Vision and the Award winning BBC

Before you read this stop and think; does your business, product or service make good TV viewing?

Rob Pittam; Business correspondent for BBCs Working Lunch and Vision have been working closely to develop media exposure for some of Visions clients on a National stage. A recent example of this was Sentimental Connections; a client of Visions who enjoyed local and national coverage on TV.

Because we have such a good relationship with Rob; we have invited him to become a regular contributor to our newsletter; and I am pleased to announce that he has agreed. His first instalment is below for your entertainment and enjoyment.

Hello everyone,Want to know a secret? Wondering how to get your business on television? Well here is a tip just between you and me; if you are within a one hour drive of Nottingham, you have got a head start. My job is to travel the country for the BBCs Working Lunch, reporting from places and businesses that rarely see the light of a tv camera, or the light of day in the case of some of the gloomier parts of Britain. It is a bit like the John Noakes role from Blue Peter, only without Sheep.

But I live in Nottingham, and if I can film an interesting piece without braving the M25, the M6 or the Derby ring road, well, it makes a pleasant change. Because while our presenters, Declan and Naga, have been sipping coffee in their comfortable tv studio, the jolly Northern bloke is travelling the jammed motorways and the flood-closed highways of Britain in search of stories. So what exactly are we looking for? My job is to take the pulse of the whole of the UKs economy, covering everything from major job losses, company collapses to the business start up in someones front room.

But we also have to make business interesting and palatable enough for a general audience to swallow. My producers will probably tell you that I make impossible demands and have eccentric objections to some stories; cheese making or brewing are two that spring to mind. And if you are a software developer, I am afraid you might as well stop reading now. The truth is of course that what I and anyone involved in television likes, is good picture.And there are just some things that it is impossible to make telegenic; the European Union for example, or software developing. The other magic ingredient is people. All journalism is about something happening to somebody, but only television allows you to gawp at them from your own sofa whilst it is happening. The more people and the more inventive the thing they are doing, the better.

Another major factor is geography. A nice background makes a big difference. If you are going to develop software, and you do it in the Lake District, you might be back in with a fighting chance. Over the course of a year we cover the whole country, from the Shetland Islands to Cornwall by way of Northern Ireland. We cover every part of Britain, without fear or favour or a decent hotel budget. Nevertheless, I sometimes need a break from all that travelling and if you have got a fantastically photogenic business, brimming with people doing something and a short drive from Nottingham, do get in touch.

Thanks Rob and ill look forward to your next instalment in Januarys newsletter. In the mean time; if you would like Vision to help you and your business get National coverage via television or print; just call our Head office on 0044 0115 9418242.