Propeller is bringing together a number of national business journalists for a provocative panel to be held at Advertising Week Europe this year. We have assembled a panel of high-profile hacks from the Financial Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Daily Mirror for our session at the festival called ‘Wallflowers At The Orgy’.
Why the eye-catching title? Wallflowers At The Orgy is the memorable phrase coined by American writer Nora Ephron to describe journalists.
“Working as a journalist is exactly like being the wallflower at the orgy… I always have an opinion about the orgy; I’m just not down on the floor with the rest of the bodies.”
Business stories now dominate the headlines throughout a newspaper, from the latest scandal about alleged sexist comments made by a company head to shareholder revolts in regard to the controversially high pay packets of CEOs. Business news and views spill out across a publication from their assigned pages to the leader columns, technology, sport and lifestyle sections.
This session will give the audience the chance to take the role of inquisitor and ask journalists about their role, changes in the industry, the often fraught relationship with the commercial teams and whether there is ever an agenda behind the stories they write. And do they ever want to jump into the orgy?
The session will be essential for directors who care how the media cover their business and have endured a grilling – or who are preparing for when they have to face the press. Martin Loat, founder of Propeller Group and a former journalist, will be chairing the panel and is looking forward to turning the tables on our friends in the fourth estate.
The session at Ad Week Europe follows Propeller’s similar successful event at Cannes Lions 2015 entitled ‘Spilling The Beans’, when three marketing trade press editors were quizzed on their businesses and views of the industry. We will be unveiling plans for our next event at Cannes Lions 2016 soon.
The line-up for Ad Week Europe includes: Ian Burrell, Media Columnist, The “i” newspaper; Robert Cookson, Digital Media Correspondent, The Financial Times; Lauren Davidson, Business Reporter, Telegraph Media Group and Graham Hiscott, Business Editor, The Daily Mirror.
Wallflowers At The Orgy takes place at Picturehouse Central, Shaftesbury Avenue, London at 11:30am on Wednesday April 20th and details are available on the Ad Week Europe website.