Julian Henry

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Julian Henry (born 11 June 1959 in England) is a Public Relations executive and media writer based in London UK and Los Angeles California. He has worked in music PR and journalism since the 1980s, during which time he has released several CDs with the group The Hit Parade. He founded the entertainment PR firm Henry's House in the 1990s and was appointed Head of Communication for Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment in 2006.[1]

Family

Henry is the son of Brian Henry, a well-known figure in the early days of independent TV in London in the early 1960s and is related to several other journalists. His mother is Elizabeth Craig, former journalist for Woman's Journal, child star of billboard campaigns including Wrights Coal Tar Soap (popular household brand in 1930s Britain) and other advertising work. She was photographed by Dorothy Wilding for the Daily Express, Sunday Express and other newspapers and magazines.

He is a great nephew of Elizabeth Craig MBE FRSA, (celebrated Scottish author, journalist, cook). Elizabeth Craig was the best-known Scottish cook of the 20th century, and was a renowned journalist. She wrote 40 cookery books, and contributed to many magazines and newspapers. She appeared on the 'over 90s' show on BBC TV Parkinson in 1978 aged 95 alongside Rt Honourable Manny Shinwell MP and the playwright Ben Travers CBE.

He is also a great nephew of Arthur Mann, First World War and Second World War journalist and reporter for the Washington Post, New York Times and the radio broadcaster the Mutual Broadcasting Company. Mann was a contemporary of Edward Murrow and Richard Dimbleby and he broadcast weekly reports across America from Europe throughout the Second World War.

He is the brother of UK advertising copywriter Susie Henry, D&AD Gold Award winner, creator of the slogan "We Won't Make A Drama Out Of A Crisis" and founder of advertising agency Waldron Allen Henry & Thompson. He also has two other sisters, Louise and Deborah, who is his twin.

Henry lives in London and Oxford and has two children: George (born 1997) and Harriet (born 1999).

Career

Early career

Henry started work as a junior publicist for music Press Agency Alan Edwards in London's West End in 1979 repping clients that included Billy Idol, Generation X, The Stranglers, Blondie, Wire, and The Buzzcocks. He later joined Albion Management, the owners of several London new wave venues including The Hope'n'Anchor and The Nashville. There he became the PR Manager for the Albion Record label and The dBs, Hazel O'Connor, Billy Bragg, Joe Jackson, Ian Gomm, 999, Pinpoint and others. He became a freelance journalist for music magazines including Melody Maker, NME, Record Mirror, The Hit, Underground Magazine and Music Week. He was the first journalist to review the newly formed Simply Red and teenage actress Patsy Kensit, then about to launch her career with Eighth Wonder. He interviewed many prominent 80s music acts including Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Propaganda, Trevor Horn, Wet Wet Wet, Motorhead and others.

PR career

In 1986, Henry was appointed as PR executive for the fashion publicist Lynne Franks. He remained there for ten years as she promoted the careers of Jean Paul Gaultier, Katherine Hamnett, Rifat Ozbek and other influential designers, eventually becoming Deputy Managing Director. Henry was caricatured in a sketch by comedians French & Saunders.

In 1987 Henry met music manager Simon Fuller and began a working relationship that has lasted over 20 years to the current day. His first work for Fuller was for songwriter Cathy Dennis and Annie Lennox while at Lynne Franks PR. He remains one of Fuller closest advisors and has taken on a senior role at 19 Entertainment as global head of communication.

He became a director of Lynne Franks PR in 1991 and developed his own entertainment client roster away from fashion including Absolut Vodka, Coca-Cola, BBC Radio 1, HMV Music Stores, Yamaha, Sega, the pop singer Michael Jackson, The Spice Girls and various television shows including the BAFTA award winning C4 show Network 7. While at LFPR Henry co-produced two TV shows with BBC TV's Kenton Allen 'Yamaha Band Explosion' (BBC) - a sponsored TV showcase for new talent - which featured early performances by Teenage Fanclub, Manic Street Preachers, Blur and Radiohead. He worked with Allen on the Diet Coke Movie Awards (ITV). At this time he founded his own record label JSH Records and contributed articles to British music papers including NME, Melody Maker and Music Week. As a champion of indie music and contributor to Underground Magazine Henry unearthed Liverpool group The La's who he introduced to Go Discs chief Andy McDonald. He also interviewed John Peel, Chelsea footballer Pat Nevin and others.

In early 1990s his music group The Hit Parade became successful in Japan and USA, and he toured Japan four times, releasing a series of CDs that were critically applauded but never commercially successful. Between 1996 and 1998, he was a member of the Spice Girls' management team.[2] In 1998 he launched his own PR company, Henry's House with Simon Fuller as a fellow director.[3] While running Henry's House he publicised Tango, Big Brother, Coca-Cola, Absolut Vodka, Pop Idol and various TV shows and celebrities.

In 1998 through 1999, he continued to do peripheral sports media management in association with Fuller's 19 Management, and acted as Steve McManaman's sports agent, securing his lucrative move to Real Madrid, making him the world's best paid British player at the time.[4] In 2001 Henry's PR Agency Henry's House was taken on by ITV to promote the first series of Pop Idol in the UK; at that time his business was representing The Priory (C4), The Big Breakfast (C4) and Big Brother (C4) as well as various TV personalities.[5]

In 2004 Julian Henry was named as one of the Top 10 Marketing & PR executives in the UK [6] and two years later he took on the role of Head of Communications at Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment to oversee the promotion of David and Victoria Beckham, American Idol TV show, the Spice Girls and others, as well as handling all corporate affairs issues for Simon Fuller. In 2009 he began to work from Fuller's Los Angeles office in West Hollywood.[7] Henry is no longer involved with Henry's House; he was a Trustee of The ICA from 2001 to 2008 and writes an occasional newspaper column for The Guardian.[8]

In 2008 and 2009 Julian Henry wrote articles in UK press criticising the appointment of Andy Coulson as the British Prime Minister Head of Communications, and he has commented publicly since on the subsequent phone hacking scandal that has enveloped the British tabloids.[9]

In 2011, following the release of a new record by the Hit Parade, Guardian journalist Alexis Petridis interviewed Julian Henry about his dual existence as PR agent and Musician.[10] Julian Henry has been quoted in several publications concerning popular culture.[11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

Selected publications

References

  1. ↑ Rose, James (2005-04-25). "Inside Story: Who's absolutely fabulous in PR?". The Independent (London: Independent News and Media Ltd). Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
  2. ↑ Henry, Julian (2006-07-16). "Flashback: July 1996". Guardian Unlimited (London: Guardian News and Media Ltd). Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
  3. ↑ Sanghera, Sathham (2002-04-22). "No business like show biz. No money, either". FT.com (The Financial Times Ltd.). Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
  4. ↑ url="http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Football%3A+Macca+Still+On+The+Real+Deal.(Sport)-a060390404"
  5. ↑ Pop Life, Caspar Llewellyn Smith, Hodder and Stoughton 2002
  6. ↑ "Marketing & PR". The Guardian (London). 
  7. ↑ "MediaGuardian Innovation Awards Judges". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Ltd. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-11-07. Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
  8. ↑ Jack, Louise (2007-09-19). "Vamping the Brand". Marketing Week (Centaur Media plc). Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
  9. ↑ Burrell, Ian (2010-09-09). "Hack attack: Are the tabloids out of control?". The Independent (London). 
  10. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (2011-05-26). "Julian Henry's double life". The Guardian (London). 
  11. ↑ Poplife, Caspar Llewellyn Smith, Hodder and Stoughton 2002
  12. ↑ Big Brother 2 The Official Unseen Story, Jean Ritchie Channel 4 Books 2001
  13. ↑ The Celeb Diaries, Mark Frith, Ebury Press 2008
  14. ↑ Where The Truth Lies, Julia Hobsbawm, Atlantic Books 2006
  15. ↑ Wannabe, How The Spice Girls Reinvented Pop Fame, David Sinclair, Omnibus Press, 2004

External links

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