Media Unscripted, presented by FIPP

FIPP

Media Unscripted talks to the major players in media, from the BBC to Clubhouse and beyond! Each episode features an open conversation with some of the most pioneering names in the industry. The transparent format provides guests with that rare commodity in today’s PR-conscious interview landscape: the opportunity to be themselves. In return, they provide us with some great insights into their passions, opinions, and personal experiences. Media Unscripted is brought to you by FIPP - The Global Media Network, in partnership with PressReader.

Episodes

  1. 09/24/2023

    Media Unscripted with Benjamin Cohen, founder and CEO of PinkNews

    In the latest episode of Media Unscripted we talk to Benjamin Cohen, founder and CEO of PinkNews, and so much more. In 2012 Benjamin co-founded and chaired the Out4Marriage, the successful campaign to introduce same-sex marriage in England and Wales. He is also a trustee and non-executive director of Humanity and Inclusion, and a trustee of Wise Thoughts, a London-based LGBTQ+ arts charity. Benjamin started his career in publishing at the tender age of 16, when he launched JewishNet/soJewish, an early social networking product that pre-dates Facebook. He went on to become the youngest correspondent for a UK network news programme, working as an on-screen correspondent for Channel 4 News. In this interview Benjamin talks about why social justice has always been his driving force and how he has made this mission into a successful money-making publishing power house. But he still wants more. More equality, more equity, more of the advertising spend. Benjamin is fearless and full of drive and energy. He’s also incredibly savvy, having created the world's most read and watched LGBTQ+ publisher, with a global audience of more than 100 million unique users every month. But as well as a business for brain, he has a good heart and stays true to PinkNews mission: to inform, inspire change and empower people to be themselves. There is so much to be learned from PinkNews, in terms of: Putting your audience first Adapting your content strategy to suit their needs Being flexible and forward thinking.  You do NOT want to miss this! We hope you enjoy this episode, and please don’t forget to like and subscribe

    49 min
  2. 02/22/2023

    Media Unscripted with Emma Tucker

    We are excited to bring you season two of Media Unscripted. To kick things off in style, we have an interview with Emma Tucker, the newly appointed editor of the Wall Street Journal – and the first female to ever lead this prestigious title. This isn't the first time Tucker has made journalistic history, as she was named the Sunday Times first female editor in January 2020. During her two years there, The Times and Sunday Times digital subscriptions rose from 320,000 to 450,000 at the end of September 2020, seeing pre-tax profits triple. Emma is passionate about constructive journalism, which contextualises news rather than just giving the facts. It’s this innovative storytelling which she says is key to the success of the Sunday Times paywall. In our interview, Emma also talks about the demands and challenges of taking on such a huge title. She says a lot of it is knowing how to delegate, but you also have to be brave about the choices you make in terms of content and sometimes going against the grain. Which Emma certainly isn’t afraid to do. Emma is also open and honest, which makes for a great interview. We really hope you enjoy this podcast and are inspired by her passion for good journalism. It’s exciting to see what she will bring to her new role as editor of the wall street journal. And we hope to get her back on again in the near future to talk about her experiences. Watch this space… If you enjoy the interview. If you do, please don't forget to like and subscribe.

    44 min
  3. 07/19/2022

    Media Unscripted Special: Digital transformation

    Hello and welcome to another Media Unscripted special, which features key interviews from Congress 2022. In this episode we are talking about digital transformation. We speak to: Industry expert Lucy Kung, who is a strategic advisor, professor and writer, explains why we are still talking about this important topic – and why so many media companies still haven't achieved it. Arvid cheevejel Tchivzhel, managing director of Digital Consulting Practice at Mather economics, who talks about why he thinks creating life time value should be your North Star and how to achieve it. Arvid also talked about news fatigue, the benefits of data driven content and why less is more in terms of content, when it comes to subscription numbers Tom Armstrong, VP Global Advertising at The New York Times, who talks about their subscriber-first strategy, the roll of first party data in streamlining their ads, and what smaller businesses can learn from their model. Will page, author of Tarzan Economics and former chief economist of Spotify and PRS for Music. Will talks frankly about why publishing is getting subscriptions wrong, and what we can learn from the music industry. He also talks about, fixing churn, Substack and why FIPP could be the industry’s saviour. Yep, you heard it here first. We loved speaking to these interesting, industry experts and we hope you enjoy listening. If you do, please don't forget to like and subscribe!

    35 min
  4. 06/30/2022

    Media Unscripted Special: Diversity and inclusion at Congress 2022

    Hello and welcome to the first of three podcasts specials, bringing you highlights from FIPP Congress 2022. It was the first in-person Congress for three years – and I think it’s safe to say it was a huge success with over 400 attendees and 81 fantastic speakers from major corporations and exciting start-ups, from all around the globe. Top of the agenda was diversity and inclusion, which is the focus of this podcast. We kick things off with a chat with Yulia Boyle, FIPP’s first female chair for 100 years, who talks about her plans for FIPP’s future and the changes she wants to make. Yulia also spoke out about making sure FIPP is accountable for its promises in terms of diversity – which includes doubling the number of women on the board by 2024 – and why diversity in media isn’t just a moral imperative, it also makes good economic sense. We then caught up with the inspiring Nkiru Balonwu, who is the founder and creative director of the Africa Soft Power Project in Nigeria. Nkiru spoke about the African stereotypes that frustrate her, how Africa is a continent and NOT a country and why we need to change the stories around the diverse people there. Finally, in this podcast we speak to Tanya Isler, director of global licensing at Netflix, USA, and Erica Lovett, head of diversity and inclusion at Cartier North America. Tanya and Erica told me what diversity means to them, what companies can do to achieve diversity, as well as battling their own biases. We loved speaking to these powerful, passionate and proactive women who are fighting for change. We hope you enjoy listening.  If you do, please don't forget to like and subscribe! Happy listening.

    49 min
  5. 03/16/2022

    Media Unscripted with National Geographic's Yulia Boyle

    This week we are excited to be joined by Yulia Boyle, Senior VP of international media, image collection and content operations at National Geographic. Yulia is also FIPP's first every female chair. Nat Geo really needs no introduction. It’s is one of the most widely read magazines of all time with a total readership of around 43 million. In the last seven years it has won seven National Magazine Awards, two Webby Media Company of the Year honours and has been a Pulitzer Prize finalist three times.  The publishing power house now has a podcast, a TV channel, live events and more, and is constantly evolving and developing its content to suit its broad audience and meet the demands of a constantly changing industry. Yulia has been instrumental in launching National Geographic magazines and books across 52 countries around the globe. She is also passionate about encouraging diversity within the media, and this partly comes from her somewhat unconventional path into publishing. In this fascinating episode, Yulia not only speaks about her own personal journey, but also of the most important macro-level issues facing the industry today. Yulia talks about:  Coming of age in soviet Armenia when there was a war, a devastating earthquake and then the collapse of the soviet union.  Learning to speak English when "everything was collapsing around me, no electricity, no running water..." Winning a scholarship to study in the US National Geographic’s media strategy  How teaming up with Disney has been an exhilarating process but daunting process, which has pushed her out of her comfort zone The exciting possibilities of NFTs for publishing as well as their potential pitfalls.  What she hopes to bring to the FIPP, as it’s first female chair We really enjoyed speaking to Yulia and hope you enjoy listening to this podcast. If you did, please don't forget to like and subscribe!

    40 min
  6. 01/25/2022

    Media Unscripted with Katie Vanneck-Smith

    We are very excited to introduce our second guest to the Media Unscripted podcast, because Katie Vanneck Smith is a true pioneer in publishing. Katie launched the UK’s first ever news paywall at the Times and then made her way to the other side of the pond, to work as President of Dow Jones. During her time there she helped grow The Wall Street Journal subscriber base to 3m  readers, which was the largest number in its history. Katie clearly loves a challenge because she left this high powered, high paid, high reward job in new York, for a start up in the UK. And in 2019 she launched Tortoise Media, with James Harding and Matthew Barzun. Tortoise is on a mission to slow news down. It’s not about breaking news, it’s about what’s driving the news. And as with all things involving Katie, it is about sustaining the future of journalism. To all her ventures Katie brings an incredible energy, creativity, positivity and tenacity, which is why she was names pioneer of the year at the 2016 British Media awards. Katie is also great fun, which is something often lacking in the commercial side of media, and refreshingly open and honest, so she gives a great interview. Katie talks about: The lightbulb moment when she realised she could make money out of news Her passion for the industry and finding a sustainable business model  What's driven her during her 25-year career  Why media brands need to work together to protect their future – and realise who the real competition is The current disruptions in the industry – and new opportunties How and why Tortoise Media is making news accessible for all  Why digital news still can't compete with print medi The importance of "proper partnerships and respect" between the editorial team and commercial leaders What she is most proud of achieving We really enjoyed speaking to her and we hope you enjoy listening to this podcast. If you did, please don't forget to like and subscribe!

    51 min

About

Media Unscripted talks to the major players in media, from the BBC to Clubhouse and beyond! Each episode features an open conversation with some of the most pioneering names in the industry. The transparent format provides guests with that rare commodity in today’s PR-conscious interview landscape: the opportunity to be themselves. In return, they provide us with some great insights into their passions, opinions, and personal experiences. Media Unscripted is brought to you by FIPP - The Global Media Network, in partnership with PressReader.