PressPad Limited

PressPad is a social enterprise fighting to lower the financial barrier of entry into elite professions through a marketplace host-mentorship scheme. We link young disadvantaged people with work experience (starting in the media industry) in big UK cities with experienced professionals who can offer a spare room plus great advice: think Airbnb meets Linkedin.

When newsrooms and the media industry do not reflect the demographic and economic diversity of their communities, we lose their trust. The Social Mobility Commission’s toolkit for employers in the creative industries highlights that 44% of newspaper columnists, influential editors and broadcasters attended an independent school, over seven times the national benchmark.  PressPad wishes to diversify the media by removing one of the main financial obstacles to those trying to enter the profession: the cost of accommodation.

Since our pilot in 2018 we have already managed to to host 54 interns who have completed over 120 weeks of internships. 2022 sees the launch of our marketplace platform with digital and semi-automated safeguarding processes allowing us to match more interns and hosts for their accommodation needs.

Alongside our social enterprise, we have The PressPad Charitable Foundation which compliments our aim by running charitable activities such as PressPad Remote which offers online masterclasses, CV clinics and networking events.