Meet the Agent: Q&A with Sue Ayton, Knight Ayton Management

Join WFTV’s Katie Bailiff in conversation with agent Sue Ayton of Knight Ayton Management. Hear about Sue’s 35+ years in the industry, from what she looks for in a client to how to negotiate deals, getting the best out of a client and her top insider tips.

Knight Ayton Management  Knight Ayton Management has been representing journalists and presenters since 1989. The company remains independent and is still owned and run by the founding partners Sue Ayton and Sue Knight and joined by Helen Purvis as partner in 2019.

Our ethos is to represent clients in the long term which is illustrated by Angela Rippon, Moira Stuart, and Joan Bakewell all for 30 years. Samira Ahmed, Sian Williams, Louise Minchin, Cathy Newman, Jane Garvey, and Jennie Bond for over ten, developing distinguished historians Professors Kate Williams and Suzannah Lipscomb from the start of their media careers, and more recently presenter Dame Jenni Murray. Our aim is to use these experiences to mentor and guide emerging talented journalists and presenters working across the new outlets as well as all the traditional broadcasters and those presenting podcasts, most notably the phenomenally successful Fortunately… with Fi Glover and Jane Garvey.

Sue Ayton began working in television as a temporary assistant during the 1979 election. She stayed on at ITN until 1989 with the exception of a short period working for the Famous Five during the launch of TVam in 1983 after which she returned to ITN for the launch of Channel Four News. During this period when the programme went from zero ratings to winning BAFTA awards, she worked with many journalists who subsequently became clients when she set up Knight Ayton Management with Sue Knight in 1989. The experience and grounding she learned at Channel 4 News gave her an understanding of production and newsroom management which held her in good stead in the years that followed. Fortunate to represent many of the leading journalists over many years, she has always aimed to use this knowledge and experience to help the next generation of journalists find their way through the many different routes, brick walls and frustrations they may encounter as well as preparing them for the temporary failures as well as the successes. Initially working with News and Current affairs presenters across all Channels - SKY, ITN, Channel 4 and the BBC - she widened the client base to include experts within her own interests - history and science - spearheaded over 20 years ago by her collaboration with the brain scientist Professor Susan Greenfield, the expansion of BBC Science, as well as controversial and successful history on Channel 4, which led to a growth in representing leading academics, senior police officers, newspaper editors, authors, investigative journalists, foreign and royal correspondents, arts and culture specialists including many historians, and medical experts. She also developed and nurtured the early careers of Victoria Derbyshire and Fiona Bruce for ten years.

Currently she concentrates on emerging talent in radio and television, encouraging young journalists to follow the footsteps of their great predecessors, and ensuring that all her clients, whatever their age, maintain long term careers in broadcasting.

She recently began supporting The John Schofield Trust.

How will the online event work?

This event will be live streamed via Zoom.us. Viewing details will be sent via your confirmation.

Attending participants will not be visible to others and will be muted throughout the session. After the talk, there will be an opportunity for audience members to ask their questions to the panel by using the Q&A feature.

This event is for existing WFTV members only.

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