Happy Birthday to us! Today, June 21, 2026, marks three years since Matt ‘the Bish’ Bishop founded Diagonal Comms. To mark the occasion, in this article, each member of the newly expanded Diagonal team shares some of their memories and feelings about their time with the agency and their ambitions for the future. We hear from Ann Bradshaw (Senior Motorsport Consultant), Simon Melluish (BTCC Communications Director), Martin Lloyd (Account Executive), Gerren Scapens (Account Executive), George Brabner (Account Manager), Joe Downes (Chief Operating Officer), and Matt Bishop (Chief Executive Officer). Over to you, team…
Matt Bishop
Exactly three years ago I founded Diagonal Comms with a very clear idea in mind: to create a boutique communications agency that genuinely understood the worlds of motorsport and automotive from the inside out. Looking back now, on our third anniversary, I feel enormously proud of what we have built together. What began as an ambitious idea has developed into a thriving agency with a growing reputation, a fantastic client roster, and, above all, a superb team of talented, committed, and creative people who bring intelligence, passion, and skill to everything they do. Quite simply, Diagonal Comms would not be what it is today without them.
I have been fortunate throughout my long career to work with some extraordinary individuals and organisations, but one of the greatest pleasures of the past three years has been seeing the calibre of clients that have chosen to place their trust in Diagonal Comms. From motorsport to automotive, whether they be huge multinational corporations or bold new start-ups, our clients are innovative, ambitious, and world-class, and it is both exciting and humbling to help them tell their stories. Every client matters to us enormously, and we never take for granted the confidence that they show in us every single day. Their success is our success, and long may that continue.
One of the principles on which I founded Diagonal Comms was and remains the belief that specialism matters. In communications, PR, social media, and content creation, sector expertise is everything. Motorsport and automotive are highly nuanced industries, with their own cultures, languages, pressures, and rhythms, and we at Diagonal Comms firmly believe that specialist agencies are always better equipped to deliver meaningful results than generalists attempting to cover multiple sectors. Or, to put it another way, specialism equals expertise. When clients work with specialists, they gain not only communications support but also genuine understanding, deep industry knowledge, and valuable strategic insight.
As we celebrate Diagonal Comms’ third birthday, I feel optimistic and energised about the future. We have achieved a great deal already, but I genuinely believe that the best is still to come. I am incredibly grateful to our brilliant team, our growing roster of outstanding clients, and everyone who has supported us on our journey so far. Building Diagonal Comms has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional life, and I remain as passionate today as I was on day one about delivering best-in-class comms for the industries we know and love.
Joe Downes
A little more than three years ago, my old friend and colleague, The Bish, asked me to help him launch and run Diagonal, with the aim of growing a boutique motorsport and automotive (‘anything with wheels’) agency which did good work for good people.
We spent our early days sat opposite each other on a wooden picnic table surrounded by cardboard boxes in a small London office, wondering if we’d done the wrong thing as we reminisced about sipping champers on yachts at the Monaco Grand Prix in years gone by. But, since then, we’ve achieved our aim and so much more, proudly servicing tens of fabulous clients, from Formula 1 powerhouses and world champions to fledgling start-ups and karters. We even took a trip to the moon (well, sort of) when Cadillac took its giant leap…
It’s undoubtedly an honour, a coup, and a feather in our collective cap when a marquee name in the worlds of motorsport or automotive puts its faith in us to tell its story. Indeed, telling ‘jackanories’ (those ‘Bishisms’ rub off on you after a while…) in an authentic and compelling way is what gets our juices flowing. The likes of the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, British Touring Car Championship, Prodrive, CrowdStrike, Honda Racing Corporation, Claire Williams, and Tom Hartley Jnr have done just that.
However, I am most proud of our work for clients who have come to us at the start of their journeys, seeking to build their brands and boost their followings. For these clients, having agency support is often alien and daunting, and securing earned mainstream media coverage is far from a given. It’s been such a buzz, therefore, securing international media exposure for the likes of Dr. Marcia Goddard (I urge you to read her fascinating book); Megan Hall (download and explore her revolutionary SportSync app); Tamara Ivancova (catch her on The Elecy World Tour later this summer); and Alex Waters (check out his very exciting EVESO Bozeman project on the other side of the Atlantic).
I’m proud too of the team we’ve built – giving first jobs to some of the most talented young comms people in the business – and of all of that team’s hard work and dedication.
Having been on the other side of the fence – both as journalists and in-house comms operatives – we get it, and I think that’s what makes Diagonal unique and rather good – no bull****, no bluster, just hard work. Over the last three years, we’ve kept on proving that it goes a long way. So, here’s to us and to keeping on keeping on…
George Brabner
Upon Diagonal Comms’ third birthday, I’d like to rewind to a wet, windy, and cold Sunday at Silverstone Circuit in April 2024, when my journey with Diagonal truly started.
I was at Silverstone for the second round of that year’s GB3 Championship season, during which I was simultaneously a videographer, photographer, and journalist for a variety of freelance clients that I had acquired in the junior single-seater world.
I had – of course – expected my three days at the former RAF airfield in Northamptonshire to include a touch of sunbathing between sessions, so I was far from impressed when I found that my glasses needed windscreen wipers, the wind was trying to rid me of my coat, and my camera was on the verge of becoming waterlogged.
After hours of weather-induced delays, action finally commenced in the afternoon, but only for one race, not the two that were planned, as the heavens opened again. Thoroughly drenched and freezing cold, my mood was deteriorating faster than the grip on a C6 compound Pirelli tyre. But I had one more task to complete before I vacated the Silverstone paddock: meet up with Matt Bishop to talk more about the potential of joining his Diagonal team once I had finished my A Level courses. Matt was aware that I wanted to chat, but not of my agenda.
I popped him a WhatsApp message, “Hey Matt! Are you still about at Silverstone?” He replied a minute later, “Nope – I’m on my way home now.” The icing on the cake, I thought…
But my mother always tells me, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. So I decided I’d call ‘the Bish’ instead and run straight through my brief but very particular meeting agenda. Over 12 minutes, I told Matt that I wanted to work for him and outlined why employing me was a good idea. Fast-forward to August 27, 2024, and I started my first full-time job as an Account Executive at Diagonal Comms. I have recently been promoted to Account Manager.
I have enjoyed the following year and 10 months more than I even imagined I would – and I knew that I’d love it. It has been a total pleasure being part of the agency’s journey towards its third birthday, working alongside Matt and Joe Downes, both of whom are incredibly knowledgeable, committed, and supportive, with the hugely talented wider Diagonal team, and for our roster of fantastic clients.
Attending the Cadillac Formula 1 Team’s historic first shakedown (which I was part of alongside the lovely Annie Bradshaw!), supporting the British Touring Car Championship with my camera in hand when Jake Hill won his emotional maiden title, and seeing the dreams of young single-seater superstar Deagen Fairclough realised when he tested Aston Martin’s race-winning AMR23 F1 car at Silverstone, are just some of the memories – as personal as they are professional – that I will hold on to forever.
To many more years of press releases, aftermovies, social media posts, and happy clients… Happy third birthday, Diagonal Comms!
Gerren Scapens
When I joined Diagonal Comms in January 2024, I had just spent my first year after university trying to build a career in motorsport media. Having studied Sports Journalism, I was writing for TouringCars.net and Feeder Series, covering the British Touring Car Championship and British F4 throughout the 2023 season.
Towards the end of that year, I saw on LinkedIn that Diagonal had secured the BTCC contract. Having spent a season covering the championship as a journalist, I sent a message explaining my experience and asking if there might be any opportunities available. Not long afterwards, I was invited in for an interview and offered a role, marking the start of what has now been two and a half years with the company.
The majority of my time at Diagonal has been spent working on the BTCC account, which has been both a privilege and a hugely hands-on learning experience. I have been responsible for the championship’s day-to-day social media output across all platforms, as well as contributing to wider communications planning and media operations. This has included managing content across race weekends, coordinating live coverage, producing written and visual content, and acting as a key point of contact for media and production teams on event weekends. Alongside this, I have worked on the development and growth of the championship’s digital platforms, helping to shape both content strategy and execution in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the role has been attending events that I grew up watching as a fan. Contributing to projects involving some of the sport’s iconic brands are opportunities I never imagined I would have while sitting in university lectures a few years ago. I have also had the chance to support Diagonal’s work in Formula 1 through our involvement with the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, amongst many other clients, which is something I’m particularly proud of. To have gone from covering race meetings as a student journalist to working on projects connected to the highest level of motorsport in such a short space of time is something I don’t take for granted.
Perhaps the biggest thing I have gained during my time at Diagonal is confidence. When I joined, I was relatively new to the industry and still finding my feet professionally. Since then, I have developed both as a communications professional and as a person, learning how to build relationships, work under pressure, and operate within a fast-paced environment.
As Diagonal celebrates its third anniversary, I feel incredibly grateful to have played a small part in the company’s journey so far. More than anything, it has given me the opportunity to turn a lifelong passion into a career. Now to be attending race weekends and contributing to projects across some of the sport’s biggest names is something I never take for granted. It has been an incredible experience so far, and I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.
Martin Lloyd
I’m Martin Lloyd, the newest member of the team at Diagonal Comms. I’m so excited to get started at the company, a day after it celebrates its third birthday. It’s been quite a long journey to get to this point…
I’ve been interested in motorsport for as long as I can remember. The first motor race I watched was the 2010 Monaco GP, which happened to be on the family television when I was five. I had no real idea what was going on, but I was hooked! I then made sure to watch the next race in Turkey and never looked back.
Fast-forward 16 years and I’m delighted to be taking on my first full-time role in motorsport with Diagonal. It’s such an exciting place to be continuing my career, and I think it’s perfect for a young professional like me who is looking to make their way in the industry and grow with a company. It’s going to be great to work full-time within a tight-knit, ambitious team, and with lots of Diagonal’s growing number of clients. I can’t wait to get to work in the next few weeks, bringing strong core skills including copywriting, editing and organisation to the team.
So far, among other roles, I’ve worked for Feeder Series, the largest junior single-seater motorsport website, and with Formula Addict, one of the fastest-growing motorsport media brands of the last few years. But this is a big step up for me! So how exactly did I get here?
I’ve already told you about that first race that I watched. Well, very quickly after that, I became interested in more and more motorsports and started watching as much as I could. This led to my parents surprising me with my first trip to a track: we went to Thruxton to see the BTCC in the summer of 2011. I loved it, and 15 years later, I still love sitting down on a Sunday to watch the championship, as well as any other motorsport I can find.
That passion for the sport meant that, a few years later, I decided that I wanted to work in motorsport. I also enjoyed writing, so decided to start sending articles into my local newspaper. The first article was about the 2015 Bahrain GP, won by Lewis Hamilton. In 2019, I had work experience on their sports desk, allowing me to dip my toe into other sports which I also enjoyed, and had more of a ‘local’ interest!
After a few more experiences, including taking on the role as editor of my sixth-form college newspaper, I started my study of International History and Politics at the University of Leeds in September 2023. My plan was to pursue journalism alongside an academic degree, gaining experience while continuing to develop a broad base of skills. In this light, I was really pleased to join Feeder Series as F2 Editor in November of that year. It was a steep learning curve, but I became one of the leading members of the team and have loved bringing F2 interviews, reports and analysis to the readers of the market-leading junior single-seater website. I reported from the Silverstone paddock in 2024 and 2025, and am really proud to have been named as the site’s writer of the year in each of those years, too, as voted for by my colleagues.
In the last 18 months, I’ve also worked as a scriptwriter for Formula Addict and as a host and producer for a university-owned podcast on student wellbeing. It was good for me to get some experience outside of motorsport – but my dream was always to work full-time in this industry. I’ve loved working in journalism, and am looking forward to using the skills I’ve gained in a slightly different role.
After all of these experiences, and with my degree complete, I’m now ready to take the next step by joining Diagonal as an Account Executive. I’ve admired the company for a long time – a disruptor in the motorsport communications space with big ambitions to grow further. So when Matt called to ask if I would like to jump on board, I couldn’t have said ‘yes’ quickly enough! I was actually stuck in traffic when I got the call from Matt, travelling in the esteemed company of one of the UK’s most well-known coach transport operators. Now that I’ve joined Diagonal, I’m looking forward to working at a much faster pace…
Simon Melluish
Working with the team at Diagonal on the British Touring Car Championship account over the past three years has absolutely flown by, which is often a sign of having had a great deal of fun while also achieving a great deal professionally. In particular, it has been an absolute pleasure to work with Matt Bishop and Joe Downes, both of whom have an illustrious reputation in Formula 1 and the wider motoring and motorsport sector.
A good communications and PR agency shapes perceptions, builds trust, and creates meaningful connections between organisations and the audiences that matter most. The best agencies combine strategic thinking with sharp storytelling, helping brands articulate not only what they do but also why it matters. They understand that reputations are built over time via consistent messaging, authentic engagement, and a deep understanding of their clients’ business sectors and the interests and priorities of the media engaged in those sectors. Diagonal’s expertise in the worlds of motoring and motorsport guarantees that.
Diagonal has already achieved so much in such a short space of time, and I am sure that the agency will continue to go from strength to strength in the years ahead.
Happy third birthday, Diagonal Comms!
Ann Bradshaw
I can’t believe that Diagonal Comms has already been operating for three years, and it is great to see how impressively this agency has grown in such a short time. It is also gratifying to see that it has gone from strength to strength in such a competitive market.
I have known and worked with both Matt Bishop and Joe Downes before the formation of their agency, and I was delighted to be asked by them to be part of the Diagonal journey. I have not been heavily involved over the three years, although I have done quite a bit of work with Diagonal from time to time, and I was particularly excited to be part of the Diagonal team that looked after the Cadillac Formula 1 Team’s comms and PR operation when it was announced and began to take shape last year, in preparation for its entry into F1 racing this year. In particular, my task was to look after the General Motors film crew, who have produced a series of YouTube films about the building of a new team entitled ‘What Makes Fast Cadillac’s Road to F1’. The crew members were fun to work with and it was great to see that the videos they produced have been viewed by so many F1 fans.
Having worked in motorsport and F1 for longer than I care to remember, and having done plenty of time both in-house and agency-side over the years, I can say with confidence that the Diagonal team is an excellent one, led by Matt and Joe with wisdom and experience and supported ably by a small and enthusiastic team of very talented young specialists. I look forward to being involved in other Diagonal projects, and I know that the agency will only continue to grow and successfully represent its clients in years to come.