The story behind Rephrase

By PAUL FRASER

AS one door closes, another opens. The launch of Rephrase PR and Media Services is something that had been thought about for many years and this is the year it materialised.
What better timing? The year of the pandemic and the lockdowns. Why not? Strangely, there does not seem to have ever been a better opportunity to go for it; a new era.
After 19 years of service at The Northern Echo, being lucky enough to represent the Great Daily of the North across Europe at some of the finest sporting events, my time at Priestgate has come to an end.

That period of my life will never be forgotten; fortunate to watch football at the highest level, travelled here, there and everywhere watching sport.
I may never have fulfilled a dream of becoming a professional footballer, but I’ve genuinely felt like I have experienced the next best thing.

Not only has my opinion been published, read and heard across the local and national media for more than two decades in sports journalism, I got to visit some wonderful places and build relationships and friendships that will last forever.
From trips to Athens and Amsterdam to appearances on South Korean TV and Sky Sports News, everything has shaped the decision to head in a different direction.

The plan is to continue freelancing and writing articles on the sporting front, in terms of both reporting as a news journalist and promoting clients of Rephrase.
Now the scope is much broader, drawing on an extensive contact list to head into the new challenge.
Whether that is in the sporting world, on the corporate front or in public sector fields, the focus is on building long-term relationships in a bid to help clients achieve their goals.

It was nice to break big North-East stories during a lengthy period at The Northern Echo, and the Hartlepool Mail in the earlier days, such as Stewart Downing leaving and returning to Middlesbrough, Georginio Wijnaldum heading for Newcastle United and Bolo Zenden’s decision to head for Liverpool from the Riverside.

In covering the national game I have developed contacts across the media, in print, screen and on radio, and I’ve always been willing to engage with supporters, businesses and sponsors at all sorts of levels.
The launch of Rephrase Media and PR Services in 2020 marks the next chapter of a career that is about to get a whole lot more exciting.
* If you are interested in raising the profile of you or your business contact info@rephrasemedia.com