1. Can you describe what a junior executive would do at your agency, KMR?
KMR Communications, Inc is a beauty, health, fitness and fashion PR firm based in New York City with clients worldwide. Since we are a boutique agency, JR account executives are exposed to every facet of our business. JR Account execs work under senior account executives and assist or execute on the following: devising media pitches, media monitoring, arranging media desk sides, assisting with event planning, sitting in on new business meetings, pitching prospective clients, tracking and scanning media coverage, writing press releases, honing contacts with editors and producers, accompanying clients to television segments, assisting with long range PR plans and many other facets of the business. All JR account executive activities are supervised by senior account executives and KMR’s management.
2. When you first started out in PR, what things about the industry in the US were different to how they are now, i.e. were internships important?
I have always felt that a quality internship was and is of the utmost importance. Although learning in college is necessary, it is still not: the “real world.” For graduating seniors, having as many internships on a resume is really a way to stand out from thousands of other graduating seniors. It enables a recent college grad to bring something tangible to the table for a prospective employer. In this depressed economy, having this advantage is more important than ever. Read the rest of this entry »
From Britain to Ballantines PR
Brit Sarah Robarts is the mastermind behind Ballantines PR, an agency based in Los Angeles. Ballantines PR has worked with clients such as Starbucks Coffee, Hyundai and 20th Century Fox. Outside of working with top clients for Ballantines PR, Sarah is a running and tennis aficionado amongst other interests, with an MFA Honours in Fine Art. In this 7 questions interview, Sarah gives vox-popPRcareers her thoughts on the LA PR scene and what happens at a pitch.
1. How did you get your job at Ballantines PR?
I came over to the US with the intention of getting a job, but then I had children and instead began simply doing favours for people. I helped friends of mine launch products and earn press coverage. Soon after, I began charging for my services and the bpr company kept growing. Read the rest of this entry »
Jo Tutchener has a CV that most PRs can only dream of. As the former communications manager at Estée Lauder, Jo started Beauty Seen PR and has worked with some of the most famous beauty brands. These include Ruby & Millie and Topshop Make Up to name a few.
With encouragement from her father, Jo chose to study fashion promotions at the University of Central Lancashire. In the London media scene, Jo took on work placements at none other than Diesel and Paul Smith’s press offices during her placement year.
In this detailed 7 Questions interview, Jo, who is originally from Shropshire, will let you know the inside look on breaking into beauty PR.
1. You have had such a heralded career as being part of Estée Lauder. Why did you decide to open your own PR shop? Read the rest of this entry »
Matt Churchill works with Spooks, a division of Edelman Digital. From Watford, Matt studied at Westminster University and is at the digital forefront of PR now. In this interview, learn how you can advance your career in digital PR. Matt writes a social media blog called Seldom Seen Kid, full of insights into digital PR.
1. With your work at Edelman Digital, can you give us an insight into what a typical day for you is like?
It varies from day to day depending on the sort of work we’re doing. One day might include doing conversation analysis to help inform client strategy through the identification of discussion topic trends, but then on another day we might be focussing on the more traditional media relations work where we’re engaging with bloggers. The day will also probably have a meeting or two and maybe a brainstorm as well.
The one consistent job is morning monitoring. We put together reports for clients detailing what conversation there has been that’s relevant to them and what this could mean for their ongoing strategy evolution.
It’s a cliché but everyday really is very different! Read the rest of this entry »
Courtney Blackman is one of the preeminent women in fashion in the UK. The MD of boutique agency Forward PR and the co-founder of the Fashion Business Club, Courtney has been featured in Drapers and Vogue.com.
Forward PR has secured coverage for their clients in press such as InStyle Spain, British Vogue and The Financial Times’ How to spend it supplement, to name a few.
1) What was your inspiration behind starting Forward PR?
I started Forward PR in 2004 after working as the in-house PR and marketing director for a British designer who relocated to Tokyo. Honestly, I’m not sure if there was a lot of inspiration behind it. I absolutely love doing PR and it was more like oh, the label I’m working with is moving abroad and I’m staying in the UK. I’ll just launch my own agency! I initially worked with jewellery and accessory designers, which occurred organically, but in the last few years, Forward PR has taken on a variety of clients ranging from fashion designers, jewellery designers, luxury lingerie designers, a model agency and a handbag label, to big events including the Ford Models Supermodel of the World UK Search and the Fashion Summit.
Read the rest of this entry »
Chris Norton is managing director of Dead Dinosaur and an award-winning specialist word-of-mouth marketing, social media and public relations consultant based in Harrogate. He has more than eleven years’ experience in the public relations industry having worked both in-house and in a number of consultancies. He is listed in the UK’s top 15 PR bloggers and his blog posts on social media have appeared marketing titles such as PR Week, Social Media Today and Revolution. He writes on numerous blogs across a wide range of topics and most recently he is the creator of a new Twitter management application called Tweasier.com.
1) What do you think of Twitter’s promoted tweets?
This is an interesting question and I actually ran a poll with my Twitter followers on the very subject when they were first announced and then I covered the story on the Tweasier blog here I think promoted Tweets are a necessity for Twitter as it needs to find some kind of business model and it is using this as its first step into this arena. They have actually been rather well received from both the users and advertisers, so I think we have to give credit to Twitter for getting this one right. Read the rest of this entry »
Dan Howe, 25, from Toronto, Canada is an account executive at Speed Communications in London. Speed works with top clients like Symantec.
1) Can you explain what methods you used to find your job as account exective at Speed?
I’ve been at Speed for a few months now. I found out about the job on Twitter. Approaching potential employers through social media is a great way to demonstrate your digital savvy right off the bat. Also, by connecting with employees, it gives you insight into the work culture before you even step through the door, giving you a headstart on the interview process.
2) How useful have you found LinkedIn when it comes to networking?
I use LinkedIn to follow up and connect with people I have met at events and functions. It is a handy tool to keep contacts organised, but it isn’t a substitute for real-life networking. It is becoming more useful now that they have incorporated Twitter posts into the Network Activity stream. You can network by participating in groups and discussions, but the most I get out of LinkedIn on a typical day is by using it as a directory.
3) Sites like TechCrunch routinely give some tech PRs online dressing downs over their conduct. What are the key things graduates interested in technology should know when pitching to technology publications?
I think TechCrunch is an extreme case. Most tech journalists are quite friendly, especially in the B2B space, and at Speed we’re routinely meeting them for drinks or lunch. Even still, it is important to know about the publication and journalist before pitching. Despite all the negative blogs out there bashing PR, I think most journalists appreciate relevant and timely pitches. Graduates interested in working in technology PR should spend time reading as much as they can. They should get know what makes a good story, and who covers what subjects at each publication and then pitch with care. Read the rest of this entry »
Lee Smith FCIPR co-founded the Gatehouse Group, an internal communications agency based in London. Gatehouse has worked with some of the biggest names in business including HSBC, Lloyds TSB and Harrods. Lee was awarded a fellowship by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, the industry body for PR in the UK.
1) How did you break into internal communications?
So far I’ve spent half my life (nearly 20 years!) in the communication business, though not all of it focused on employees. I left school after A levels, in the middle of the last recession, and spent my early years working for a number of Midlands-based PR consultancies. I landed my first in-house role after a few years and then spent nearly ten years handling PR and corporate communications for a number of financial services businesses. I ended up being responsible for communication and reputation management for one of the UK’s largest building societies, which then became part of the Halifax/Bank of Scotland empire. Read the rest of this entry »
When Crosby Noricks could not find information on fashion PR in 2006, she created PRCouture.com, an award-winning resource about fashion PR. In this interview, Crosby lets us know how she built her online powerhouse.
1) When you started PR Couture, did you have any idea that it would be so popular and even get you an award as blogger of the year?
Absolutely not. I knew I wanted to create a space online to talk about fashion PR, because when I was writing my Master’s thesis it was really hard to find any research – academic or anecdotal about the profession. I knew that there was nothing like what I wanted to create out there already but certainly at the start I had no real long-term goals or sense of how long I would stick with it. I went through a period of questioning if I was the right person to do this – but I also had this tiny voice saying, “well, why NOT you?” and that was the one I tried to listen to. Read the rest of this entry »
1) Can you tell vox-popPRcareers about your background?
I grew up in Surrey and studied fashion design at university in Bristol. When I finished uni five years ago, I tried out a few different jobs such as buyers Clerk at Harrods and assisting at London fashion week to try and decide which area I wanted to work in. I didn’t have any aspiration to be in PR initially and really had very little idea of what it was. Read the rest of this entry »
