Broadcast PR professional Josh Wheeler has launched Be Broadcast, a new broadcast specialist consultancy agency, and has secured the LGBT Consortium as its first significant client.
Be Broadcast founder Josh Wheeler, who presents a weekly show on LGBTQ+ radio station Gaydio, has previously held senior strategic positions including as the Head of North at Broadcast Revolution and General Manager at broadcast PR agency markettiers, in Manchester.
Most recently, he led broadcast PR for the British Red Cross during its 150th anniversary which was followed by crisis management around the Beirut explosion.
From its Manchester HQ, Be Broadcast pledges ‘Senior Consultancy, Senior Delivery’, meaning the end of ‘Pitch & Switch’. Through the pledge, the company said it is addressing an industry-wide problem where clients frequently find themselves being passed down to a junior team member once a campaign begins.
Be Broadcast said that the senior handlers within the organisation will work closely with both client and media from the beginning, pledging to deliver one campaign per week per consultant.
Josh Wheeler said: “After doing this for over ten years – first starting helping experts lead narrative around the Arab Spring – the time is right to begin building things the way I genuinely see them. The pandemic transformed the way the public engages with Radio and TV, and as we grow Be Broadcast will be at the forefront of this – guiding brands on how to best get out there and make a difference on channels.”
Working with its first client LGBT Consortium, Be Broadcast will help to draw attention to the issues around the trans conversion therapy story last week.
Be Broadcast and the LGBT Consortium worked together to ensure the differences between affirmative therapy and conversion therapy were understood, with the aim to convey unity amongst the LGBT community against the government’s stance on conversion therapy.
Paul Roberts OBE, CEO of LGBT Consortium, said: “We cannot emphasise enough how Be Broadcast evolved the story for us. As an umbrella group, it can be challenging to find the right time to speak – and Josh was able to guide us through the entire process, provide on-the-spot media training and help us articulate what we wanted to say in the best way.”
The consultancy has also been selected to work for a business incubator, Idea Booster Lab. The Lab is a joint venture between Bocconi University and Bayes Business School (City of London), which helps startups make use of innovative business opportunities.
The agency is already looking for hires as part of growth plans at a senior broadcast specialist and PR apprenticeship level.
