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Dave Mason has survived two crises most people never face: being held hostage for 45 minutes in Beirut and every client cancelling in a single afternoon. Now he helps companies survive theirs.

⚠️ Note: this episode contains a first-hand account of violence and trauma (a hostage situation and PTSD).

Listener discretion advised. In 2006, Dave Mason was reporting on displaced families in Beirut when his car was surrounded by a mob. For 45 minutes, he and his colleague held on in the back of that car, fighting for their lives, punched, robbed, and threatened- before, of all groups, Hezbollah ended up getting them to safety, and he was taken to meet the Prime Minister of Lebanon.

This is not the only crisis Dave has survived. From a media-obsessed teenager - fired up by a single teacher's offhand comment - Dave built a 30-year career spanning local radio (he founded the much-loved Orchard FM), GMTV breakfast TV and NATO media training. Then he backed himself, financing a management buyout against his own pension to buy the agency he worked for. Three months later, COVID hit and every single client cancelled in one afternoon. This is how he rebuilt in 48 hours, turned crisis into a four-day-week business, and spun out Splutter - a real-time social media crisis simulator now used in one of the world's largest financial-sector crisis exercises (1,000+ participants, Hong Kong).

Along the way: honest financial advice for freelancers, why local media still matters, what AI really means for PR, and why your health is worth more than the money. If you're a founder weighing up a risky bet, a management buyout, or how to survive when the market disappears overnight, this one's for you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Resilience is adaptability. Dave didn't survive COVID by waiting it out, he rebuilt in 48 hours and pivoted his media training into a digital-first product. When the market vanishes, the move is to reshape what you offer, fast.

2. Use AI to amplify people, not replace them

3. Your health is the real wealth. Dave's line "if you've got your health, you are a millionaire" lands hard. Money is the trade-off freelancers make; protecting your wellbeing is what makes the success sustainable.

WHAT WE COVER - Beirut, 2006: 45 minutes that became a near-death experience - and the PTSD treatment that followed - The teacher's comment that lit the fire, and breaking into media with cold letters as a 15-year-old (75 rejection letters kept to this day) - Founding Orchard FM - why local radio mattered, and what we lost when the corporates took over - The freelance reality: "no show, no dough", saving for sickness, and the holiday that costs double - Financing a management buyout against your pension - and what the regulators put him through - The COVID afternoon every client vanished - and the 48-hour pivot that saved the business - Building Splutter: simulating thousands of hostile avatars to stress-test real organisations - What AI really means for PR, focus vs adaptability, and why careers only make sense looking backwards

💬 Over to you: what's the toughest crisis you've had to navigate in your business? Tell us in the comments.

Guest: Dave Mason LinkedIn: Dave Mason | X: @DaveMasonTV Splutter: https://splutter.training Mentor Media Training: https://mentormediatraining.co.uk

Hosted by Ollie Tiramuragan Collard and Dr. Becky Sage.

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