A LONG TIME COMING HOME

In this week’s issue of That’s Life! magazine, First Features client Kelly Easton tells the heart-wrenching tale of a mother who was wrongly separated from her own children.

Following a horrific accident when one of her daughters was just a few months old, Kelly was investigated by police and social services then separated from her two daughters for eight years!

But Kelly showed that a mother’s love knows no bounds and her strength and perseverance carried her through countless court hearings and meetings with the authorities until they finally admitted last year that she’d done nothing wrong and the children belonged with her.

“I was over the moon to get my girls back but I was left with the feeling that things like this are happening all over the country and I felt the need to speak out about it,” Kelly told us when she first contacted us last year.

For Kelly, telling her story wasn’t about money or fame – she wanted to highlight what she feels to be a flaw in the system, and we were able to give her the opportunity to do so by getting her tale of courage into one of the most widely read UK women’s weekly magazines.

“I wanted people to see what’s going on behind closed doors and I’ve achieved that,” she says. “Telling my story was a really emotional experience but seeing it in print feels great. I feel like I’ve given a voice to the hundreds of families up and down the country who are struggling with social services. And this is just the beginning. I’m continuing to work with First Features to raise awareness and get my story heard by as many people as possible.”

Sometimes it’s easy to feel powerless and insignificant in the face of huge institutions like the government, police force, Crown Prosecution Service, the NHS or even social services. But here at First Features we believe that everyone should have a voice. And we make it our aim to get those voices heard.

If you have had a negative, unusual, or shocking experience that you think people should be aware of, now is your chance to be heard. Pick up the phone and talk to us, and you never know – you could reach thousands of readers.

 Call us on 020 7703 8000 or email info@firstfeatures.co.uk for more information. It’s time to speak out!

New Site Clears Up Mysteries Of The Media

First Features has launched a brand new website aimed at giving advice on how to sell your story to the media.

The site, aptly called www.howtosellmystory.co.uk explains how to make a first approach to the media, who to address, and what to expect depending on the nature of the story and your aims as the story teller.

Here at First Features we talk to hundreds of people every month and we know that dealing with the press can be mystifying. That’s why we’ve broken our advice down into categories according to your aims and the kind of story you wish to sell.

Whether you want to raise awareness of a particular issue, to find fame, publicise a product or service or just to tell your story as a warning or an inspiration to others www.howtosellmystory.co.uk can help you. And, even better, it’s free!

Sometimes it’s best to approach a local paper, sometimes a publishing house is the way to go and in many cases First Features can help you to sell your story to a national paper, magazine or both.

Going to our new site is the best place to get an idea of where you should be directing your approach.

And if you just any further advice, we are always happy to help as much as we can, so give us a ring on 020 7703 8000 or visit us at www.firstfeatures.co.uk. Our website is also packed with tonnes more info and even a video which explains the whole process of selling your story from begining to end. So before you’ve even picked up the phone, you have a good idea of how it all works.