The curious case of Britain’s nightlife lobbyist-in-chief
Dr Michael Kill says he’s a UN rep, a university dean and that his lobby group represents major music industry players. But the facts — and the institutions — are far less convincing.
Dr Michael Kill is not a household name — but in the world of nightlife lobbying, he’s a key player. As head of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) - which covers everything from pubs and clubs to festivals and global music platforms - Kill enjoys a level of political access most trade groups can only dream of.
Since 2020, NITA has met UK ministers at least 37 times and had one-on-ones with Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney. It even funds its own all-party parliamentary group. When Sadiq Khan announced a new nighttime taskforce, in February, Kill was named an inaugural member.
Now an investigation by Democracy for Sale and London Centric has raised questions about some of the claims Kill has made about himself and his organisation. We found:
More than a dozen venues and companies listed as members by Kill’s organisation have closed or say they aren’t actually members. This includes major industry players such as Ticketmaster and Amazon Music, who confirmed they aren’t involved.
Kill claimed that he had been appointed as an “official representative to the United Nations” on nightlife, something the United Nations denies.
Kill’s doctorate, which he uses in media appearances, is an honorary award from Appleton Private University. This obscure educational institution offers AI-led remote learning courses in the Metaverse, with its physical presence a small rural office in the US mountain state of Wyoming.
In recent years, Kill has also become a mainstay in the media, often appearing on TV or quoted in newspaper stories. His Night Time Industries Association is a company limited by guarantee, which means that it doesn’t have shareholders or pay dividends.
The firm’s directors include Sacha Lord, who served as Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s night-time economy adviser. Lord stepped down earlier this year after his events business was ordered to repay a £400,000 Covid grant. Kill’s wife is also an NTIA director and a paid consultant to the company.
While there is no doubting the depth and breadth of the membership, at least 15 venues and clubs across the UK named on NTIA’s website have closed or say they aren’t members, including big names such as Ticketmaster and Amazon Music.
Alongside running the night time economy’s UK trade body, Dr Kill is also ‘dean of faculty for nightlife studies’ at something called Appleton Private University. His qualifications? An ‘Honorary Doctorate for Contributions to the Nightlife Industry’ awarded by…. Appleton Private University.
Appleton Private University is not what most people would call a university. It doesn’t have a campus or appear to teach any courses. (But you can watch some, eh, surprising theories on the lost city of Atlantis or “learn” about “hierarchy of beings of light”.)
Appleton describes itself as a “private educational institution, with legal personality, its own assets, and full academic, economic and administrative autonomy” which is dedicated to “the service of humanity in the universal context of culture.” Its main point appears to be “preparing students for a wide range of higher education institution exams, in accordance with the requirements of various college and university programs”. It has student testimonials about tutoring and currently offers free tuition.
In the UK, you can’t just say that you’re running a university. The word “university” is a protected term that requires approval from the Office for Students to use, which might be why the UK registered company is called ‘Appleton Private Univ Ltd’.
The “Univ’s” owner is the Barcelona-based ‘Lord’ Jose Manuel Mosquera Castelo. Castelo is not a member of the aristocracy but instead purchased a British manorial title from a private company and declared himself the 30th Lord of Appleton or Westhall, a small village in North Yorkshire.
In April, Appleton announced that it was establishing a physical university - at a nondescript office building in the town of Sheridan, Wyoming that is home to thousands of registered businesses.
CNN last year reported that the same Wyoming address is also used by a company that sells Donald Trump-endorsed watches for six figures. The timepieces - which boast “Swiss-made power and precision” - are licensed to a firm called ‘TheBestWatchesOnEarth LLC’.
Kill is also vice-president of the International Nightlife Association (INA), which shares a number of staff with Appleton Private University. Earlier this year, INA announced that Kill had been appointed an “official representative to the United Nations”.
The UN role was “testament to the growing recognition of nightlife as a vital cultural and economic sector that contributes to global sustainability, safety, and social inclusion,” Kill said at the time. (The story appears to have been taken off the NTIA website since reporting on this story began but is still available on the Wayback Machine.)
This claim was based on gaining membership of the “conference of non-governmental organizations in consultative relationship with the United Nations” (CoNGO), which is open to non-governmental organisation from around the world. But being a member does not confer any official status at the United Nations. Sources at CoNGO became concerned that Kill was implying that their nominal membership of the group had given it a status within the United Nations that it didn’t possess.
In May, officials contacted the International Nightlife Association asking for documents that confirmed its UN status, while emphasising that UN status can only granted by the UN. The International Nightlife Association never responded.
A United Nations spokesperson told us: “On recommendation of the CoNGO president the CoNGO Board has withdrawn the membership of [International Nightlife Association] in CoNGO without prejudice to reapplying once it meets the requirements for CoNGO membership.”
Back in the UK, the NTIA’s future also looks less than certain. The group wouldn’t tell us how many paying members it currently has. But according to its most recent accounts, its debt has nearly tripled since 2022, reaching over £150,000 by the end of March 2024.
A warning in its filings notes that the NTIA is dependent on the continued financial support of its directors to remain a “going concern.”
The Night Time Industries Association, Michael Kill, Appleton Private University and the International Nightlife Association did not respond to requests for comment on this piece.
Democracy for Sale needs your help. If you appreciate our work and haven’t already done so, we hope you’ll become a supporting subscriber.
We have numerous stories to chase down and legal challenges to take to fight government secrecy. Every paid subscriber means we can do more of this vital work.
A constitutional requirement that ministers and advisers serving in any government shall give fair and equal access to any community group or organisation as to lobbyists would remove the incentive to create such an elaborate structure