Description
Day One – the day of the journalists. You will hear from five journalists sharing their back stories, their current writing gigs and what they are looking for from small business owners, experts, charities, organisations and also what have been your life experiences that you may want to share. You will also get to speed network with those journalists so they can get a feel of working with you. In the afternoon you will get to work with them on actually writing up a press release/story with their support for use after you leave the ‘room’. You will have many opportunities to ask questions. Teas, coffees and a buffet lunch will be provided. Our journalist guests for the day will include John Boitnott, who will fly in from San Francisco and Jo Riley, national writer for her own company Bav Media who feeds in stories to the national press. She has supported us many times with stories from RWB Auctions, Britannia Coin Company and RWB Auctions and Dan Martin, who is a small business journalist who works with Enterprise Nation and is an editor at SME Web.com
In the evening, included in the cost of the event, there will be a charity dinner and three course meal for Ainslie’s Pavilion Project which will include optional empowerment activities organised by Taz Thornton and there will be a raffle on the night. This is a fun social event and you will need to indicate if you want to attend. For those who wish to bring partners because you are locally based that’s fine but there will be an additional fee for that payable in advance – we will have a cap of 60 people in total. There will also be access to a paid bar. We will have professional photographer around during the day
VIP Dinner – You will be able to a social VIP dinner between Day 1 and Day 2 which is free to attend. This allows for engaging with two of the invited journalists in a purely social setting. There will be a charitable element to this dinner and there will be a guest speaker to be announced in due course.
Dietary needs can be catered for. This cannot be booked on its own.
Day Two – the day of the stories. On this day we will continue to be joined by Jo Riley and John Boitnott who will be with us all supporting us. In the morning you will hear from three speakers who will be sharing their own stories and also offering other PR tips. Two of those speakers are Rachel Bedgood of CBS who will talk about her 20 years in business from spending £50 a week on a small office to now owning her own office with a business approaching £10 million turnover. Our next speaker will be Asha Clearwater, former journalist, PR and now book publisher, helping people get their books published. She’s supported Fiona with her first two books and will share that journey and how it can help you in business – or in life. Our third speaker is Gamal Turawa. After a 25-year career in the Metropolitan Police, he now works internationally helping organisations strengthen trust, belonging and courageous communication by focusing on the human factors that influence performance. Drawing on a life shaped by diverse experiences across cultures and industries, Gamal helps leaders build environments where people feel psychologically safe enough to contribute fully.
Before lunch, we will then start planning a story to pitch as after lunch we will set up for the Press Dragons….Asha, John and Jo will listen to attendees pitching a story of their choice that they’d like to share. This can be personal or about their expertise or about their business. Taz Thornton will be on hand to support anyone who feels emotional or is triggered by any story or by sharing a story they’ve not shared before. This session will not be filmed. This will be a timed pitch with timed feedback. It will be optional. No one will be forced to do it.
The cost of this ticket for the two days is £1020.00 including VAT.
What will you get out of it?
- When we held this event in early 2025, the coverage which flowed from it came to a value of more than £1 million plus several attendees got paid speaking gigs due to networking in the room.
- An opportunity to build a relationship with five journalists who cover different areas of interest nationally and internationally. This is gold dust and hardly ever happens.
- Every journalist has agreed that you can keep in touch with them and their contact details will be provided to you during the summit.
- The skill to work out what your stories are in a safe space to share them and get feedback and advice. No questions are daft, no suggestions are invalid. It’s simply is it a media story or not?
Who will benefit?
- Business owners
- Experts in any discipline.
- Those who want to be seen as thought leaders.
- Marketing and PR professionals who want media contacts.
- Charities, social enterprises or CICs.
Meet the Journalists
John Boitnott
John Boitnott is a freelance journalist and content strategist with nearly 30 years of experience across broadcast television, radio, print, and digital media. He is a VIP contributor to Entrepreneur.com, where he has published work for more than 12 years, and he hosts From the Ground Up, a podcast for Grit Daily featuring interviews with entrepreneurs and business leaders.
His bylines include Inc., Fortune, Fast Company, Business Insider, JotForm, and Sporting News. His work covers technology, AI, sustainability, personal finance, SaaS, and entrepreneurship, with content tailored for both B2B and consumer audiences.
Over the course of his career, John has written hundreds of articles for long-term content partners, ghostwritten for executives, and managed editorial teams and subcontract writers. Before becoming independent, he spent more than a decade in broadcast news as a TV reporter, radio anchor, and web editor at ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates in California, including KPIX, KNTV, and KEYT.
John will be joining us for both days at The No BS Media Summit 2026.
Jo Riley
Jo Riley has been a journalist for more than 25 years and runs her own company, Bav Media, which sells stories and photos to national newspapers and TV stations across the globe. She has been working alongside professional photographer, Geoff Robinson, for the last two decades and together they have had more than 16,000 stories and pictures published in hundreds of publications around the world.
Jo started work as a news reporter for the Cambridge Evening News and later became news editor at press agency Mason’s, based in Cambridge. She has experience writing a huge assortment of stories, including news, celebrity, human interest, nature, and wildlife. She also writes features for magazines and has written three photo books.
Jo will be joining us for both days at The No BS Media Summit 2026.
Dan Martin
Dan Martin is a freelance small business journalist and event host with over 20 years of experience.
During his career, he has interviewed some of the biggest names in entrepreneurship including Sir Richard Branson and Deborah Meaden, and politicians such as David Cameron, Lord Young, Jeremy Corbyn and Vince Cable.
He has hosted, curated and taken part in many events including running live webchats from inside 10 Downing Street, and travelling around the world on small business trade missions.
Dan has worked for some of the UK’s top small business publications and small business support organisations including as head of content for small business network Enterprise Nation.
Freelance since 2020, Dan now writes content and hosts events and podcasts for small businesses and the organisations that support them.
He still works with Enterprise Nation as news and politics reporter, host of the organisation’s Small Business Sessions podcast, and Bristol local leader, which involves running a monthly meet-up for local business owners.
Claudia Redmond MA
Claudia Redmond is an experienced broadcast journalist, producer, and writer who has worked extensively across major media outlets including ITV, BBC, Sky News, and Channel 4.
She is known for her work in the Entertainment and Arts field. She frequently reports and produces items on theatre, dance, and culture for TV, social media, and print. Her career includes stints at London Weekend Television, GMTV, and BBC News within television, radio, social and online media.
Claudia also ran a local cable tv station owned by NTL. This involved training volunteers, producing, and presenting an entertainment magazine show along with overseeing the output of the channel. Claudia is excited by the pace at which the media is becoming more accessible on different platforms. She is also enjoying the challenge of creating content for all platforms, for audiences of all ages.
Kerry Parnell
Kerry Parnell is a Kent-based freelance journalist, who writes for British, Australian and US publications. She covers features and lifestyle content for titles including The Daily Mail, Independent, The Telegraph, Australian, News Corp Australia’s Escape.com.au and Reader’s Digest USA. Kerry’s career includes senior editing roles on Sydney’s The Telegraph, Australian Glamour, Marie Claire Australia, Red and Glamour, UK. With 25 years in newspapers and women’s magazines, Kerry loves discovering great stories that resonate with readers. She specialises in British travel and royal content and runs two successful newsletters, The Royal List and The British Travel List, on Substack.
Meet the Speakers
Rachel Bedgood
Rachel Bedgood embodies entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. From starting her business at just 23 to building a multi-million-pound enterprise, Rachel’s journey demonstrates how commitment, caring, and curiosity can transform a simple idea into extraordinary success. As the founder and CEO of Complete Background Screening (CBS), one of the UK’s largest background screening providers, she combines technical expertise with people-centered leadership to create a meaningful impact in business and beyond.
With over 20 years of experience in the background screening industry, Rachel has established CBS as a leader in its field, working with major government & public sector bodies, multi-national businesses, and private sector organisations including G4S, ITV, Sky, and BBC. Her innovative approach to data management and screening has made CBS the first choice for thousands of organisations across the UK. Authorised and regulated by the Disclosure and Barring Service, Access Northern Ireland, and the Scottish Criminal Records Office, Rachel’s company delivers robust screening with a signature rapid turnaround time through a personally managed service.
Gamal Turawa
Gamal Turawa is a Human Connection Practitioner and founder of G’Ology – the art of being human. After a 25-year career in the Metropolitan Police, he now works internationally helping organisations strengthen trust, belonging and courageous communication by focusing on the human factors that influence performance.
Drawing on a life shaped by diverse experiences across cultures and industries, Gamal helps leaders build environments where people feel psychologically safe enough to contribute fully. He is also the subject of the BAFTA-winning documentary The Black Cop, which continues to support conversations on leadership, identity and human connection.
Today his work focuses on one simple aim:
Helping people and organisations build environments where human beings feel safe enough to be themselves and brave enough to do their best work.
Asha Clearwater
We will also be joined by Asha Clearwater, content coach, book mentor and publisher. Like Fiona, Asha has also worked as a journalist, helping business owners share their story with impact- from standout content to ghostwritten books. She is the founder of Turquoise Tiger Press.
Asha offers one to one coaching sessions, fortnightly or monthly to generate amazing content ideas for client’s social channels, blogs, videos, magazines, newspapers, books, PR and anywhere you need to be building a platform. She offers ‘crack your content power hours’, one to one PR training, a press kit and a LinkedIn ‘about’ bio. She helps people write and publish books but also helps business owners to get their words out into the world with heart, clarity and impact. As a former journalist and editor, she knows how to help shape stories that connect.
- Please note, it’s not possible to book just for day two as being able to pitch effectively means listening to what journalists want on day one.
- Please note that accommodation is not included in these prices. We can supply details of accommodation and the Doubletree Hilton is likely to offer a small number of rooms at a discounted price for any attendees who wish to stay. There is also a Premier Inn and a Holiday Inn Express within walking distance. Parking is available on site, please enter your registration at the reception to avoid a parking ticket, unless the reception has a sign to say registration is not required. There are many accommodation options in and around Swindon. It’s a vibrant town with a wide range of choices.
- Payment for the event can be made in instalments if that’s helpful however no cancellations are possible due to substantial upfront costs already incurred. Therefore once committed, no refunds will be given. If you book, pay and are unable to attend, you can gift your place to a third party (and make a private arrangement with them re. payment), however we do need to be told as some of the work over two days will be tailored to the needs of those attending. For full details about this contact Hannah Edwards –
