Who to follow: 110 media consultants to help your newsroom

Many journalists decided to harvest all they have learned from their time in newsrooms and offer their knowledge to the wider world through consultancy work.

This means that if your newsroom is grappling with a challenge, there is most likely a media consultant out there who can provide expert guidance and advice.

Who do you turn to? Who can you trust? We went through our little black books and asked our community for recommendations.

Below is a list of consultants with considerable experience in the news industry, categorised by a broad area of expertise, some stand-out places they have worked and the top skills on offer.

Sorry if we missed you: this is not a definitive list and we welcome more suggestions to build this resource up.

Journalism and content creation (20)

Thomas Baekdal (Denmark) | Baekdal.com (current) | newsroom strategy, audience strategy, content creation, data journalism, revenue

Paolo Basonin (UK) | BusiNext Media, Iceworm Media, Wall Street Journal | video and audio content, interactive and social media, SEO, data visualisation

Sanne Breimer (The Netherlands) | Sembra Media, Thomson Reuters Foundation | solutions journalism, social media storytelling, inclusive journalism, mental health

Kavita Chandran (Singapore) | Thomson Reuters Foundation (current), Yoga Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg | solutions journalism, reporting on climate change, human trafficking and social inclusion 

Tamara Cherry (Canada) | CP24, CTV News Channel, CTV National, Toronto Sun | trauma-informed journalism, public relations with survivors, crime reporting

Megan Finnerty (US) | Arizona PBS, Vox, Gannett, The Arizona Republic | community outreach, community journalism, interactive storytelling

Mark Frankel (UK) | Full Fact (current), BBC News | digital transformation, online verification, social media

Andy Griffiths (UK) | Go Devon! Newsletter (current), Green Star Media | newsletters, content marketing, business development

Laura Hertzfeld (US) | WBUR, Yahoo, Online News Association | innovative storytelling, AR, VR, collaborative projects

Nick Huber (UK) | BBC News, Guardian, Thomson Reuters | content strategy, writing and editing, training

Anita Makri (UK) | SciDev.net, Association of British Science Writers, Guardian and National Geographic (freelance) | environmental, health and human rights reporting

David Mascord (UK) Bournemouth University, Southampton Solent University, Reed Business Information | media law, business journalism, training

Veena McCoole (UK) | Newsguard | thought leadership content, CEO ghostwriting, case studies

Dan Oshinsky (US) | The New Yorker, BuzzFeed | newsletters, subscription conversion

Tim Robinson (UK) National World plc | print and online publishing innovation, transformational projects, editorial training, visual storytelling

Dhruti Shah (UK) | BBC News | digital storytelling, online verification and forensic investigation, trauma-informed journalism, crisis reporting, workflow creation

Adam Tinworth (UK) | City, University of London (current) | audience engagement, SEO, social media, content strategy

Rieneke Van Santen (The Netherlands) | Deutsche Welle | film and documentaries, exiled media, press freedom

Duncan Williamson (UK) BBC News, BBC Studios | 24/7 news, investigations, broadcast journalism

Nieves Zuniga (Spain) | The World Bank Group, Council of Europe, Revista Haz | governance and anti-corruption reporting, research and policy

Management and leadership (19)

Richard Addy (UK) | Mind, BBC | audience and business impact, data and strategic insights

Rachael Akidi Okwir (Kenya) | BBC News | African media, training and capacity building, digital transformation and innovation

Fergus Bell (UK) | Associated Press, Fathm (current) | organisational strategy, tech adoption, climate journalism

Madalina Ciobanu (UK) | Sembra Media, European Journalism Centre, Journalism.co.uk | project management, independent and community media

Jeremy Clifford (UK) | Archant | career development, newsroom leadership, digital transformation, change management, business development

Espen Egil Hansen (Norway) | Fyrr (current), JP/Politiken Hus, INMA, Schibsted | change management, business transformation, team creation

Amy L. Kovac-Ashley (US) | Tiny News Collective (current), American Press Institute | succession and leadership transition planning

Lucy Kueng (Switzerland) | NZZ Media Group (current), Reuters Institute (current) | digital transformation and disruption, culture change, tactical prioritisation

Gareth Lewis (US) | The News Movement (current), The Wall Street Journal | organisational change, team creation, strategic goal setting

Lisa MacLeod (UK) | FT Strategies (current), Tiso Blackstar, WAN-IFRA | digital consulting and management, editorial product management, reader revenue products and paywalls, digital publishing, content monetisation, subscription funnels

Mattia Peretti (UK) | ICFJ, Internews, JournalismAI/Polis, European Journalism Centre | organisational strategy, change management, learning experience design, project management

Isabelle Roughol (UK) | The New Humanitarian, Guardian, LinkedIn News | dnewsroom culture, media innovation, recruitment and retention

Ramaa Sharma (UK) | BBC News | digital transformation, changing newsrooms, board management, Web 3 and blockchain, diversity and inclusion

Daria Solovieva (US) | Icebreaker Media, etf.com, Fortune (freelance), Karma, Bloomberg | early-stage newsroom growth, recruitment and training, AI adoption

Hannah Storm (UK) | Headlines Network (current), Ethical Journalism Network, International News Safety Institute, Thomson Reuters | physical safety and mental health, empathetic leadership, crisis management

Tom Trewinnard (UK) | Fathm (current), Syli (current), Meedan | brand consulting, management, leadership development

Konrad Weber (Switzerland) | Swiss Public Radio and Television | business models, digital transformation and change projects.

Anita Zielina (Austria) | Better Leaders Lab (current), News Product Alliance, CUNY, Reynolds Journalism Institute | organisational development, newsroom strategy and culture, sustainability

Data and audiences (23)

Khalil Cassimally (Mauritius) | The Conversation (current), Fathm, News Product Alliance | user needs, project management, change management

Astrid Csuraji (Germany) | tactile.news (current) | audience strategy, user-centered product development, dialogue journalism and engaging audiences, journalism training and facilitation 

Sarah Day Owen Wiskirchen (US) | USA TODAY, Minerva Media, Raleigh Convergence | community journalism, newsletters, events, social media

Ann Louise Deslandes (Mexico) | Center for Gender & Refugee Studies | research design, community-based research, audience research, report writing

Abigail Edge (UK) | FT Strategies (current), Fathm, Google News Lab, BBC News | audience development, new storytelling formats

Catherine Edwards (UK) | Journalism.co.uk, The Local Europe, European Journalism Centre | European news, mission driven journalism, audience growth

Brundan Haran (UK) | FT Strategies (current) | data-driven insights, business decisions, cross-functional teams and stakeholder management

Suyin Haynes (UK) | gal-dem, Time Magazine | social impact, campaigns, reporting on identity and underrepresented communities

Ellen Heinrichs (Germany) | Bonn Institute (current), Deutsche Welle, Constructive Institute | European media, audience-centred journalism, constructive journalism

Jodie Jackson (UK) | News Literacy Lab (current) | solutions journalism, mental health, media literacy

Lars Jensen (Denmark) | Berlingske Media (current), Turisme.nu, Willmore | user needs, audience development, newsroom culture

Adriana Lacy (US) | Online News Association, Facebook, Axios, Los Angeles Times, New York Times | digital audience growth, web tech and product development

Anita Li (Canada) | The Green Line (current), The Discourse, Fusion Media Network | community-driven journalism, news products, media entrepreneurialism

Emma Löfgren (Sweden) | The Local Europe, The Fix Media | Solutions journalism, audience-building, membership models, editorial branding

Glyn Mottershead (UK) | The Guardian, Southern Daily Echo, Cardiff University | data journalism and data visualisation

Liz Kelly Nelson (US) | Vox, Gannett, The Desert Sun | Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences, independent content creators, diversified revenue streams

Nic Newman (UK) | Reuters Institute (current), BBC News | digital, audience and product strategies, cross-functional team creation

Laura Oliver (UK) | Reuters Institute, openDemocracy, Conde Nast, Guardian, Journalism.co.uk | content planning, online community building, offline distribution

Corinne Podger (Australia) | BBC Media Action, Thomson Reuters Foundation, WAN-IFRA | aligning editorial and business strategies, engaging audiences, monetising solutions journalism

Stuart Rowson (UK) | BBC, BBC Children's, BBC Sport | engagement with kids and young children, brand awareness, on-demand and live-stream video

Mili Semlani (India) | Splice Media, Syli | community-first media strategies, start-ups and individual creators, project management and remote leadership, strategic event production

Ed Walker (UK) | Blog Preston, Reach plc | digital transformation, hyperlocal news websites, audience development

Ariel Zirulnick (US) | Southern California Public Radio, Membership Puzzle Project, News Product Alliance, LION Publishers | community journalism, audience insights, product strategies

Revenue (18)

Stéphanie Barsch (Germany) | Meta, BILD, Axel Springer | paywall implementation, cross-functional team creation, digital transformation, editorial strategy

Lucas Batt (UK) | The Bristol Cable, Arena for Journalism in Europe | memberships, community building and engagement, independent media sustainability

Kim Bode (US) | NZZ, News Deeply, LA Times, Membership Puzzle Project, Devex, Automaticc (current) | newsletters, product thinking, audience development

James Breiner (US) | Universidad de Navarra, Baltimore Business Journal, Business First of Columbus | entrepreneurial journalism, recruitment and training, launching digital newsrooms

Michael Brunt (UK) | The Times and The Sunday Times, The Economist | customer journeys, product monetisation, news subscriptions

Phil Clark (UK) | British Medical Association, UBM, AOP | business model change, audience research and data analytics, content and marketing strategy, B2B editorial training

Blair Hickman (US) | Vox, The Marshall Project, ProPublica, Solutions Journalism Network, PBS | audience-first content strategies, reader revenue development, digital fundraising programs

Alan Hunter (UK) | The Times & The Sunday Times | subscription growth, marketing strategy, audience development, data and analytics, digital storytelling, management and leadership

Stephen Jones (UK) | PA Media, The Irish Times | commercial strategy, data and analytics, digital transformation

Astrid Jørgensen (Denmark) | Politiken, Monitormedier, Bonnier, Ekstra Bladet | subscription growth, digital transformation, business models in challenged markets

David Lush (UK) | International Media Support, Insight Namibia Magazine | media development in conflict, crisis and political transition

Eliz Mizon (UK) | The Bristol Cable (current), Charitable Journalism Project | public campaigns, crowdfunding, subscription growth, local and independent news

Sameer Padania (UK) | Public Interest News Foundation, International Media Support, Journalism Funders Forum, Media4democracy | independent and public interest journalism, philanthropy and government support

Allison Rockey (US) | Vox.com, Blue State Digital | creating new editorial departments, memberships and grant-funded journalism

Alan Soon (Singapore) | Splice Media (current), Yahoo, CNBC | startup growth, monetisation

Adam Thomas (Germany) | Evenly Distributed, European Journalism Centre, Storyful | non-profit funding, pricing strategy, membership strategy, impact investment

Leonie von Elverfeldt (Kenya) | Pulse, BILD | reader revenue set-up and growth, social media marketing, partnerships and rebranding, digital subscriptions

Carla Zanoni (US) | CUNY, Ted Conferences, First Draft | monetising conferences and live events, digital communities, subscriptions and memberships

Diversity (8)

Sonya Barlow (UK) | BBC, YouTube content creator, Muck Rack | diversity equity and inclusion, learning and development programs, talent development, HR consultation

Jon Holmes (UK) Q.Digital (current), Sky Sports News, Sports Media LGBT+ (current) | LGBT+ inclusion and advocacy, sports journalism

Emily Horton (UK) | Dow Jones | diversity equity and inclusion, communications and public relations, brand affinity

Jeffrey Ingold (UK) | Netflix, Stonewall | LGBTQ+ inclusion and advocacy, hostile and crisis simulations

Luba Kassova (UK) | Cancer Research UK, BBC News | diversity equity and inclusion, audience strategy, research and writing

Shirish Kulkarni (UK) Media Cymru, Monow Media (current) | representation and inclusion, community, audience strategy, AI

Eleanor Mills (UK) | Noon (current) Women In Journalism, The Times and The Sunday Times | ageism and gender bias training, storytelling, personal branding

Nick Ransom (UK) | BBC Studios, IWC Media | neurodiversity inclusion and advocacy, documentary production

Technology (19)

Jim Albrecht (US) | Google, Samsung, AOL | product development, user experience

Martin Ashplant (UK) | PA Media (current), Future, FT Strategies | product development, content and SEO strategy, business transformation, agile and customer-centric thinking

Ariane Bernard (US) | The New York Times, Taboola, Le Parisien | subscriptions, delivery platforms and utilities, CMS and analytics products, media user experience

Ludovic Blecher (France) | Google, Nieman Foundation, Libération | news products, first-party and third-party funding strategies, impact measurement, partnerships

David Caswell (UK) | BBC News Labs | generative AI, computational and automated journalism, newsroom workflows

Madhav Chinnappa (UK) | Google, BBC | generative AI, commercial revenue, digital innovation, sustainability

Beth Colson (UK) | BJTC, Seen | new workflows, editorial change, social video production

Donnacha DeLong (UK) | NUJ, Amnesty International | website development, social media

Kevin Donnellan (UK) Spotify, Meta, Fathm, Reuters, Storyful | generative AI, social media strategy and video, project management

Ezra Eeman (Belgium) | NPO, Mediahuis, European Broadcast Union | newsroom transformation, digital media, AI

Joseph Hook (Spain) | PA Media, The Sunday Times | AI, product management, data analysis, local and national news, sports journalism

Christophe Israël (Switzerland) | Fathm, Bridged Media | AI integration and workflows, digital transformation, tech roles and tools

Justin Kosslyn (US) | Google, TED Conferences | cross-discipline team creation, tech strategy

Branislava Lovre (Serbia) | AImpactful, ICFJ, OSCE, All Tech Is Human, IREX, CIJI | AI integration in newsrooms, ethical AI usage, AI reporting, media innovation, video production

Fabienne Meijer (The Netherlands) | media innovation tools and techniques, human centred design

Jessica Scholz (Australia) | Ringer Media | SEO, digital strategy, start-up marketing

Jakob Vicari (Germany) | tactile.news (current) | AI for journalism, ideation and prototyping

Laurens Vreekamp (The Netherlands) | Fathm (current), Google, KRO | AI, design thinking

Andrew Webb (UK) | Connectopia (current), inews.co.uk, DMG Media, Immediate Media | tech and innovation discovery, project planning

Careers (3)

Luisa Baldini (UK) | BBC News, Channel 5 | confidence and female leadership development

Emily Drewry (US) | The Information, Forbes, Nasdaq | independent writers, personal branding, content distribution strategies

David Thomas (UK) | BBC | self-employment, managing redundancy, organisation and time management

After more networking and connection? Join us on 27 November 2024 at our digital journalism conference Newsrewired in London. Check out the full agenda and grab your ticket today

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