Franks emigrated to Australia with his family eight years ago.
He subsequently studied modern psychology, clinical hypnotherapy and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) prior to setting up his own change management consultancy, BrightSky ClearMind Consulting.
He maintained his print and publishing industry contacts, and, using the experience gained when setting up international print deals at Emap, went on to work with Hello! magazine to set up print production and distribution channels for the title in Australia and New Zealand. Previously the magazine had been printed in Europe and shipped over.
“It’s gone very, very well and Hello! can now be on sale here nearly two weeks earlier than it was,” he said.
“It’s an appealing proposition for UK publishers who want to attack the export market and be on sale quicker and cheaper.”
Franks said it was possible to “flex” the cover design, if for example the UK cover would not necessarily have shelf appeal to readers in the region, and to add additional sections if required.
He said the service was particularly suited to time-sensitive weeklies likely to have a significant expat readership, and for niche titles publishing special editions around major events, such as the football and rugby World Cups.
“The value of being able to be on sale at the right time cannot be over-estimated,” he added.
Emap sold its consumer magazine and radio businesses to H Bauer in December 2007, and its business-to-business division to a joint venture of Guardian Media Group and private equity firm Apax Partners the following year.
