We sold and wrote Connie’s heartwarming story in a magazine two years ago, and since then, little Connie went on to have pioneering facial reconstruction surgery. Connie is now a bright and bubbly two year old with just a tiny scar on her nose. The pictures of her transformation touched the hearts of the nation, and the world, after Medavia sold her story around the globe. We’ve handled interest from all the UK national newspapers, women’s magazines, countless titles around the world and TV shows from London to New York. The family is delighted to have raised awareness of this rare condition and that all the coverage, controlled by Medavia, has been sensitive and accurate.

Our thanks to GreenThumb for putting their faith in Medavia.

You can see full details of the campaign here.

Keen to share the positive news, but wanting to make sure she kept control of her story so her words were not twisted, Rheagan put her trust in Medavia.

We worked alongside Rheagan for two months, waiting until her baby was born, to put her story together.

Only when Rheagan and her family were ready did we present the feature to the media.

Her article appeared in Bella magazine and Rheagan and her dad were delighted with the results.

At the end of 2010, Sean Mercer was convicted by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court of murdering Rhys, 11, who was hit by crossfire in a gunfight between rival gangs.

The killing sent shockwaves throughout the country and Rhys’ family was inundated with proposals and offers for their story.

Working closely with Melanie and Stephen, the police and the media, Medavia successfully ensured the post trial coverage was accurate and sensitively treated.

Our consultants successfully negotiated agreements for their interview to appear in the Mail On Sunday, The News of the World, an hour-long ITV documentary and in a women’s magazine.

The interview was conducted partly by our own staff writer, Emily Retter, the 2008 Feature Writer of the Year.

Says Melanie: “From the moment Rhys’ death became public knowledge our home was besieged by journalists.

“Our door was hammered, thousands of letters started to arrive from well wishers, newspapers, and TV and radio stations from around the world

“Demands were being made of us from all directions as we tried to grieve and make sense of it all. We only had the police to turn to for guidance. We were just a normal family catapulted into this surreal, unbelievable, terrible drama – we didn’t know what to expect.

We needed help

“Finally, when Sean Mercer was arrested, we decided we needed help. We saw on Medavia’s website that they had worked with families like us before – normal, everyday people who had been forced to deal with tragic, unimaginable events under the glare of the media spotlight. We called Medavia and they visited us straight away.

“From that point, Medavia made contact with every media outlet which had attempted to contact us to let them know that all enquiries were now to come through them and that, importantly, they weren’t to bother us.

“Medavia also liaised with the police who then passed all press enquiries to them too. It was so comforting to know everything was being handled for us – and because the media knew they had to speak to us through Medavia, they kept away.

“It allowed us to focus on the forthcoming trial and to plough all our energy into supporting each other. Medavia gave us the peace of mind that everything was in hand.

Sensitive

“During those 11 weeks we knew we could go to Medavia with every query, worry and concern we had. They were always on hand, at court if we needed them, or just a phone call away, morning and night, weekdays and weekends.

“They were sensitive to the fact nothing should be done that would prejudice the trial – our well being and the success of that trial was always their primary concern.

“At the end they were with us in person every step of the way, and once the verdicts were in they ensured we had a statement prepared to read to the waiting crowds of press.

“They ensured we weren’t hassled and whisked us and our son Owen away to a peaceful location away from prying eyes.

A new life

“There we were able to relax and come to terms with the trial’s outcome as a family, leaving Medavia to organise media proposals for us which allowed us to give the most sensitively handled interviews and secure fees which would allow us to move house and start a new life, away from the families of the youths who had destroyed our lives.

“The process was as painless as possible – Medavia arranged everything so that we were able to give interviews and pose for photographs with ease. Medavia even co-wrote the newspaper and magazine features and it was reassuring to give interviews to someone we already knew and trusted.

“They accompanied us to TV interviews too, and made sure we were protected, both financially and emotionally.

“Although the initial frenzy of press interest has now died down we know the media will always make requests for our time and Medavia has not disappeared. It will work with us on a long term basis – for as long as we need its assistance. It is such a relief to know they are always going to be on hand.”

Two years into her career, Nicola won an award for Feature Story of the Year at the National Association of Press Agencies Awards (NAPAs) for her interview with Riam Dean.

Riam, who was born without a left forearm, sued retail giant Abercrombie and Fitch for unlawful harassment and unfair dismissal. The disabled law student had claimed she was banished to the stockroom because her prosthetic arm didn’t fit the store’s infamous Look Policy.  She was awarded £9,000 in compensation by the Central London Employment Tribunal last year.

Nicola placed Riam’s exclusive story in the Mail On Sunday, followed by Reveal and Company magazines as well as numerous radio interviews and an appearance on GMTV.

In May this year Simone finally faced Malcolm in court where he was convicted of murder, attempted murder, theft, fraud and attempted bigamy.

In what became one of the biggest stories of the year, the press hounded Simone, whose life had already been turned upside down by her murderous fiancé.

The glare of the world’s media on her doorstep, Simone contacted Medavia and asked us to handle the attention on her behalf. We acted as a buffer between Simone and the press, allowing her the time and space she needed, while we negotiated coverage on her behalf. We were able to put together a package of exclusive newspaper and magazine deals, ensuring Simone was happy with the fee she received, as well as being in full control of  what was published.