Is it really the best time to be a media planner?

Parry Jones became CEO of The Specialist Works in 2023, having worked at the independent media agency for 20 years. It was, he says, 'a long apprenticeship to the big job'. In this episode of the MediaCat UK podcast, we ask Parry about the state of media planning and buying ('the days of somebody being very charming and good at negotiating with a small number of different suppliers are gone'), the state of media in general ('there's so many ways a business can win now') and how to adapt the media-agency business model to suit different clients — even one that sells Christmas trees. We also chat about AI, and whether the technology benefits from the Gell-Mann amnesia effect. (In the podcast, I attribute this discovery to the physicist Murray Gell-Mann. In truth, it was a term coined by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton, and only named after the famous scientist.) PS: Jones wanted to give a shout-out to his colleague, Georgia Holmes, who won Young TV Planner of the Year at the Thinkbox Awards earlier this month. Unfortunately, we fluffed the recording of that bit, so it's not in the podcast. But, Georgia, if you're reading this, please know that your boss is very proud.

In this episode of the MediaCat UK podcast, we speak to James Hart, the founder of strategy consultancy Be More Jack. He talks about why strategists should adopt a multi-disciplinary and generalist approach and the need for more inbetweeners in the industry.

In this short podcast episode, MediaCat UK editor James Swift explains why the fit between a brand and a rightsholder is the most important aspect of any sponsorship. He also shares what the research has to say about planning a sponsorship around specific marketing objectives. If you'd like more insights on sponsorship, download our report, featuring insights from industry expects, a manifesto for effective sponsorship, and case studies that demonstrate smart partnerships and effective activations.

MediaCat UK's deputy MD, Selin Ozkan, sat down with reporters Elliot Wright and India Stronach to discuss the findings from our Q1 earnings-call report, how brands are using media to grow and how platforms are competing to win marketing spend.

Last month, Dentsu X published its Creator Catalyst report in partnership with Meta. Drawing on industry insights and real-world experience, the report examines how creator marketing has evolved and what brands must do to unlock long-term value from the channel. In this episode of the MediaCat podcast, brought to you in partnership with Dentsu X, we chat to the agency's global head of strategy, Jimmy Diamond, about how brands should think about casting, culture and commerce when working with creators.

There are many causes for concern for media planners and buyers. AI is threatening jobs, platforms are hogging clients' budgets and looking for ways to disintermediate agencies, and principal-based media buying is greying the purpose of the discipline. And yet, if you speak or listen to many practitioners, they'll insist that there's never been a better time to be a planner because we're living in the richest media environment in history. So, which is it? In this episode of the MediaCat podcast, we put the question to James Shoreland and Will Parrish, the CEO and CSO of VCCP Media.

'Technology is going to make the open web as efficient as the walled gardens, but still allow it to keep its independence.' Stephanie Himoff is bullish on the future of the open web. As EVP for publishers at Teads, it's practically in her job description. But in this episode of the MediaCat podcast, Himoff talks about why she thinks the immediate future of the open web has promise, from new technologies that will rid the medium of its 'complexity tax' to the return of the 'human premium'.

A substantial proportion of the advertising that people see and hear now does not come from the ad industry but from other sources — sources that don't care much whether the content is legal, decent, truthful or honest. The markets, and the platforms that host a lot of the scam ads, won't fix this problem by themselves, argues media agency veteran Nick Manning. Only legislative intervention can do that. It might be time for the ad industry to embrace the idea of being more heavily regulated.

In this episode of the MediaCat UK podcast, editor James Swift talks content marketing with Carlotta Rossi Spencer, head of branded entertainment business development at Banijay. Banijay is the world's largest independent production company (and it might be about to get even bigger), with titles including MasterChef and Peaky Blinders in its library. As media commentators predict that more brands would pivot to become content creators in their own right in 2026, Spencer talks about the costs and rewards involved in making branded entertainment, and why there’s more of it around than you may think.

Craft Media London doesn't buy or make ads. The agency provides clients with comms strategy, filling the hole that exists between media and creative agencies, but nothing else. Given the agency's neutral position, we thought it'd be fun to ask Craft's co-founders, Sally Weavers and Jenny Jones, to weigh in on a bunch of the biggest media debates of the year. And we were right — it was a lot of fun. In this episode of the MediaCat UK podcast, Weavers and Jones give 2025 a score out of 10 and discuss fragmentation, AI and influencers, as well as full-jaw replacements and Angel Delight. NB: We had some issues with the sound recording on this podcast: the volume sometimes drop, and it sounds like the guests were recording from a broom cupboard. We were, however, in the same room.