News
LOOKING AHEAD TO BUSY NEW YEAR
The next 12 months are set to be extremely busy for Owl Argent and its founder, Bob Calver. The year will see the launch of a new publishing venture alongside the company's traditional activities.
"It's going to be a hectic period but an extremely exciting one," said. Bob. "We're already got training dates in the diary but the highlight will be the new venture which we're deeply involved in." More details will be announced in the next few weeks.
2012 CALENDAR LAUNCHED
Owl Argent has been involved in a ground-breaking project by the Diocese of Hereford - the production of its first specialist calendar.
The calendar features historic churches from all parts of the Diocese, which covers south Shrophsire as well as Herefordshire. It is available in selected shops and from local churhces, at £7.50, including a card envelope which makes it an ideal gift to post to family and friends.
Owl Argent provided the text for the calendar as well as working with former Fleet Street photographer Tony Prime to produce some of the pictures. Each month has a main view of the chosen church as well as pictures of detailed features from the fascinating buildings.
OWL ARGENT'S BOB RUNS INDIAN WORKSHOPS
Bob Calver is just back from India where he has been running a series of workshops for students and journalists in a number of cities.
The trip came about through Bob's work with Birmingham City University's highly-rated School of Media. "It was a busy ten days but a great opportunity to meet people thinking of going into journalism as well as a number of those already working in the industry," he said.
He ran workshops at the British Council offices in Delhi and Mumbai and at universities in Bangalore and Chennai. "They were well received," he said and added: "I've had lots of e-mail contact with some of those I met." The Mumbai sessions - one for students and one for media professionals - were filmed by the British Council and edited highlights will be available shortly via their YouTube page.
"The British Counil also organised a live Twitter feed of the session with working journalists so I had to answer questions from 'followers' which was a new experience," said Bob. During the trip he also visited the newsrom and studio of NDTV Hindu in Chennai.
BISHOP OF LUDLOW GETS MEDIA INSIGHTS
The Bishop of Ludlow, Alistair Magowan, has become the latest senior churchman to benefit from Owl Argent's media training.
The Bishop, who produces a monthly 'blog' for BBC Hereford & Worcester, was put through a series of radio and television interviews by Bob Calver, who worked for the BBC for almost two decades before setting up Owl Argent.
He joins a dozen Bishops who've been trained by Bob working alongside staff from the Church of England's national press office. Bob interviewed the Bishop on topics including Halloween, whether or not it's right to cull badgers and plans to stop Child Benefit payments to higher earning families.
Bob, who was working with camera operator Ben Swenson, said: "Bishop Alistair had no experience of television interviews before the session but showed a real feel for the medium. He has important and interesting things to say on all kinds of issues and the objective was to help build his confidencde to do that in the mainstream media."
The next senior clerics to be offered training by Owl Argent will be from the Church in Wales.
MORE SUPPORT FOR MACMILLAN
Macmillan Cancer Support have again turned to Owl Argent's Bob Calver to ensure more of their professionals can use newspapers, radio and television to promote the organisation's work.
Bob will be running a training day for Macmillan at St. Asaph in North Wales in November. It follows a series of similar sessions in Birmingham and central and south Wales. The day helps the staff - ranging from palliative care nurses to physiotherapists and benefit advisers - to spot the good news stories in their work and to talk about them in the media.
"Macmillan does such important work with people living with and beyond cancer that the sessions are always really interesting," Bob said. "I'm looking forward to the St. Asaph date, espcially as I know from feedback that a number of the people we've worked with so far have put what they have learned into action."
