Keeping up with the Media Revolution 

Mediapro is embracing the media evolution by starting the country’s very first bespoke vodcast training.

Vodcasting, or ‘video on demand,’ is like podcasting with pictures.  It is a new and exciting way anyone with a website can use to advertise goods and services and broadcast their latest news online.  Television commercials, explanatory films, in fact any sort of video information, can be downloaded onto a company site for a worldwide audience to view at the click of a mouse. 

Mediapro’s team of television news reporters, camera operators and picture editors is offering companies the opportunity to learn how to present, shoot, edit and download their own vodcasts.  They’ll also help their clients put their first vodcasts together until they feel ready to go it alone.

“Vodcasts are the way of the future and in most cases they’ll need to be updated.  If at least three people within a company know how to professionally make their own vodcasts, well that company’s site will undoubtedly stand out from the rest,” says Mediapro Media Training manager Justin Cohu.  He believes many companies will prefer to learn how to do their own vodcasts rather than pay someone else to create and update vodcasts for them.

While the Mediapro team is excited about the vodcast courses, they’re also enjoying teaching business and organisation leaders how to look and feel confident when dealing with news reporters, particularly in a crisis.

In the east, some of the company’s clients include May Gurney, Start-rite Shoes and the Norfolk Constabulary.

Mediapro’s trainers research realistic scenarios, that their clients are likely to face, to thoroughly put them through their paces.  During training the press, radio and television interviews are recorded and played back so delegates’ learn how they can improve their ‘on air’ image.   

“By the end of our courses each delegate is looking forward to getting out there and speaking to reporters instead of battening down the hatches and refusing to comment.  It’s invaluable for our clients’ reputation and beneficial to the media.  They learn the time pressures reporters are working to and what works for specific media outlets,” says television news reporter and media trainer Maria Veronese. 

“You can’t afford to stand still in this industry,” she adds.  “If you don’t strive to keep at least one step ahead of the media progression, you risk being left behind.”

When Maria worked in London for the BBC she was involved in piloting News 24.  “All of us on the news desk at Television Centre knew that once a domestic 24 hour news channel was up and running there would be no turning back,” she says.  “But at the time there were cynics who were convinced rolling TV news couldn’t be sustained.” 

Now almost a decade later and television and radio reporters are being taught how to record and edit their own stories using portable digital technology.  The changes are causing concern and debate in newsrooms nationwide about production and editorial quality.  ‘One man band reporters’ are also seen as a threat to traditional camera operator and picture editors’ jobs.  On the whole however most are agreed that the broadcast media, including the internet, has to keep up with technology to stay competitive and continue to meet the expectations of an increasingly demanding media savvy audience.

 “It’s important the business world keeps abreast of the changes too,” says Justin.  “That’s why we’re offering complete vodcast training.  All of our trainers work in the news industry.  They’re skilled at producing broadcast quality results quickly.  Exactly what leading businesses need.  Slick, professional and fun vodcasts that will boost sales and keep them well ahead of the competition.”

For further details contact Mediapro Media Training on 01603 879969