Trade press title Media Week celebrated 30 years in business recently.

Propeller founder and CEO Martin Loat started his media career as a lowly editorial assistant working on the launch in 1985. For the special anniversary print issue of Media Week (the first for six years), Martin contributed an article where he looked back on the excitement – and occasional terror – of launching a magazine from a standing start in five weeks.

“We were flying by the seat of our pants with our buttocks hanging out” he writes.

His colleagues at the time included launch editor Tim Brooks, now CEO BMJ, Nick Higham, now a BBC News arts correspondent, and Duncan Edwards, now President and CEO at Hearst Magazines International in New York.

“Media Week was a good training ground,” he says now. “I learnt most of what I know about creating a story and writing succinctly at Media Week.”

Well now we know why he’s a stickler for short sentences and punchy headlines!

For the full article visit: http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/article/1344512/blast-past