June 2017 Newsletter
Welcome to IBT’s June newsletter with an update on our work and relevant news from the media industry. (Download/Print this Newsletter)
This month’s briefing with Sky News
This month we’ll be hearing from Dan Williams, Head of International at Sky News. Dan will talk us through the latest changes at Sky and the best way to pitch ideas to him and his team. Sky News has a positive track record of covering off agenda news stories and is a good outlet for IBT members. The briefing will take place at the IBT offices at 10am on Thursday June 29th. This event was due to take place earlier in the year – those who registered last time do not need to do so again. Others should sign up via the IBT website in the usual way. Any queries, just get in touch. Confirmation emails will go out a few days before the event.
Launch of new IBT report Video first – making an impact
Last month we launched our new research report Video first – making an impact. The report looks at the changing media landscape and the growing importance of video online. It includes lots of practical tips on how NGOs can improve their online video content. The launch took place at Channel 4. Speakers included Daniel Pearl, Channel 4’s deputy head of news and current affairs and Max Gogarty, BBC3’s Executive Editor. Sophie Chalk, the report author, presented a summary of the findings. More details on what the speakers said can be found on the members’ page of our website. The report can be downloaded here:
http://www.ibt.org.uk/documents/reports/video-first-full.pdf
Social media refresher
Last month we also held our first social media refresher – a free training session for IBT members that gave updates on the four main social media sites – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat – and lots of examples of how NGOs were using these platforms. The two trainers were social media specialists Zoe Amar and Martin Carter. The feedback from the event was very positive, so we plan to hold another refresher later in the year for those who were unable to attend this time.
Unreported World
Channel 4’s international current affairs strand, Unreported World, is on the lookout for stories for its Autumn run. They’re particularly interested in ideas from Turkey, Libya and the US. They have a strong interest in environmental stories and are looking at the issue of pollution in China and India. They’re also keen to feature urban life in Africa. Stories need to be distinctive, with a narrative that can be filmed in July-September. If you want to find out more, contact the series editor, Monica Garnsey, at Quicksilver or get in touch with me.
Sheffield Documentary Festival
IBT will be hosting two events at this week’s Sheffield Documentary Festival, as part of our work on climate change. If you’re going, please look out for our sessions. On Monday June 12th at 4.30pm we’ll be holding a film pitch with The Guardian, with the shortlisted filmmakers pitching their ideas in front of a live audience. The winner will receive development funding and their film will be shown on Guardian online. On Tuesday June 13th at 10am we’ll be hosting a panel debate with four filmmakers talking about the best way to engage mainstream audiences with the issue of climate change. More information here:
https://sheffdocfest.com/sessions/5405?day=4
https://sheffdocfest.com/sessions/5419?day=5
Al Gore speaking at the Ashden Awards
Next week sees the annual Ashden Awards which celebrate sustainable energy trailblazers. The guest speaker will be former US Vice President and climate change campaigner, Al Gore. The event takes place at the Royal Geographical Society at 7pm on Thursday June 15th. Tickets are available here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2017-ashden-awards-ceremony-tickets-31326533505
New CBeebies series Where in the World
Earlier this week CBeebies launched its new documentary series, Where in the World, which features children from around the world. It’s good to see the BBC making programmes for such a young audience that show how children in other countries lead their lives. This is something IBT has been urging the BBC to do for some time. We hope to hold an event in Parliament later in the year that looks at how children see the wider world and how the media influences children’s views.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/where-in-the-world
One World Media awards
Last night the 29th annual One World Media Awards took place, presented for the first time by Krishnan Guru-Murthy with a guest appearance by the comedian Shazia Mirza. It was great to see such a wide range of media about the developing world coming from so many different media outlets. There were several notable winners including the superb BBC2 series Exodus which won two awards – Refugee Reporting (sponsored by the British Red Cross) and Television Documentary. Its Executive Producer, Will Anderson, is one of the speakers at our Sheffield DocFest panel. A list of all the winners can be found here:
http://www.oneworldmedia.org.uk/awards/winners/
Best wishes
Mark
