We’re back this month with another meet the team! For October, get to know all about our qualified sailor and
How long have you been at Prohibition? This week actually marks my one-year anniversary at Prohibition. It has absolutely flown by, and yet at the same time, it feels like I have been here for longer, which is a reflection of how welcoming everyone has been and how easy it has been to settle into the agency.
What do you love most about your job? The variety; every day and week is different from the next. That is what keeps me ‘agency side’ – the variety of clients I have the privilege of working with and the challenge of being across so many different sectors. No day is the same – in one meeting I might be discussing the latest paid social platform updates with an FMCG brand, and in the next conducting media training with university lecturers.
I’m a PR girl at heart, so the buzz of landing a quality piece of coverage for a client never wears off! It is still so rewarding to see a campaign come to life, and land with the right audiences, after so much work in the upfront planning stage and behind the scenes.
Tell us a bit about your journey to working at Prohibition. After studying comms and PR at Northumbria University, which included an industry placement year, I worked at an independent PR agency in London for four years. This really defined my way of working, it was fast paced and expectations were high, but we had a lot of fun and I’m still in touch with friends I made during those formative years (see ‘Dusty Carpets’ WhatsApp group). I relocated back up to Yorkshire to be closer to friends and family and, frankly, to improve my work/life balance, accepting an AM position at an agency to grow its B2B and corporate offering. During my three years there. I progressed to became much more involved in agency operations from forecasting to resourcing, culminating in a client servicing role managing the PR Outreach team. Despite various lockdowns during this time, I created a home in the city of Leeds, worked with some brilliant household name clients and made friends for life.
What’s your top tip for someone looking to get into the PR/social media industry? It sounds obvious but consume media! Read and watch the news, keep on top of social media changes and updates. The best way to get into an industry is to know it. If you have hobbies or interests, think about how you can weave this into your job, for example, if you’re a foodie, you might want to work for an agency that has food clients. Or you’re really into fashion, look at agencies who work with fashion brands. That way your passion will come through in an interview setting and in the day to day of the role – which is when it is needed most.
If you’re looking to get a job at an agency, I think getting a foot in the door – any door – is a good way to start. I got my first job as a JAE out of uni at the same agency I had worked at during my placement year. Do your research and approach the agencies that you like the look of, and be able to say why you want to work there. Don’t be afraid to be bold – if there’s an agency you really want to work at, don’t just send an email or be put off if there aren’t job listings on their website. Give them a call and ask if you can send over a CV, the industry is so fast paced that there could be an opening perfect for you that’s become available that very day. It shows passion and determination and confidence, which are all things you need in PR.
Once you’re in, work hard and try and go above and beyond. Accept that tasks on your ‘to do’ list might never be ticked off. But remember, as the ol’ saying goes, its PR not ER.
What’s your favourite social media platform and why? If this was judged on time spent, it’d probably be Instagram (I’m trying to cut down my scrolling!) But I think my favourite platform is YouTube. I like the format of Shorts, but also really enjoy the longer form content and often seek out the vlog-style videos to help plan trips and find the best places to visit, eat and drink etc.
What do you love most about working/living up North? A better work/life balance. Colleagues actually log off at a decent time, and living centrally means I can walk to work which is so nice compared with commuting on the Underground.
What three things could you not live without? I could definitely live without these, but three things that make a difference in my day to day life are;
- Step classes – I go three times a week and absolutely love it. It’s a great way to improve fitness and get your cardio in if you’re not a runner, but I’ve also found it’s a great way to meet like-minded people in the city.
- My 2 litre Primark water bottle – it has time stamps on the bottle and has been a gamechanger for upping my water consumption at work. I highly recommend!
- Memes and gifs – they genuinely bring me joy on a daily basis.
If you could switch places with any celeb for the day – who would it be and why? Maybe someone like Jennifer Coolidge – she doesn’t take herself too seriously and seems to be living her best life right now. I’d swap just to re-enact her Variety interview with Jeremy Allen White! And if you’ve not watched White Lotus or The Bear, what have you been doing?!
What’s something you’re secretly (or not so secretly!) really good at/passionate about outside of work? Not many people know this – and I’m a bit out of practice living in Leeds – but I am a qualified sailor. I got my qualification during a year out living on the east coast of Australia, in Airlie Beach, and worked as crew on an 80ft maxi sailing yacht running two day / night trips for up to 29 guests in the Whitsundays. A far cry from Scarborough’s shores. I’d love to live by the coast and always say if I won the lottery I’d buy my mum a house at the seaside.
