Press & Media

press and mediaOver the years, with not a little consideration, we have participated in the odd press and media piece. In the scheme of things these have been few and far between. However, having spent way more time than I care to recall sowing into other peoples projects we’re now rather particular when it comes to getting involved; promises of increased web traffic, photography credits and a bite to eat don’t really carry any weight in the balance of effort to reward.

Seventy percent of press enquiries we receive are of the sort that would involve ‘touring’ a party through an underground space. Our greatest concern with these endeavours is always safety. We are not wastewater professionals and while we have years of experience operating in confined spaces we are not able to offer any guarantee of safety and absolutely cannot accept any responsibility for anyone other than ourselves. Unfortunately this fact can be explained until you’re blue in the face but if push comes to shove and everyone is looking to you to resolve any potential crisis it’s inevitable that you feel some burden of responsibility. Taking that into account and the fact that we do this because we enjoy it, why would we want to get involved in anything that sucks the fun out of proceedings?

That’s where the careful consideration comes in. In the first instance we’re not interested in showcasing ourselves or our activities in the main; but much more so in sharing the stories of the locations and an enthusiasm for the subject. I suspect that many people who have invested time in a particular area of study would welcome the opportunity to share their zeal with a wider audience, a well chosen press article or piece of television can be worthwhile in that regard. Therefore a project where the proposed primary focus is the locations rather than the lifestyle is instantly more appealing to us. There are of course many other factors to consider and unfortunately it is often the case that unrealistic expectations, which would require us to make compromises, mean we are unable to help.

The other thirty percent of enquiries such as requests to use images, submit a comment for print, take an interview, etc. are a little easier to deal with; the same criteria r.e. location over lifestyle applies but removing the need to lead a subterranean expedition rather simplifies matters. In one hundred percent of cases where we have got on board with a project we insist on exercising some control over how our contribution is represented in the final work. If upon review the final work is not true to the original concept we maintain the right to refuse consent to run any content attributable to us. So now, with all that in mind, please do feel free to get in touch via the contact page if you think we may be able to help you out; a polite refusal is about the worst you can expect.

Metropolitan Board of Works