The Post: Director, Fiona Brown Communications
The Post Holder: Fiona Brown
A passion for PR led Fiona Brown to her career path.
HOW I BECAME A PR DIRECTOR FIONA BROWN
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I have over 14 years’ experience in the PR industry and during this time I’ve worked both in-house and agency based. Most recently I was an associate director for a PR agency in Belfast where I worked for almost a decade before starting Fiona Brown Communications at the end of 2017.
What was your favourite subject at school?
I have always been an avid reader and studied English Literature to A-level. I loved reading books from different genres and studying the meaning of them and examining literature in more detail.
Did you go on to further/higher education, if so what did you study and where?
I studied Leisure, Events & Cultural Management at the Ulster University and this included a year’s work placement where I spent six months as PR Assistant for the Sheridan Group, which was the company initially responsible for the development of the Odyssey Complex and six months in the marketing department of Botanic Inns.
How did you get into your area of work?
Initially I thought I wanted to pursue a career in event management but during my work placement I soon realised I had a passion for PR. The day after I finished my final university exam, I started the role of events assistant in Action Cancer. When my boss at Action Cancer, Sarah Young, was leaving to resume her career in PR, she took me aside and encouraged me to explore a career in PR as she said she was confident I would do well at it. I took Sarah’s advice and pursued a career in PR and haven’t looked back since.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
A degree does help but I don’t think it is essential as I know people in the industry who have secured positions based on experience.
It is a competitive profession so I do think a qualification helps. There are a number of relevant courses available and I think it is possible to do your degree and then gain experience or study part-time while working.
What does a typical day entail?
There is no such thing as a typical day. The first thing I do is check my emails and respond to any that have come in overnight and get up to speed on the news headlines of the day. I am a lover of lists, so I prepare a to-do list for the day, making sure I am on top of any deadlines.
Depending on what I am working on I could be meeting a client, drafting editorial copy, preparing a PR plan, co-ordinating a photoshoot or liaising with media on specific requests. Having launched my company in November, new business is also a focus for me so I could be meeting with a potential client or preparing a proposal for their consideration.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
I love the variety of my job. I am currently working with a number of clients in different industries including Hastings Hotels liaising with the marketing department on the PR for its six hotels as well as the communications strategy for the new Grand Central Hotel which opens in June; one of Ireland’s leading make-up artists, Aimee Connolly, to help her increase her profile in the Northern Ireland market and a local drama company, Bright Young Things, to help create awareness of the great service it offers local children and young people. It can be long hours, but there is nothing like the satisfaction you feel when you get the results for your clients.
It is certainly a challenging role. PR is a 24/7 job so if an urgent requirement comes in from a client or journalist, your day can change in an instant and even the best made plan for the day can go astray. But that is not a bad thing as it is also what I love about my job, being able to overcome what could possibly be a difficult situation. To be successful in this role, it is important to have good communications skills, to be able to multitask and stay focused.
Why is what you do important?
A communications strategy for a business will go towards helping people form an opinion of that organisation and its products or services. A big part of my job is working with the media to help communicate stories on behalf of clients and that activity can help form the news agenda of the day so it is important to ensure that all the facts are communicated correctly and in an efficient manner. A successful communications strategy can help gain coverage in traditional and digital media which will help to generate business for that client.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
Be prepared to work hard and put the hours in but in return you will be rewarded with a very exciting and varied career. A lot of people want to work in PR because they think it’s all glamour and parties – this couldn’t be further from the truth and in actual fact this makes up a small percentage of the role.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
I love my job and I do find it hard thinking about what else I would do, so I must be in a fortunate position.
Describe your ideal day off.
My daughter Elle will be two in March and I love to spend time quality time with her and my husband on my days off. Between my sisters and I we have six children under six so there is never a dull moment as we try to get the children together as much as we can. To help switch off I enjoy reading and going to the gym.
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
My very wise client Julie Hastings introduced me to the quote ‘Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life!’ This is a quote I have come to believe more than ever recently! You spend so much of your life working that it is important to find something you really love doing.