Where do you work? Impressive PR (London-based).
Description of job: Generating press coverage for musicians, comedians and events.
How did you get into your line of work? I’ve been running a new music, fashion and lifestyle blog for the last five years (pippasays.com) and was at The Great Escape in May this year blogging about the festival. I was at one of the networking parties when I met Mel Brown, the owner of Impressive PR. When Mel told me about her company and the PR world, it sounded right up my street and a month later, I finished my degree in journalism at University of Sheffield and started working for her.
What do you do day-to-day? The biggest part of my day is spent talking to journalists about the artists, comedians and events that I’m working on. I think I speak on behalf of everyone in the office – and, actually, everyone in PR – when I say that the lunch meetings with journalists are the best. I’m also in regular contact with my clients, speaking to them about upcoming shows and interviews. A couple of nights a week, the team and I go out to shows – supporting our acts, meeting journalists and checking out new talent.
What’s the most rewarding part of the job? The best part of this job is seeing the final product of the coverage that you’ve been working on. I love seeing my acts in the papers and magazines, reading about them online and listening to them on the radio and the TV. It makes it all worth it to know that your hard work is helping your acts towards success.
And the most challenging? PR can be a frustrating job. No matter how hard you push or how desperately you try to negotiate, space in the papers for the arts is limited and journalists are always running out of time.
Finally, what advice do you have for anyone entering the industry? Keep on top of the news, take every networking opportunity and write down every idea you have.
