For this project, I contacted multiple media professionals to find advice on career paths and give me an idea on how I could become a professional myself.

Monira Matin – WhistlePR Account Manager:

As part of a previous project I interviewed Monira Matin, WhistlePR Account Director. My aim was to gain insight into a PR career as this project was an informative website on PR and so professional advice was key. Additionally, after this interview I had a short informal chat with Monira talking about my goals for a future career and how I could achieve that. Monira suggested that the best way to get into a PR career was to find an internship after I’d finished my degree so that I could have a year learning how to work in a certain environment before I start a career.

Jacki Vause – Dimoso CEO:

As part of this project, I searched for different PR companies on LinkedIn to find professionals that I could message for advice on a career in PR. One professional I found was Jacki Vause, the CEO and founder of Dimoso. Jacki is a former chief marketing officer and management consultant, and so I believed that she would possess a wide variety of experience and knowledge from her career path. I sent her a message on LinkedIn using my written communication skills to make this message seem professional whilst also seeming interested.

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Chris Bird – Bird Consultancy Founder & CEO:

I used the same message that I sent to Jacki Vause on LinkedIn to get in contact with another media employer, Chris Bird. I was interested in Chris’ advice as not only is he currently listed as being an important staff member in 3 companies right now (which could mean he has a vast range of experience and would be a valuable future contact for potential employment), but also he is a former employee of Manchester City Football Club which interests me personally as a career goal of mine is to work in PR for a major sports team. Chris replied with his advice which I find valuable as it differs to most advice I’ve heard so far. Chris stated that grades aren’t everything and that having a passion for your job is far more important. Chris also told me to remember the ‘4 Ps’ which are in one of the screenshots below.

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Katrin Lewis – BBC Producer:

Another way I thought of gaining professional advice was by using my networking skills to identify contacts that I already know. One such person was Katrin Lewis, a media producer and family member of mine. Katrin has worked for the BBC, producing programmes such as Dragon’s Den (OneBox Television, 2020) and is looking at Freelance work in production in the future. I messaged Katrin via Facebook as I have best contact with her there. As a result, the messages are more informal than ones that I sent on LinkedIn as I already have a personal relationship with this family member. Katrin informed me that work experience is a good way to start in PR as it allows employers to get to know you and see you in action. Additionally, Katrin mentioned that she would ask a contact in HR for more advice to give to me, therefore expanding my network. Later, Katrin also mentioned that BBC sometimes offer placement opportunities, something which I may be interested in (although she mentioned these may possibly be broadcast and journalism based, not PR based) and a great opportunity for starting a media career.

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Kathryn Greenwood – Eden Public Relations Consultant and JT Managing Director:

I messaged Kathryn Greenwood, the Public Relations Consultant and Managing Director for Eden Public Relations, asking if she has any advice for a beginner to media careers and how I could be successful in PR. Kathryn replied to me asking if I would be able to call at some point to talk about things. As of right now, we are arranging the call, however this may be beneficial to me as firstly, I could gain a new contact in PR company and secondly, I could find out advice on what my next steps need to be from a professional with a managing role in a company. My next steps are to think of more key questions to ask Kathryn for this call.

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References:

OneBox Television. (2020) Dragon’s Den / BBC Studios. https://www.oneboxtelevision.co.uk/dragons_den.shtml