Claire Atkinson becomes jury president of the Epica Awards 2024

Claire writes an influential newsletter called "The Media Mix" and is working on a biography of Rupert Murdoch. Claire started with trade publications before moving to the New York Post, where she wrote about media for the paper's business section for seven years. She later moved to NBC News, where she was senior media editor. Most recently, she was chief media correspondent at Business Insider.

Claire grew up in the UK and moved to New York in 1999, considering it the "capital of media", her passion and "capital of ambition". Her parents were avid consumers of news media and she grew up wanting to be a journalist.

"Journalism gives you an insight into history," she says. "Plus, you get to interview some wild people you would never normally meet."

She loves media and advertising because "it's a ball that's constantly in motion". She adds: "I'm fascinated by commercial messages and the way companies communicate with us, but also the way people in power talk to the media and how the media react to them." On the benefits of being a journalist, she says: "We are always looking for the new, the different. We spend our lives searching the internet for stories, watching TV and reading the news. So I think we are extremely aware of innovative ways of communicating. As for me, when my eyes are open, I'm working."

"Brands, like us, want to know where society is going because they need to be aware of the cultural trends that influence how they sell things and where they advertise. That's why I think a jury of journalists is very appropriate for an advertising award."

Entries for the Epica Awards can be submitted until October 11. Details on how to enter can be found here