed for its recipes, etiquette tips and adverts for domestic staff (apparently used by the royal family) The Lady’s relevance to its market is key to its success.
With a weekly circulation of 30,000, the makeover is intended to move its readership from an average age of 78 to mid 40s.
Although the demise of The Press Gazette will continue to fuel the debate that traditional media is dead, the news from the Lady reminds us all that people will always consume editorial and advertising media content from a respected source that is interesting and relevant to them.
As many of the respected stalwarts of the journalistic world embrace the changing world of communications here’s hoping they get snapped up by niche communities who appreciate their work.
by Jennifer O'Grady
and tagged Journalism, Manchester Evening News, PR, The Lady, The Press Gazette
Posted in Democracy, Media | No Comments »
March 31st, 2009
Taken from the Manchester Evening News, March 31, 2009
Simon Donohue
ONE of Manchester’s newest PR agencies has knocked the opposition for six with a prestigious new cricketing account.
Democracy will step up to the crease to support Lancashire’s Gary Keedy as he celebrates his benefit year.
The 34-year-old was voted the `best county player never to have played for England’ and has hired Democracy to manage public relations for a series of benefit events.
The team will kick off with a VIP media and celebrity launch in Hale this week.
Highlights from his benefit year will include an Ashes preview and review with Andrew Flintoff, a day of golf with Sir Ian Botham and a summer ball.
Democracy PR is tasked with bringing together Keedy and fellow sporting heroes with the corporate world to raise money for him and his nominated charities.
Keedy is currently studying for a physiotherapy degree at Salford University while also training for the start of the new cricket season.
He said: “We’ve built a great team to help promote the benefit year and Democracy demonstrated great contacts and creative ideas.”
Jennifer O’Grady, founder of Democracy PR, said: “The next 12 months promise to be a lot of fun for Gary and the rest of the team.”
The Chorlton agency’s other clients include Baxter’s Licensed Brands, Duerr’s jams and marmalades, The Gentry Grooming Company and Psycuity.
by katie
and tagged Baxter's Licensed Brans, Benefit Year, Democracy, Democracy PR, Duerr's, Duerr's Jams and marmalades, Gary Keedy, Lancashire, Manchester Evening News, PR, psycuity, public relations, simon donohue, social media, The Gentry Grooming Company
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March 20th, 2009
For those of you who haven’t seen the M.E.N. yet today here’s the charming Shay Given wearing one of our lovingly crafted hats:
You can see the rest of the coverage at www.makemanchesterproud.com
by Jennifer O'Grady
and tagged Make Manchester Proud, Manchester Evening News, Niall Mellon Township Trust, Shay Given
Posted in Health & Fitness | No Comments »
March 9th, 2009
Last Thursday I spent the day as a newshound at the Manchester Evening News.
Democracy had bid for the pleasure at Twestival last month and I was the lucky recipient of a day as a journalist with self confessed Blogger, journalist, foodie and social media junky Sarah Hartley.
I met Sarah bright and early at Urbis to take a peak at Channel M‘s Breakfast Show. I was amazed by the levels of calm in the studio; that was until we popped down to the gallery and heard what was going on behind the scenes and in everyone’s ears.
Following a quick dash across the city I met the very charming people at the Newsdesk then headed out to meet journalist Chris Osuh at the County Court.
After a morning learning about court reporting I returned for the 12.30 conference where the editors of each section share their stories for the next day’s paper.
Dianne Bourne of The Diary Page then injected some glamour into the day as the three of us went out for a lovely lunch at San Carlo (apparently a celeb favourite although sadly I didn’t spot any).
Back to it and a whistle-stop tour of the important people of the Newsroom including Business and Sports editors as well as the Sub Editors.
What struck me most was the way the whole newsroom is getting involved in providing online content alongside putting together a paper which is published three times a day.
Quick stop at the 4pm conference then off to the spectacular Great John Street Hotel with Dianne to meet Debbie Rush (Corrie’s Anna Windass) and her lovely family for a Mother’s Day feature.
The cakes that formed part of the afternoon-tea themed interview sustained me until 7.30, and 12 hours after I’d met Sarah I’d definitely got the full picture of life at the MEN.
by Jennifer O'Grady
and tagged Channel M, Coronation Street, Great John Street Hotel, Journalism, Manchester Evening News, MEN, San Carlo, Twestival, Urbis
Posted in Democracy | No Comments »
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