It’s 10 years ago today since I stepped down as the longest-serving editor of The Northern Echo and launched my own family business, Barron Media.
At the time, having worked for the Echo for 32 years, nearly 20 of them as editor, it felt like jumping out of an aeroplane without knowing if the parachute would open.
Thankfully, it did. The first organisation to call was the North East Autism Society and I’ve been proud to support them ever since. It’s more than a business relationship, they have become friends.
So many other organisations have gone on to use our services over the decade and I’m grateful to all of them for their trust and support, with Darlington Building Society another valued foundation stone.
My wife, Heather, and I met on the journalism course at Darlington College in 1980 and, as the number of clients grew, she brought her expertise into the business, not only as a writer and proof-reader but learning quickly how to manage the accounts.
As the business grew further, our eldest son, Chris, joined us eight years ago, and I am so proud of how he has developed into a skilled all-rounder: writer, photographer, videographer, drone pilot, designer, and social media expert all thrown into one.
In recent years, education has become a specialism for us, providing press releases, photos and videos on school activities and achievements, along with media training.
However, most of what I do remains grass roots, community-led stories that are not paid for by anyone. They are just stories that people, doing great things, ask me to write and I simply can’t resist because they deserve recognition.
Why did the parachute open so fully? Trust, built up over 40 years of working as a journalist in the North East and North Yorkshire, is at the heart of why things have worked out so well.
We live in an age when too much journalism is impersonal and too many journalists invisible. The importance of getting out and about and building real relationships is being lost in the digital age, but I still believe passionately in community involvement, and it pays off.
I was 64 this week and it’s time to start slowing down (at least a bit). Chris has been made a director of the company and will lead the business into the next era. That said, Heather and I will still be around to support him.
I’m a story-teller at heart and I know I won’t be able to stop telling stories, being embedded in the local community, and giving valuable publicity to those who deserve to be heard.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us – here’s to the next ten years.
PS Ruby the dog is part of the team and is paid in treats!