{{Short description|British journalist}} '''Adrian Michaels''' (born 8 September 1969) is a British national and international newspaper journalist. In 2014 he founded the content marketing agency '''FirstWord Media Ltd'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://firstword.co.uk|title=Content Marketing Agency For Business & Services - Firstword London|work=FirstWord}}</ref>
==Education== Michaels attended University College School, Hampstead, London (1977–1987), and Trinity College, Oxford (1987–1990) where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
==Life and career== In 1993, he started a 15-year career at the ''Financial Times'' including nine years as a foreign correspondent in New York and Milan. While in New York, he (with colleague Peter Spiegel) won the "Business and Finance Reporter of the Year" in the British Press Awards for 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pressawards.org.uk/page-view.php?pagename=2000-2008-Winners|title=Press Awards|work=pressawards.org.uk|access-date=2015-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402232510/http://www.pressawards.org.uk/page-view.php?pagename=2000-2008-Winners|archive-date=2016-04-02|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2003-03-19 |title=British Press Awards |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/mar/19/pressandpublishing3 |access-date=2024-04-22 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Stand-out brands - Pearson Annual Report 2003 |url=http://ar2003.pearson.com/unsung.htm |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=ar2003.pearson.com}}</ref> This was for his work on the downfall of accountancy firm Arthur Andersen and its role in the Enron scandal. He was also runner-up in the same year as Business Journalist of the Year at the London Press Club Awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/apr/28/pressandpublishing.conservativeparty|title=Currie gives Times scoop of the year|author=Ciar Byrne|work=The Guardian}}</ref>
Michaels occasionally provoked heated debate in Italy's media while in Milan for the ''Financial Times''. In particular, a front cover FT magazine story he wrote in 2007 on the enduring and archaic use of the female form in Italian media and advertising,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/7d479772-2f56-11dc-b9b7-0000779fd2ac|title=Naked ambition|work=Financial Times}}</ref> and linking that to a lack of female attainment in business and politics, created a media storm and was cited in calls for equality legislation in the Italian parliament.<ref>{{Cite web |title="L'Italia un paese di veline le donne sono solo oggetti" - Persone - Repubblica.it |url=https://www.repubblica.it/2007/07/sezioni/persone/paese-veline/paese-veline/paese-veline.html |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=www.repubblica.it}} </ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pari opportunità, un'occasione |url=http://mobile.ilsole24ore.com/solemobile/main/art/SoleOnLine4/Economia%20e%20Lavoro/2008/03/pari-opportunita-occasione.shtml?uuid=d65d1ed2-ef3f-11dc-8c36-00000e25108c&DocRulesView=Libero |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818094734/http://mobile.ilsole24ore.com/solemobile/main/art/SoleOnLine4/Economia%20e%20Lavoro/2008/03/pari-opportunita-occasione.shtml?uuid=d65d1ed2-ef3f-11dc-8c36-00000e25108c&DocRulesView=Libero |archive-date=2016-08-18 |access-date=2024-04-22}}</ref>
After the ''Financial Times'', Michaels became Group Foreign Editor at the Telegraph Media Group in 2008,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/apr/22/dailytelegraph.sundaytelegraph|title=Telegraph Media Group appoints Adrian Michaels as head of foreign operations|author=Stephen Brook|work=The Guardian}}</ref> and then, in 2011, Editorial Director, Commercial, a role on the advertising side of the Telegraph that sought to capitalize on the growth in demand from advertisers to reach their audiences via more detailed content and expert journalism.
Michaels left the Telegraph in 2014 and founded FirstWord, an agency that continues his work in content for non-media organisations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gorkana.com/news/industry/general-news/ex-telegraph-content-chief-launches-agency/ |title=Ex-Telegraph content chief launches agency |work=gorkana.com |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924023230/http://www.gorkana.com/news/industry/general-news/ex-telegraph-content-chief-launches-agency/ |archivedate=2015-09-24 }}</ref> He has been a defender of the growing alignment of company marketing and journalism against criticism that it is endangering the independence of journalists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.holmesreport.com/latest/article/in-defence-of-content-marketing|title=In Defence Of Content Marketing|work=holmesreport.com}}</ref>
==Personal life== Michaels' entry in ''Who's Who'' says he is married with two daughters. Adrian lists his hobbies as "golf, cheese”.
==References== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links== * {{Twitter}} * [http://www.firstword.co.uk/adrian-michaels/ Adrian Michaels, FirstWord]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Michaels, Adrian}} Category:Living people Category:1969 births Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:British newspaper journalists Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Category:People educated at University College School