When Sony Business Europe agreed to sponsor the Rory Peck Awards in 2001, the view within the company was that this was a local UK event, and not relevant to the rest of the continent. How things have changed.

One of the aims of Sony in supporting the Trust has been to help it to achieve a wider international relevance. This is not to underestimate the work it was doing worldwide before the sponsorship, on the contrary - what it achieves with such a small staff base is amazing. However, recognition of the Trust’s work in other countries does vary, and this is something that Sony was able to assist in addressing.

During the current and two previous Awards, Sony has circulated media information to no less than 200 publications across the continent, which has involved a pan-European network of 30 people. When the company offered to help the Trust via people and production resources, nobody envisaged this!

It has paid off - last year there were a number of reporters from mainland Europe at the ceremony, and coverage is growing. To date there have been more than 60 recorded mentions of the Awards across the continent, and the Trust has received many calls from people worldwide who have heard of its work and wish to publicise it, or become involved.

Judging panel for The Sony International Impact Award in Berlin 2003:
David Bush, Director, Media Business, Sony Business Europe
Paolo Borella, Foreign Correspondent, RAI TV 1
David Chater, News Correspondent, Sky News
Laure Debreuil, Head of Foreign & European Affairs, TF1
Thomas Roth, Bureau chief/editor-in-chief, ARD-Hauptstadtstudio, Berlin
Monica Prado, Foreign Correspondent, Antena 3

But it’s not just press. In 2002, the Sony International Impact Award was judged in France, this year it was Germany. With the Trust’s help, Sony brings together senior broadcast representatives from several countries with the aims of creating a highly qualified panel, and pushing the Trust to the forefront of many people’s minds. This process also moves the emphasis away from the London venue and makes it feel truly international.

Last year, and again this year, there are CD-ROMS available at the Awards and by general request. They contain information on the Trust, and importantly it’s provided in six different languages. The number of people Sony is talking to about the Trust is constantly growing. Not all of them speak English, and most of them do not have the capacity to translate large amounts of information - Sony does.

This material is also important to the Trust, which, having received a grant from The Sigrid Rausing Trust to increase the awareness and application of its work in the developing world, will doubtless find foreign language versions of its promotional material valuable.

The company hopes that it has provided the charity with a ‘leg up’ into Europe and beyond, in the process given many of the Sony staff, including translation, marketing, web, advertising and event people, an insight into what the company’s products enable, and the reasons why it supports the Trust.

The Rory Peck Awards Brochure 2003

• Programme
• Rory Peck - the symbol for them all
• From the Chairman
• Keeping True
• From Sony
• The Trust and Sony
• Judges' Reports
• The Overseas Project
• Acknowledgements
• Winners and Finalists

  
  

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