Capricorn Media Group

Heart UK new clients

Capricorn is pleased to announce that we have acquired one of the country’s leading charities as clients. Heart UK will be working with Capricorn on a video campaign aimed at raising awareness among people with high cholesterol. Filming will begin at the end of July 2012 and the film will be available to see sometime in September.

Law firm filming

Capricorn completed four days of filming with partners, associates and trainees from Shearman and Sterling LLP at the end of June. Editing is well underway and you will soon see the fruits of our labour on this website Portfolio page.

Chelsea cheer

Chelsea’s 2-2 draw in Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium last night was the stuff of dreams. As a pure neutral, having been to a couple of games at Stamford Bridge as a kid to watch Charlie Cooke and the like in their 70s pomp, I can’t remember enjoying a match as much. And I loved Gary Neville’s reaction, played over and over on SkySports…. because that was the exact sound I was making on my sofa at home as Torres rolled the ball in the net. I had no expectations but it was for moments like that, that makes sport more than just a career for me. It’s a passion, a hobby, a fantasy ride. But for Ramires’ unbelievable goal I might have switched channels.  I’m glad to say that I didn’t and witnessed a little bit of sporting history. But that’s not all that was special about last night’s game. Did you see every Barcelona player, to a man, going up to the ecstatic Chelsea heroes, congratulate them and wish them well for the final? How refreshing, and Barcelona come out of it with so much dignity.  As I say in all my media training interview sessions: “Win gracefully, lose gracefully … and your image will be enhanced more in defeat than it is in victory”. I hope Chelsea would have reacted in the same way had roles been reversed…we will never know. But this was a special night in so many ways and I feel privileged to say: “I was there”…well, screaming on the sofa at least!!

Graduate Recruitment Contract

Capricorn Media is proud to announce we will be working again in 2012 with the Shearman and Sterling law firm’s London office on a graduate recruitment film for their 12/13 campaign. Filming is due to take place in June. Capricorn first worked with Shearman in 2007 and we updated that film twice for the clients to accommodate staff changes and new intakes of trainees. This video will be a complete revamp, with fresh filming and interviews – all in glorious HD.

More Media Training

With Capricorn’s close links with IMG Media, and it’s sports management arm, we have picked up some media training work with Carly Booth, the 19 year old Scottish golfer. Carly is one of the most glamorous talents on the Ladies European Tour and remarkably is in her third year as a pro after a hugely successful amateur career. Capricorn’s work with Carly will stand her in good stead and the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open in April is a tournament she wants to do well in – not only is it her home event but it is also sponsored by one of her personal sponsors. We await her interviews with interest.

Work Experience

Capricorn Media welcomed student Tommy Wathen on a work placement last week, which would allow him to shadow the company’s director Robin Bailey for seven days.

Tommy Wathen is a 20 year old student at University of East London and he studies Sports Journalism. Tommy is in his second year of his course, and is currently studying a work placement module called ‘Working in the Culture Industries’.

Tommy contacted Capricorn Media and was delighted to receive the chance to follow Robin for a week, which would see him experience various areas that Capricorn are involved in, from the productions of Golfing World and Premier League Preview to Media Training courses.

Monday began with research work in Brentwood, Essex where Tommy looked for suitable sponsors for a fishing programme that Capricorn would be producing for television. Capricorn Media also had a meeting with US based law firm Shearman and Sterling over a video production for their graduate recruitment page, which Tommy sat in on.

During midweek, Capricorn Media hosted a ‘Writing to Pictures’ course at IMG Media in Chiswick for the script editors and workers of the Premier League. This involved writing short scripts based on images viewed, possibly that would be used on Premier League programmes on Sky Sports and worldwide.

On Thursday, Tommy did more research work for Capricorn Media. This involved looking for suitable sponsorship companies for viagra a cricket based documentary about Lashings Cricket Club. Lashings are a team of ex professional cricket players that tour the world playing exhibition tests against local teams to raise money for charities and good causes.

Friday saw Tommy watch as Robin did the voiceover for IMG Media’s Premier League Preview programme, that would be aired on Sky Sports and all over the world. Robin edits the scripts and voices the programme weekly, and it was very interesting for Tommy to watch how the programme was produced.

The weekend involved Tommy joining Robin as he reported on the Ipswich v Barnsley match at Portman Road for BBC Final Score. This day allowed Tommy to gain entry to the match and watch as Robin reported via an ISDN telephone signal to the studio.

The final day of the work placement was the day that Tommy would get to watch the Sky Sports programme Golfing World being produced at IMG Media. This was the same process as the Premier League Programme.

Tommy ended the week having experienced many different areas that a sports journalism degree can direct you into. Tommy said “It was very kind of Robin to take me on for a work placement this week and I feel I have learnt an incredible amount about the media and journalism industry with first hand experience.”

Sports Broadcast training

Capricorn is delighted to have been commissioned in 2012 for a series of broadcast training seminars and workshops for IMG Media. Director Robin Bailey will be delivering “Writing to Pictures” sessions for staff working for Premier League news and feature programmes and for reporters/camera operators working on the Golfing World magazine programme. The first Premier League seminar was presented before Christmas and this series will continue shortly. A provisional date of March 14th has been drawn up for the first selection of Golfing World staff.

Sports broadcast training in Writing, Presenting or Reporting can be booked via email while sports broadcasters from around the world are invited to take part in sessions either in London or in their own country. Director Robin Bailey presented sessions on behalf of football’s governing body FIFA and their broadcasting arm HBS prior to the 2010 World Cup in Kenya, Ghana and Botswana.

Our RFL media training

Capricorn recently conducted media training sessions with most of the Super League’s up-and-coming young players ahead of the 2012 season. The training was commissioned by the Rugby Football League…. see who you can spot with these few screen shots of our sessions at Huddersfield University.

Lancaster’s good start

As the interim manager of England’s rugby union team, Stuart Lancaster has made an excellent start. He comes from a teaching background and I think the lesson that if you step out of line, you lose your place in my squad is a powerful one. I doubt whether it would have been any different even without the World Cup debacle of Mike Tindall and company. Lancaster was a man I met in 2004 when he was running the joint Union/League academy at Leeds. He commissioned Capricorn to run media training sessions with a number of players from both codes…most memorable was Kevin Sinfield, the Leeds, GB and England captain. He knew how important it was to educate players in the right way, give them practical training, encourage them to give opinions, show their personality, while being an ambassador for themselves, their club, their country. These are all powerful messages we delivered in that session, and I’m delighted that Stuart has come through the pack to get his chance. This week Delon Armitage got himself arrested and lost his place in the England A set up. It was the right message to send out from a man who is setting the right example for all England players for now and the future. Good luck to him.

More Media Training

Capricorn has had considerable success in winning contracts for media training since the turn of the year. We always enjoy preparing people for on-air appearances and recently we have been working with European Tour golfers, male and female, and the Rugby Football League’s Super League players, ahead of the new season starting next month. Our latest clients will be Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, up and coming darts players and golfers from the Ladies European Tour. Image is so important to sportspeople and businesses alike and TV interviews – apart from being free PR – are excellent opportunities to appeal to sponsors, fans and investors alike.