Dave Carter
 
Head of Manchester Digital Development Agency (MDDA) and recognised as a key figure in the region’s development as a leading European centre for digital innovation.

Carter has been with the city council for a number of years and was latterly in charge of economic development before moving across to help establish and then run the dedicated digital agency.

He has been voted the region’s most influential ‘digital’ person at the Big Chip Awards, at least partially no doubt in recognition of his consistent promotion of ambitious and innovative digital initiatives.

Jim Hancock
 
One of the region’s best known and respected political and media correspondents.

Hancock has been reporting on the political scene in the region for over 30 years including spells as political editor of both Granada and BBC North West. He has interviewed every Prime Minister from Harold Wilson to Gordon Brown.

He is a regular contributor to radio and TV in addition to columns for national and regional media including The Daily Post, EN magazine and the BBC.

He is also increasingly well-known as a host of conferences and events (including the NWDA and CBI) and is a member of the regional committee of the Royal Television Society.

Martin Brooks
 
Former senior BBC staffer and the man responsible for managing and bringing the BBC’s mediacity project to a successful conclusion. He stepped down from the Beeb in 2007 to establish his own consultancy business, MKB Media.

Brooks started his career as a print journalist before moving to Piccadilly Radio from where he transferred media again when he joined BBC TV in Leeds. In 1997 he was given responsibility for all of the BBC’s regional TV and radio output in Yorkshire before being promoted to take on the equivalent post in the North West.
 
From the end of 2004, together with Mark Thomas and BBC Manchester heads of departments, Brooks was also involved in moves to help develop the creative infrastructure across the north in preparation for the relocation of five BBC departments to Salford Quays.

Paul Carroll

Carroll sold his PR consultancy, Communique, to Burson Marsteller in May 2001 and departed its Canal Street front doors in 2004. His current vehicle is Zuma.

He describes Zuma as a “specialist consultancy advising both PR consultancies and clients with PR accounts” and he has also been a consultant to Peel where he helped the company secure Paul Newman and colleagues as part of a broader consultancy assignment at MediaCity.

He established Communique in 1986 and by 2001 the agency had a turnover of £3.5m. During his tenure at Communique, the agency won over 100 national and regional awards and commendations and was voted Consultancy of the Year five times and PR Consultancy of the Decade.   

Paul Unger

Paul Unger is editor of Place North West – the dedicated regional commercial property and regeneration news website.

The site was launched in autumn 2007 and currently attracts over 12,000 unique visitors a month.

Prior to launching PNW, Paul has been the business editor of the Daily Post and has also held senior positions with other regional newspapers. His writing for the property industry has won him several awards and he remains a regular contributor for the leading trade title Property Week.

 

Richard Catlow

Richard Catlow, an editorial consultant, is a board member of the Society of Editors nationally, the organisation which lobbies on behalf of print and broadcast media.

He is chairman of the Society in the North West and organises quarterly meetings where key media issues of the day are learnt about and debated.

He was previously editorial director of MEN Media’s 20 plus Greater Manchester weekly titles.

 

Simon Wharton

Simon graduated from the University of Liverpool and decided to get a job in the music industry. Not a musician himself he was content with management and promotion.  He subsequently changed career tack and moved into initially technical and then IP support for IBM. In 2002, he teamed up with Roy Wilding to launch online marketing consultancy PushON. Simon prides himself on being the 19th most followed tweeter in Manchester… 

 

Sue Warburton
 
Sue was born in Rhodesia - now Zimbabwe - and moved to Bury at the age of 12. She began her career with the NatWest before qualifying as an Information Communication Technology (ICT) teacher/trainer and subsequently four years as the MD of Xpert Word.
 
She then moved to the public sector as a Project Manager managing a variety of ICT projects. In 2000 she gained a distinction for her MSc in Business Information Technology from Manchester University.  Sue is presently Digital and Creative Industries Sector Manager at Business Link Northwest where she manages a team of 20 dedicated advisers.

Stephen Chapman

Chapman began his career as a freelance reporter working on and off screen for Granada TV, ITN, Tyne Tees Television News, London News Network, Big AM (Wireless Group) and Trax FM.

In 2002 he joined ITV Granada as a reporter and subsequently producer in the news operation. While at GTV in 2006 he led a team to the World Cup in Germany from where he produced all the news and sports output for all ITV Regions. In 2005 he flew with the Liverpool team to Istanbul as a producer for GTV’s coverage of the Champion’s League victory for LFC.

Chapman was part of the Granada Reports team, which won numerous awards, including a BAFTA, an RTS National Award and a Broadcast Award.

In May 2008 he joined How-Do as deputy editor to Alan Johnstone.

 

Our commercial partners

 

How-Do would like to express its thanks to Brabners Chaffe Street, Gorkana and Lucas Fettes and Partners for their support of this feature. All three firms have a keen and growing interest in seeing and supporting the growth of media and creative industries in the North West.

 

Brabners Chaffe Street is a leading North West law firm made up of specialist departments and teams serving businesses, public sector organisations and individuals. Located across three sites in Liverpool, Manchester and Preston the firm serves clients in London, throughout the UK and internationally. 

Brabners Chaffe Street are recognised as a leading firm for each of their core commercial practice areas which comprise:

Corporate        Commercial       Commercial litigation        Charity       Employment     Property         Sports law         Social Housing

They also have a large private client practice offering matrimonial, residential conveyancing and wills, tax and probate advice. 

 

Gorkana

Gorkana has built up a reputation as a trusted media specialist and has developed a loyal following amongst the PR and Journalist communities, who rely on Gorkana to provide them with the tools they need to build productive working relationships. The company has its roots in PR, having been set up in 2003 by two ex-financial PRs who were frustrated by the lack of a quality service in the market to support them in targeting and building up positive working relationships with their key journalists.

In addition to providing services for journalists including the Gorkana Alerts, which journalists regularly use to update the PR industry with their contact details and highlight the latest media news and moves, Gorkana has developed a number of products and services to help PRs do their job efficiently and effectively. From the Gorkana Media Database that helps PRs seek the right journalists fast, to the Gorkana Alerts which keep PRs in the loop with the latest news and moves in journalism, plus exclusive access to a professional network of PRs and Journalists at regular Gorkana Events.

For more information please visit www.gorkana.com

 

Lucas Fettes & Partners

Lucas Fettes & Partners are leading insurance brokers and independent financial advisers offering a comprehensive range of services to people and business. The firm's clients range from successful professionals such as Internet entrepreneurs and media owners through to small and medium-sized companies, large professional practices and multi-national organisations.

We specialise in catering for professional people and pride ourselves in our ability to maintain traditional values in today's rapidly-changing business and social environment.

The high quality of our staff, our close relationship with clients and our standing in the underwriting market ensure a quality of service which distinguishes us from the larger insurance brokers, and cannot be offered by the smaller.

 

 

 

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