We’re kicking off our new ’10 questions with’ series by getting to know one of our Account Managers, Ben Robinson. We’re hoping we can give you a real insight into the people in our team, the types of personalities within the industry and what different roles in PR involve.
1. What does ‘public relations’ mean to you?
It means several things:
– Helping companies communicate effectively to all their stakeholders, both positive and negative
– Increasing the reputation of a company and maintaining a positive image, whilst supporting its growth
– Creating noise around the fantastic achievements of our clients
2. What do you love about PR? / What excites you the most about work?
I love the wide array of clients and ever changing work, on a daily basis – no two days are ever the same. One day you could be writing a press release and the next taking journalists around a recycling facility.
You can also very much tailor your skillset / passion, especially at Houston, to work on the clients you have an interest in and passion to help, while continuing to learn more broadly.
It’s very much a team effort – you could never do all the work yourself for a client. There is so much to it and demands a collaborative effort to achieve the best results.
I also enjoy going out and networking, meeting some fascinating people and the opportunity to visit some fantastic places around the UK. I would’ve never thought I would be joining a refuse worker on a bin round at 4am!
3. How and why did you get into PR?
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, like many people, but PR provided an opportunity to interact with several different businesses in completely different industries – you aren’t restricted to just one company. It also demands a wide range of skills, from creativity and writing to developing strong relationships and you are always learning. There won’t be a day when you don’t learn something new.
4. Typically, what does your role at Houston involve? / What is your role, and can you give a brief run-down of what you do?
Account Manager – managing seven clients, being the main contact on a daily basis, being the go-to person. It involves everything from dealing with journalists and pitching stories, supporting a client’s digital strategy, crisis management, developing creative ideas to help launch a product and reacting to breaking news stories. A typical day involves weekly calls with different clients, brainstorming ideas with the team, developing content and keeping on top of the news agenda, supporting a businesses growth and increasing its reputation to all stakeholders, whether that be shareholders or its own employees.
5. If you weren’t doing PR what do you think you would be doing?
Sports Journalism
6. What is a common misconception of working in PR?
It is the same as marketing.
All PR is good PR.
You only need PR when something has gone wrong.
7. What do you like about working at Houston?
The culture – everyone is extremely welcoming and there is always an opportunity to socialise after work.
Everyone is very ambitious and there is a very positive attitude throughout the team, with people wanting to help each other – everyone is always bouncing ideas off each other.
You can learn and grow very quickly – there are no barriers between the most junior or most senior people.
8. If you had any advice for someone starting out in PR, what would it be? / Do you have any career advice to give to someone interested in PR?
It’s a fast-paced environment, but you will learn something new every day, so give it a go. You will have the opportunity to work on a complete mix of clients in different industries and gain an understanding of a broad variety of businesses. The people in the industry are fantastic and you will meet some truly great people.
9. What did you want to be when you were little/growing up?
A sportsman of any kind – I loved playing rugby and cricket, as well as watching football (but I wasn’t that great at football).
10. If you could have a dinner party with any 5 people (dead or alive), who would they be and why?
Mauricio Pochettino
Antonio Conte
Tom Hanks
Robin Williams
Roger Federer
Keep an eye out for more ‘10 questions with’ blogs to come and learn about the different role levels we have here at Houston.
If you are interested in PR or joining our team as an Account Manager, please get in touch via careers@branscombegroup.com