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 provided excellent training for our spokespeople at Cancer Research UK. The trainers are experienced journalists and broadcasters who explain how TV, radio and newspapers work and demonstrate the best ways of getting our messages successfully across in a wide range of media outlets.

—Sally Staples, Senior Press Office Manager, Cancer Research UK

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

The help, flexibility and professionalism of Media First ensured our first tailored media training programme was a complete success. The feedback from those who attended was extremely positive, particularly for the two Media First trainers who ran both a challenging but supportive day. Post-event feedback and individual video footage was also very comprehensive. Media First are now helping us with other Communications training needs tailored to our specific requirements.

—Aidan Shutter, Media & PR, Buckinghamshire County Council

Media First offer a professional service and always tailor their courses to our specific needs. Their trainers are active journalists which makes these practical sessions as close to real life as possible. We always have a good experience.

—Stuart Williamson, Head of Media Relations (Corporate), Nationwide Building Society

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

We’re pleased to be into our fourth season of media training with Media First. The training really helps to remove some of the fear and apprehension our young players have about talking to external journalists, and it gives them the key skills they need to prepare for and give a more confident, professional interview. The players have grown in confidence and we’ve seen a huge improvement in their communication skills all round as a result.

—Chelsea FC

Absolutely superb training. I've been on two of their courses, and both times got a huge amount from it. The first moment the microphone came out I was terrified, but by the end of the day I felt confident handling even the most obstructive and confrontational journalist. The learnings can be used in so many other fields as well, like giving presentations, that this training is invaluable.

—Paul Smith, Head of Strategy & Business Development, BP

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 for our group. 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.

—Sharron Miller McKenzie, Press Office Manager, Scottish and Southern Energy Plc

Media First provided an excellent day of bespoke media training for our Communications team. The trainers on the day were fantastic, their experience shone through and all of the team came away with increased confidence in not only speaking to the media, but also in public speaking.

—James Durant, Press and Public Affairs Officer, UCAS

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

Media First was recommended to us by one of our member organisations. We all had the opportunity to learn and practice skills and while everyone was exhausted by the end of the day, we all felt it was extremely valuable in terms of dealing with the media in the future. Being taught by working journalists was very beneficial and having an account and administration team on hand made the whole process very smooth.

—Martin Stephens, Chief Executive, Wessex Academic Health Science Network

Just wanted to say a huge thank you for organising the media training today, it was genuinely amazing and incredibly helpful. I was absolutely terrified this morning about doing it and somehow ended up really enjoying the day immensely. Thanks again, one of the best courses I've done to date in Arup.

—Paula Kirk, Associate Director, ARUP

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 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

I've just sent my second lot of 'volunteers' for training with Media First, and once again they absolutely loved it, albeit absolutely shattered by the end of it. Thoroughly recommend Media First for all media training.

—Lucy Pope, Consumer Communications Manager, Ageas (UK)

Media First has always offered us a professional media training service that has benefited both our senior staff and more junior members of the organisation. We have used them on a number of occasions and their training has boosted the confidence of those within our organisation in dealing with media interviews. I would have no hesitation in recommending Media First for either their expertise as videographers or as communications trainers.

—Lee Murphy, Media Relations Manager, Youth Sport Trust

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

Flybe has worked with Media First over the last five years and I would have no hesitation in recommending them. The range of experienced journalists who work for them means that the media training delivered is relevant, up to date and above all, challenging – in short, everything you’d want from an external provider.

—Niall Duffy, Head of PR and Public Affairs, Flybe

The media training we received from Media First was excellent. It was highly practical, current and realistic. The focus on people over processes shone through and my team came away feeling more confident, able and willing to face the media.

—Mareike Schmidt, Strategic Energy Programme Manager, Bristol City Council

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

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

We enjoyed the course very much and learned a lot from it. Simon was very good as he took us through the points we needed to consider in order to get the most from an interview. He gave us good pointers on how to frame our story, where to start and how to catch the reader’s interest. He helped us all to realise that we could actually write something interesting.

—Saadia John, Be the Change Co-ordinator, Lloyd’s Register

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

We find Media First’s training extremely helpful and our team felt more confident and better equipped to deal with the media after we left the training session. The tutors were again amazing and they delivered against the objectives for the course, providing simple tools to remember the techniques taught during the practical interviews.

—Elena Mexa, Head of Communications

I find facilitators at Media First are honest yet constructive – this may be tough for the delegates to hear yet it’s critical to their development and future success. There’s little value to investing in a course where delegates are not given advice on what they should work on or improve. I think the delegates appreciate getting genuine feedback which isn’t all positive. It provides clarity and direction on their development journey.

—Amanda Leonard-Embury (ACIPD), Learning & Organisational Development Manager, GMC Master Coach

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

Media First’s approach was thoroughly professional. They took time to understand our needs, and delivered admirably, giving us tools to work with afterwards. The trainers built our confidence and gave us some fantastic tips, leading to us feeling far more confident in our abilities.  The training was of high quality and our skills undoubtedly developed under the superb guidance of the trainers.  We would have no hesitation in recommending them to others.

—Andrea Singh, HR Director, BAM

Excellent tailored training that added real value and provided unique insight and practical skills.

—Katerina Kaltsas, People & Programmes, Deloitte

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

We booked the training initially for face to face, but in the current situation (Covid-19) the training actually worked really well online. The trainers were really clear, were able to share their screens and create breakout sessions. Recordings were shown on our screens allowing us to watch back and get live feedback. The delegates were based all over the country and appreciated the fact that there was no travelling involved and that we were all able to train in one place with no one being put out.

—Rebecca Gillick, Senior Communications Executive, Institution of Engineering and Technology

Thanks to Media First for giving myself and my colleagues the opportunity to rehearse in a safe environment. This was a thoroughly enjoyable day and it was great to be put into an environment that tests and challenges us.

—Barry Rees, General Manager of Oil, Gas & Terminals, Briggs Marine