Alan Edwards (publicist)

Alan Edwards (born 1955) is an English publicist and founder of PR company The Outside Organisation. Over the last 40 years, Edwards has worked with a variety of clients in the entertainment business, from The Rolling Stones, The Spice Girls, Amy Winehouse, David Gilmour, Beverley Knight, Prince, Michael Jackson, Jon Bon Jovi, The Who, Paul McCartney, David Beckham[1] and Victoria Beckham.[2] In 1996, Edwards founded The Outside Organisation and Edwards has been named the number 1 entertainment PR in the UK by PR Week magazine for five consecutive years (2015 to 2019).[3] Current clients include Ariana Grande, British Summer Time Hyde Park, Nick Cave, Lin Manuel Miranda, Blondie, Carrie Underwood, Naomi Campbell and David Bowie.

Alan Edwards
Born1955
South London
OccupationPublicist
Years active1975–present
Websitewww.outside-org.co.uk

As well as working on Entertainment based clients, Alan also works with a variety of clients from the charity industry including Teenage Cancer Trust and Nordoff Robbins.

Career

1970s and 1980s

At 17, Alan worked as a freelance reviewer for music papers such as Sounds and Record Mirror.[4] Former NME editor Keith Altham offered him a job at his publicity firm, starting his career in entertainment PR by working on music group The Who.[5]

After three years, Edwards created a sub-division in the company with a roster of his own clients including The Stranglers, The Buzzcocks, The Damned and Blondie.[6] In 1981, Alan met Mick Jagger, in New York and went on to represent the Rolling Stones for the next nine years.[7] During this time, Edwards formed Modern Publicity, which traded for more than a decade and included clients such as the Stones, David Bowie, Duran Duran and Bryan Ferry.[8] Alan also worked with Prince and represented him again in 2007 when Prince took up a 21 night residency at the O2 Arena.[9] The company grew throughout the eighties adding artists such as UB40, Robert Palmer, INXS and The Cure.[10]

1990s and 2000s

In 1990 Edwards formed Poole Edwards which evolved into The Outside Organisation. In 2000 Outside Line (digital agency,) became a sub division of the Company.[11] In 1997, Edwards began representing the Spice Girls.[11] The success of the Spice Girls led to Edwards handling further pop acts including Atomic Kitten, Boyzone, Westlife, All Saints and Leona Lewis.[12]

In October 2017, Edwards was inducted into the PR Week Hall of Fame by Roger Daltery.[13]

In March 2019, Edwards was named Number 1 Entertainment PR in the UK by PR Week in the magazine's annual Power List 2019, for the fifth consecutive year.

TV appearances

Edwards, featured in the BBC TV series entitled "Music Moguls:Masters of Pop". He presented the episode, "Mythmakers" which takes you through some of the most iconic and pivotal moments in popular music and the role of the publicist in the industry. Edwards also presented an episode of the BBC Four TV series Hip, Hype & Hustle: An insiders guide to the music business, hosting the episode entitled Revivals & Reunions.[14]

In 2017, Edwards made an appearance as part of the expert panel on the BBC Series, 'Astronauts: Do you have what it takes', on episode 5.

Crisis management

Edwards worked closely with the courts both in the UK and abroad in Naomi Campbell's controversial appearance at The Hague War Crimes trial of Blood diamond suspect Charles Taylor, where he handled the global media throughout the case.[15]

Exhibitions

April 2015: Alan Edwards conducted a live event at the V&A[16] on the role of PR over the last 40 years, using materials selected from his own archives.[17] Guest speakers included Dylan Jones, Editor of GQ magazine, music photographer Dennis Morris, Jeremy Deller, Timothy Bell, Alastair Campbell and Bob Geldof.[16]

September 2016: On the Hippie Trail was an offshoot of the headline exhibition at the V&A entitled You Say You Want a Revolution: Records and Rebels 1966–1970. A panel of writers, academics, and veteran “Intrepids” discussed the Hippie Trail – a 1960s overland journey that essentially embodied the counter-cultural consciousness of a post-war generation. Alan Edwards along with Tony Wheeler, Rory MacLean, Sharif Gemie and Brian Ireland contributed to the discussion and the history of this journey made mainly by young people originally referred to as "world travellers", and "seekers", then later as "hippies" and – in a term coined by Rory MacLean – "Intrepids".

May 2017: Edwards has recently contributed exhibits to the Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains exhibition at the V&A which is available to view until 1 October 2017.

References
  1. "David Beckham". Evening Standard UK. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  2. "Profile: Alan Edwards, The Outside Organisation". PR Week UK. 18 October 2002. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  3. "Powerbook". PR Week UK. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  4. "My Life in Media". The Independent UK. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  5. "The Who". PR Week UK. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  6. "Punk Roster". The Guardian UK. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  7. "The Rolling Stones". The Guardian UK. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  8. "Modern Publicity Roster". The Guardian UK. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  9. "Prince". The Independent UK. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  10. "Always Print the Myth". A Curious Invitation. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  11. "Marketing and PR". The Guardian UK. 2 October 2006. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  12. "Outside Line". PR Week UK. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  13. http://outside-org.co.uk/alan-edwards-inducted-into-the-pr-week-hall-of-fame/
  14. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09q04ts/
  15. "Naomi Campbell Evidence". BBC UK. 9 August 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  16. "'Always Print The Myth: PR and the Modern Age'". Victoria and Albert Museum. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 20 October 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  17. "PR Ace on His 40 Years of Spin". London Evening Standard. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
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