imedia associates » who we are

History

NHarford — Fri, 28 May 2010 09:48:20 +0000

iMedia Associates Ltd is a subsidiary company of Media Support Solutions, which has nine years of experience of working in fields as varied as HIV/AIDS communication, distance education, peace-building and small business development – all through media interventions. Media Support Solutions has managed long term media projects in Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique and Afghanistan, with the aim of creating successful non-profit communications companies to carry on the work independently. This has been achieved in Botswana, and is ongoing in Zambia and Afghanistan.

Julia Russell

Admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 20:03:02 +0000

Julia Russell, iMedia’s Administrator, has worked for Media Support Solutions as Administrator, Bookkeeper and Web Manager since its inception in 2001. Her small publishing company, The Electronic Cottage, produced and distributed two publications by Gordon Adam and Nicola Harford — Health on Air and Radio and HIV/AIDS: Making a Difference- the latter in three languages.

Julia has worked for over forty years in more administrative jobs than she cares to remember. She has twenty-five years experience in learning, using and teaching Information Communication Technology (ICT). She was one of the first people in the Highlands to study ICT remotely, using a dial-up modem and she has trained primary school teachers and children in basic computer skills. She is kept up-to-date with the latest technology not only through her variety of jobs, but also by her sons who are software developers. julia@imediaassociates.org

Nicola Harford

Admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 20:02:27 +0000

Nicola Harford, Director, is a development communications specialist and long term associate of Media Support. Based in Zimbabwe, she has over 15 years experience of planning, managing and evaluating media projects in support of HIV/AIDS, health, governance, agriculture and rural development sector goals. Nicola provides long and short-term technical assistance to clients throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and occasionally in South/South East Asia, supporting capacity-building of local staff and institutions. She has significant expertise in applying behavioural science and research to creative media products for youth audiences, with a focus on radio interventions. She recently managed HIV/AIDS communications projects in Mozambique and Zambia on behalf of Media Support. Her publications include peer-reviewed articles and several practitioner handbooks on communications. nicola@imediaassociates.org

Emrys Schoemaker

Admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 20:01:04 +0000

Emrys Schoemaker is Director and co-founder of iMedia Associates, formerly an independent consultant and director of iMediate. He is a communications and conflict specialist with extensive experience designing communications and media based initiatives for development and peace-building purposes. He has a particular interest in the ways that social media and mobile phones are transforming people’s lives and the implications for changing citizen-state relations and political processes. He gained a Masters in Peace Studies at Bradford University, then spent two years in Pakistan in 2004 — 2006 as a media advisor for DFID, the UN and civil society organisations, where he designed, managed and advised on media and communication initiatives in the areas of governance, conflict and health, particularly HIV and AIDS. He has recently conducted consultancies in Pakistan and Afghanistan exploring strategies for counter extremism. Emrys’ blog on media and communication is Communicare. emrys@imediaassociates.org

Gordon Adam

Admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 20:00:25 +0000

Gordon Adam is Director and co-founder of iMedia and is Managing Director of Media Support Solutions. He has managed media development initiatives in multiple countries in Asia and Africa, as well as projects using media and interpersonal communications in support of health, development and democracy aims. Gordon has provided capacity-building and supervision to the establishment of local media organisations in Botswana, Afghanistan, Guyana and Zambia. He writes and lectures widely on media and communications for development and democracy, and is a leading proponent of audience-focused communication for peace-building and conflict resolution. Gordon’s background is in journalism: he worked for the BBC World Service for almost 20 years until 1996, including eight years as head of the BBC Pashto Service. During this time he created a three times weekly educational radio soap opera for Afghanistan, produced in Pakistan, which marked its 15th anniversary on air in April 2009. gordon@imediaassociates.org