Club de Presse Blitz: from paper format to digital directory

By moving from the paper binder to a digital database, Club de presse Blitz has evolved alongside new technologies since its founding in 1984, adapting to the needs of communications professionals in the 2.0 era.

Gérard Grégoire became known to Montreal's news media in the early 1980s by hand-delivering press releases to journalists every day. In 1984, he realized that the names on the documents he was delivering were often incorrect. That gave him the idea of creating an effective, regularly updated and easy-to-use press list to help communications professionals and organizations find their way. That is how Club de presse Blitz came to be, in collaboration with André Girard. Three years later, the directory already listed 5,000 contacts.

First produced in paper format, the press list grew year after year, eventually reaching 500 pages and thousands of contacts updated every six to eight weeks.

The arrival of the web did not slow Blitz down. On the contrary, the company experienced new growth thanks to digital platforms. The database was quickly computerized and a search tool was built in, letting communications professionals create all kinds of press lists tailored to their specific needs.

The directory now holds more than 38,000 contacts referenced across politics, radio, television, and print and digital media, and is updated weekly. The search tools are regularly adapted to developments in Canada's media industry and to clients' particular needs.

The Team

Founder: Gérard Grégoire

Research: Gisèle Tourscher

Research: Nadia Polo

Accounting: Patricia Claros