Our clients

Media First's team of tutors never fail to get the most out of our spokespeople which in turn offers us, the communications team, the reassurance we need when putting people forward for interview. We've used Media First for a variety of courses and no matter what seniority the delegates are the course is always well tailored, effective and enjoyable.

—Louise Robertshaw, Head of Communications and Campaigns, The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

The Media First trainers pitched our training day perfectly: there was a good balance of ‘theory’ and practical and the interview sessions really made sense in putting into practice what we had learnt and understood. They were also so positive, enthusiastic and constructive in their feedback which was great. We really felt that the day was built around our individual requirements, skills and needs. It didn’t feel like a ‘template’ day rolled out and made to fit.

—Anna Perkins, Marketing Communications Manager, Equifax

Media First has worked closely with Vodafone to deliver high-quality bespoke training for several years.  The attendees have without exception found their training to be useful and relevant when dealing with the media.

—Libby Pritchard, Senior Public Relations Manager, Vodafone

The Media First team are always so helpful and accommodating. They take pride in fully understanding individual and organisational needs and make sure that the intervention they recommend and supply meets those needs. I would have no hesitation in recommending Media First.

—Scott Pawsey, Senior Learning and Development Officer at The Royal British Legion

Media First delivered a tailored training session for our leadership team. The trainers were of a high calibre and the session was pitched well for a senior audience. It was a good mix of practical, hands-on exposure to media situations, with well-judged and precise feedback to the delegates.

—Anna Thame, Head of External Affairs and Communications, Hampshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

As always, the course was excellent. The trainers did a great job keeping the pace and energy levels up and all the participants really enjoyed learning new skills – I now look forward to getting them in front of the camera/microphone!

—Mark Davison, Head of Media Relations, Stansted Airport

The key strength of Media First's training is the organised and prompt response to queries and requests and having good freelance journalists on their database of trainers. The training is highly effective and good value for money.  As a result of the training we have done with Media First, we have had some great national articles and radio broadcasts and have a more confident team of spokespeople.

—Lois Blenkinsop, Country PR and Internal Communications Manager, IKEA

Bayer has been working with Media First for over 12 years. Their training has given our people the skills and confidence to be able to handle any kind of interview successfully. The calibre of journalists has always had a positive impact on our attendees and they have all enjoyed the highly practical approach of learning different interview techniques.

—Steve Painter, Head of Corporate Communications, Bayer UK & Ireland

I had planned to just be there at the start and finish of the course, but I found it so interesting that I couldn't tear myself away. The two trainers were absolute professionals and we couldn't have wished for a better pair of trainers. They helped to put everybody at ease and really added some fun to what was quite a tiring day for the participants! Thanks so much for delivering such a great course.

—Emma Knight, Senior Group Communications Manager, East Midlands Trains

Media First provided us with an excellent service from the outset, guiding us through the creation of our first video as a firm and reassuring us with their capable management of the entire filming and production process. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend their services to others looking to produce quality video in a timely and cost effective manner with an end result which far exceeded our expectations.

—Jo Cooper, Digital Marketing Executive, Boyes Turner

Thank you so much for organising the media training. We were delighted with it, and agree it is one of the most valuable experiences we have had in terms of training for our job. The whole group was enthused and you could see them 'growing' in front of your eyes on the day. I personally was delighted to find the trainers were journalists who are truly at the top of their game. A truly unforgettable day.

—Krystyna McGrath, Press Officer, The Dogs Trust

I recently did a full day of presentation skills and tailored media training at Media First's studio. It was full-on but well worth it. My colleagues and I found the trainer's constructive advice very useful. It's great to have media training from an experienced broadcast journalist so that I have a better idea of how it all works and would know how to properly brief someone before appearing on the TV or radio. Highly recommended.

—Monica Keats, Marketing Communications Executive, Fire Industry Association

We have been working with Media First for eight years and in that time they have consistently provided courses of the highest quality. They understand exactly what we need and have an outstanding calibre of tutors to deliver the training. All our staff who have been on their sessions have rated them with top marks for overall satisfaction with the quality and content of the session.

—Dan Williams, Press Officer, Met Office

We have been working with Media First since 2004. In that time they have always provided us with first class media training. Their tutors are excellent and their practical approach to the sessions means that all of our spokespeople are properly prepared for any media interview. In my opinion they are the best in the business.

—Paula Campbell, Director of Communications & Marketing, Veoila

Having previously worked with Media First we knew they had an understanding of our past and present programmes and could transfer this to design and deliver a course for learning at all levels that would really help hone and develop communication skills. Our programme team found the attention to detail during and after the training extremely helpful and reassuring and also particularly welcomed the post event individual written feedback reports and video footage.

—Ruth Lloyd, Programme Manager, Virtual College

We all found the experience of training with Media First to be realistic, challenging and ultimately very beneficial for the future. The use of real journalists and reporters enabled us to be put on the spot, think on our feet and to learn the ‘tricks of the trade’ from those employing them on a daily basis. Overall, we found Media First very responsive to our needs and they provided a first-class training day that everyone found very beneficial.

—John Lloyd, Service Support Manager, OFRS

Media First have delivered bespoke training courses for a number of our spokespeople and I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again. From the level of pre-course preparation to the quality of the trainers and detailed follow-up, their training has been integral to equipping our spokespeople with the necessary skills and confidence to convey their key messages accurately and concisely to a wider audience. We thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and have seen such a positive response.

—Chris Wiggan, Head of Corporate Communications, Arcadis

The course was bespoke, the trainers were exceptional, and I especially appreciated how closely they worked with me to deliver the course and results that I needed. They have made my client feel more prepared and confident in front of the press, and we're already planning the next day of intense training after NCP said that they wanted to do it all over again! Great results, thanks very much. You have made a PR person very happy!

—Michelle McCarthy, Managing Director, Voicebox PR

Having been in the spotlight with Para-Rowing for many years I jumped at the chance to get properly media trained. What I found most useful was learning the potential traps you can fall into when being interviewed and the different styles you need to adopt for print, radio and TV. It was an informative, full on day but it was also fun and fully interactive and I now feel much better equipped when going into media situations.

—Naomi Riches, British Rower and Gold medal winner at the 2012 Summer Paralympics

We were pleased with the way Media First worked with us to create a scenario which challenged us on a number of different levels. The fast-paced nature of the scenario gave us insight into how we work as a team under pressure, and the way that Media First’s journalists responded in real-time to our response made if feel as genuine as possible and was useful for us as we plan for the future.

—Kew Gardens Executive Team

Media First provided a tailored programme specific to our requirements, delivered by a team of experienced professionals. Media First provided constructive advice throughout the training, with significant improvements noted throughout the course. Facilitation of our course requirements was excellent prior to, during and after the event with well-structured course delivery and post course feedback.

—Martin, Weeks, General Manager,Airbus Defence and Space Ltd (UAE)

Media First' were outstanding in delivering really good, qualitative training to our senior managers. It was delivered by journalists who are 'hands on' on a day to day basis. The content of the day was tailored to our needs and left the senior managers with an experience they enjoyed, and importantly learned valuable lessons when confronted by the real media.

—Mark Clark, UK Media Relations Manager at QinetiQ

Just a quick line to say how impressed I was with the training - from organisation to delivery to timely feedback, the process has been seamless, professional and delivered to an exceptionally high standard. It really has been such a delight to work with you and your team - thank you so much!

—Pam Turton, Assistant Director, Portsmouth City Council

The training by videoconference was really good. Training in your own environment relaxes you and allows you to see the real personality coming through. Given that we're going to be doing interviews over remote technology for the foreseeable future, its been good to get to grips with the technology and a good set up to what we hope to go on to do with Media First later in the year.

—Paul Rooke, Executive Director, The British Coffee Association