Media world pledges to beat cancer

Influential industry figures pledge to do one thing to help beat the disease at our inaugural Media Beats Cancer event.

Last month, senior figures from the media industry gathered at Europe’s largest biomedical research facility under one roof – the Francis Crick Institute – to learn how they could help create positive change for people affected by cancer. Our very first Cancer Research UK Media Beats Cancer event saw 40 representatives from media giants including Disney, Bauer Media, LadBible and Time Out commit to supporting our cause.    

Building on the success of our Business Beats Cancer model — which brings together business leaders from across the UK to host fundraising activities with their local networks— we hoped to engage this creative industry. Our media supplier, the global agency MediaCom, agreed to host the event with Claudine Collins, Chief Client Officer, at the helm. Claudine sits on our Corporate Partnerships Board, which aims to help Cancer Research UK secure strategic partnerships. With Claudine’s unrivalled expertise and invaluable industry contacts, we set out to get the most influential people in media together in one room.  

Media Beats Cancer has a clear aim — to engage the media industry to raise awareness and funds, explore partnership opportunities and lend us their creativity and expertise. To achieve our objective and galvanise support, we asked attendees to pledge to do one thing to help beat cancer on the night.

Mark Evans, Managing Director of Marketing & Digital at Direct Line Group, attended the event and inspired others in the room to ‘do one thing’ with his story of conceiving ‘Sprintathon’ – a marathon relay race. This year, Sprintathon raised £100k towards our vital research.

Guests heard speeches from our Chief Executive, Michelle Mitchell, and Professor Adrian Hayday, Crick Group Leader, who shared his latest breakthroughs in immunology. Claudine closed the speeches, explaining why she chose to support us and imploring guests to join her. She said: “You have heard stories of individuals and companies who support Cancer Research UK tonight. You have also heard that you don’t need lots of time or money to help us beat cancer. You know where your skills and talents best lie. How you help is your choice. I have invited you all here to join forces and take collective action, so that we can say Media Beats Cancer.”

Guests were invited to show support by adding their names and pledges to a display. This unique opportunity to engage such an influential group of people is another way that we hope to develop beneficial strategic partnerships, cultivate fundraising support and change the narrative of cancer to create a different future for people affected by the disease.

If you’d like to know more about working in partnership with CRUK, click here.