Media Masters

Sarabeth Berman is chief executive of the American Journalism Project, a philanthropic organisation which supports local non-profit newsrooms. The project’s mission is to accelerate the sustainable growth of regional news for the long term. In this in-depth interview, Sarabeth discusses the “real harm” to communities that the decline of local news has caused - and the “lack of transparency and accountability local governments enjoy as a result;” outlines their approach - partnering with communities, coaching leaders and sustaining their offices; and argues that society has been complacent in ignoring the dangerous implications of empty local newsrooms, which the pandemic has shown can be a matter of life and death. 

Simon Leslie is the founder and joint chief executive of Ink. Founded in 1994, they are the world’s leading travel media company, producing 33 in-flight magazines for 24 airlines worldwide, including many of the largest carriers in the world, such as Easyjet and Virgin Atlantic. In this in-depth interview, Simon talks through the “incredible challenge” the pandemic caused the air travel industry, tackling the terrible devastation that the global depression bought on both aerospace and adjacent industries such as media; discusses the “enforced pivot” covid bought them, and his determination to “seize the opportunity to transform the company,” and grow in a new direction producing airport television and digital content; and shares how his latest book ‘White Belt Thinking’ documented these recent challenges and the “cathartic experience.”

Christopher Snowdon is a libertarian writer, commentator and self-styled “scourge of the nanny statists.” He joined the Institute of Economic Affairs in 2012 as their head of lifestyle economics, where his work focuses on social freedoms and what he sees as “the dangers of prohibition.” He often appears on TV and radio programmes offering a contrarian view on political topics and lifestyle choices, and writes regularly for a number of titles, including Spiked, The Critic and The Daily Telegraph. In this in-depth interview, Christopher discusses why Covid has been “a challenge” for libertarians' and criques the UK government's response as “very bad in 2020, and pretty good in 2021;” argues passionately why he believes “it’s not the government's job to interfere with people’s personal choices” which often leads to repercussions of what he defines as “victimless crimes;” and delves into his book ‘Killjoys: A Critique of Paternalism’ which makes the case that the government is too intrusive in our

Harry Jarman is founder and editor-in-chief of Gentleman’s Journal, the men’s luxury lifestyle magazine. Launched in 2011, the print edition regularly sells 35,000 copies, and overall monthly reach online regularly exceeds one million. It has expanded to include both its own e-commerce website, and a creative agency which builds campaigns for fashion clients. In this in-depth interview, Harry reflects on how the journey began, spotting a gap in the market when he was unable to promote his swimwear brand; argues that print is “enjoying a renaissance” and is “far from dead,” driving yet more traffic to their website; and shares his ambition to grow the company’s retail operation, building on the successful launch of their first shop in London’s Mayfair.

Christopher Lamb is the Vatican correspondent for The Tablet. Founded in 1840, the weekly journal is a hugely influential voice amongst the 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide. Joining in 2009 from the Daily Telegraph, he also appears regularly on TV news around the world. In this in-depth interview, Christopher reflects on the depth of his access to the Vatican, and his ringside seat witnessing Pope Francis’ battle to modernise the church - suggesting “the forces seeking to block a Pope’s agenda” have “not been this powerful since the Renaissance;” reflects on Pope Francis, the human being - “a reforming, enigmatic figure,” whose unique journey to becoming Pope has shaped a progressive, forward-thinking outlook - and leads him to challenge the church on clerical sexual abuse, injustice, and the exploitation of the world’s most vulnerable people - including refugees and those in poverty; and shares the nuts and bolts of how the Pope has harnessed modern media management techniques to improve the Vatican’s communi

Batya Ungar-Sargon is deputy opinion editor of Newsweek, and author of ‘Bad News: How Woke Media is Undermining Democracy.’ Before Newsweek, Batya was opinion editor of The Forward, the largest Jewish media outlet in America, and has also written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New York Review of Books, and appears regularly on MSNBC and CNN. In this in-depth interview, Batya argues that mainstream news is “no longer just liberal,” but by being “woke” is “abandoning the working class by creating a culture war around identity;” argues “the media chasing the profit through outrage” is leading to the current crisis of misinformation and so-called fake news; and expresses her anguish that opinions have become so polarised - appealing for people “to find ways to meet people who you disagree with.”

Jolyon ‘Jon’ Connell is a journalist-turned-entrepreneur who founded the hugely successful global magazine The Week. His new venture ‘The Knowledge’ monitors hundreds of news media and compiles the very best stories into one weekly, easy-to-digest newsletter. Jon started his career at The Sunday Times, later becoming deputy editor of The Sunday Telegraph, leaving in 1994 to launch The Week - which now has editions in the UK, US and Australia, and was sold to Dennis Publishing in 2018. In this in-depth interview, Jon shares his ambitious plans for his new venture, building on a major investment from Lord Rothermere, to deliver “all the wisdom of the week in one place;” talks about why his daughter Flora gave up her promising career as a popstar to become a partner in The Knowledge and ensure it appeals to readers of all ages; and reflects on the “rollercoaster” journey of founding The Week, which he “grew out of impatience and laziness” - and which went on to become a global phenomenon. 

Simon Walker is a media entrepreneur, and founder of Marquee TV, a streaming platform which brings live performances to a global audience and was recently described by The Financial Times as ‘Netflix for the arts’. In a career spanning senior management roles at the BBC, EMAP and EMI Music, Simon has been at the heart of the entertainment industry’s transformation to digital for nearly three decades. In this in-depth interview, Simon shares how Marquee TV “provided a lifeline” to arts organisations during lockdown, giving them a platform to stream dance, theatre and opera - and generating much-needed survival revenue; explains how they cater for “an underserved audience” and why niche platforms work alongside - not against - the streaming giants; and proudly shares the success of Countryline, his new venture serving country music fans - which is set to launch its new weekly TV show broadcasting live from Nashville, and has just secured investment from Sir Elton John.

Amanda Knox is an author, activist and journalist, best known for fighting to regain the narrative of her own life after being wrongfully convicted of murder. The global media seized on her case, after her 2007 arrest in Perugia and subsequent conviction for the murder of her friend Meredith Kercher. After four years in prison, she was exonerated by Italy’s highest court - but continues to be treated as a source of profit by the media and attacked online. In this in-depth interview, Amanda reflects on the devastating impact of those events and her efforts to build a new life; attacks a media “overwhelmed with sensationalism” which “wanted her to be guilty,” in spite of the facts - declining to focus on the actual murderer Rudy Guede, and continuing to push the profitable ‘Foxy Knoxy’ construct; and shares her frustration at Hollywood’s indifference to their damage - with new movie ‘Stillwater’ featuring a fictional character, clearly based on her, but with a so-called ‘twist’ that she was indeed the murderer.

Michael Cockerell has been described as “the Prime Minister of the political documentary.” His Emmy award-winning films have featured intimate conversations with the past 12 prime ministers, winning near-universal recognition for being the definitive account of their time in No 10. He has also produced captivating programmes taking viewers inside the Home Office, Foreign Office, HM Treasury and the House of Commons. In this in-depth interview, Michael reflects on his ring-side seat at the major political events of the last five decades, as well as the impressions he’s gained from his behind-the-scenes access to some of the most powerful people in the world; charts his journey covering Boris Johnson, starting with his famous 2013 interview which elicited the “if the ball came loose from the back of the scrum” quote which revealed his ambition; and recalls how at the height of the Falklands War, then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher lambasted his “odious” journalism in Parliament… only for history to prove him

Gordon Crovitz and Steven Brill are co-CEOs of NewsGuard. Founded in 2018, their mission is to rate the trustworthiness of more than 7,000 news and information websites, and give every site its own “nutrition label” based on transparency and integrity. Prior to leading NewsGuard, Steven founded The American Lawyer, Court TV, and the Yale Journalism Initiative; while Gordon was executive VP for Dow Jones and a columnist for The Wall Street Journal. In this in-depth interview, they share how witnessing the depressing rise of fake news and the genuine harm it’s doing, gave them the idea for a platform which assesses the credibility of news outlets; discuss the nine criteria they use to rate news platforms - for example, how well a publication distinguishes between fact and opinion, and whether it clearly labels advertisements; and reflect on what has become their biggest challenge - tackling the “avalanche of covid-19 misinformation” and hoax sites getting more engagements than responsible health sites during th

Annette King is CEO of Publicis Groupe UK. Founded in 1926, Publicis Groupe employs 80,000 people in 100 countries, and boasts an annual revenue of nearly €10bn. Annette previously spent 17 years at Ogilvy, latterly as CEO of its 10 UK operating companies. In this in-depth interview, Annette reflects on how digital has “revolutionised the advertising industry” with the insight that data brings; and proudly shares Publicis Groupe UK’s commitment to promoting the positive mental health of their staff - as it “makes business sense… as well as being the right thing to do.”

Craig Engler is general manager of Shudder, a premium streaming service focusing on horror, suspense and thriller content. A subsidiary of AMC Networks, they have over 1 million subscribers across North America and Europe, and have recently expanded to Australia and New Zealand. Joining in 2018, Craig previously enjoyed a long-standing career as a writer and TV network executive, spending a successful 15 years at Syfy. In this in-depth interview, Craig talks through the journey of their successful original series ‘Creepshow,’ when an “amazing series of coincidences” brought the show to launch, working with an array of Hollywood A-List talent including Stephen King, Kiefer Sutherland, Justin Long and Giancarlo Esposito; tackles critics who say the streaming market is saturated, and explains why “finding ways to surprise and delight members” is helping making Shudder “not your only streamer - but your favourite streamer;” and shares the creative process involved in bringing the hit TV show ‘Z Nation’ to the scr

Harleen Kaur is co-founder and chief executive of Ground News. Created last year, the app was formed to handle the growing problem of misinformation and curates stories from a variety of media sources across the political spectrum, which are independently reviewed for bias and reliability, allowing users to see how the same stories are covered differently. In this in-depth interview, Harleen discusses how she abandoned her engineering career at NASA, and was inspired to tackle “information overload and media sensationalism;” shares how the app manages “filter bubbles” by revealing blind spots and news bias; and delves into how the app allows people to reach their own conclusions about developing stories.

Anna Palmer is the founder and chief executive of Punchbowl News. Nearly a year old, the daily email newsletter focuses on the “power, people and politics” in Washington DC. For almost two decades Anna has covered congressional leadership, campaigning, lobbying, the politics of government and the presidency - and in her prior role as Washington correspondent for Politico, co-created their successful ‘Playbook’ newsletter franchise. In this in-depth interview, Anna reflects on launching their new venture just three days before the “astonishing” Capitol attacks on January 6th; delves into her New York Times bestseller ‘The Hill To Die On’ which documented Trump’s first two years and won acclaim for “bringing to life the deal-breaking and backstabbing as never before;” and discusses whether Trump could return to the White House, and if so, how it would happen.

Zach Seward is co-founder and chief executive of Quartz. Founded in 2012, and now boasting a readership of over 10 million, its mission is to “make business better” and “solve real problems without creating new ones.” Previously at The Wall Street Journal, he reported on education and health and was the paper’s first-ever social media editor. In this in-depth interview, Zach reflects on the “emotional rollercoaster” of the pandemic - with the pain of restructuring and layoffs now eased with a return to growth across people, profitability and subscriptions; welcomes the “fresh energy” that returning to ownership and its renewed independence has brought; and shares his view on the future of the economy as it recovers from the pandemic.

In a special edition, we’re joined by the new editorial leaders of GQ. Established in 1957, the iconic men’s fashion and style title has a global reach of 10m in print, and over 50m online. Joining from New York is global editorial director Will Welch; and from London, deputy global editorial director Adam Baidawi. Will was previously the editor of GQ America; and Adam was previously editor of GQ Middle East, moving from Dubai to London to take the role. Both newly-promoted to deliver publisher Condé Nast’s new digital-first strategy, the pair immediately made their mark with a special issue - in which 17 of the brand’s international editions joined forces to simultaneously publish The Weeknd on September’s cover. In this in-depth interview, they pay tribute to Dylan Jones who left the UK editor’s chair after 22 years; share their plans to “harness the power of global unity” and end the era of local editions “competing” against one another for stories and interviews; and share insight from their strategic piv

John Micklethwait is editor-in-chief of Bloomberg. Responsible for its editorial content across all global platforms, he leads its news, television and research services - with 2,700 staff in 120 countries. Beginning his career as a banker at Chase Manhattan in London, he switched to journalism in 1987, joining The Economist as financial correspondent, ultimately becoming editor-in-chief in 2006, and joined Bloomberg nine years later. In this in-depth interview, John shares why he sees audio content as integral to their future growth, following the success of their recent podcasts; discusses how they use “restless energy” to compete against digital-only startups for scoops and stories; and sets out his prediction on how the global economy will recover from Covid-19 - and why the pandemic has “exposed the weakness of the West.”

Noah Shachtman is editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone. Previously executive editor at The Daily Beast, and before that a national security reporter based in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait, he also worked on Bill Clinton’s 1992 election campaign. In this in-depth interview, Noah talks about taking the reins of the iconic publication - and how the music, politics and culture title will become “faster, louder, harder” as he seeks to grow its impact; shares how he turned The Daily Beast into a “scoop factory,” breaking some of the biggest stories of recent times including Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest and Donald Trump’s impeachment; and drawing on his years of experience in the Middle East, reflects on President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan - and the likely consequences.

Richard Gibbs is a leading Hollywood movie composer, and music producer. Starting his career as a session musician, he was playing keyboards in the band Oingo Boingo when in 1988 an unexpected opportunity to score a film led to a long career as a film composer. He has worked on some of the very biggest movies and TV shows including Say Anything, Dr Dolittle, The Simpsons and Queen of the Damned. His studio in Malibu ‘Woodshed Recording’ is the musical home of U2, Chance the Rapper, Coldplay and Sting. In this in-depth interview, Richard reflects on a long career in music, working on dozens of movies - and explains how the business of making music in Hollywood really gets done; takes us behind-the-scenes of the whole process of film music composition from start to finish; and shares the journey of founding his charity ‘Armory of Harmony’ which takes guns - formerly in the hands of criminals - melts them down and turns them into musical instruments for deprived students.