Role: Managing Director
Company: Clearbox
Track Record: Work experience during the early stages of her career was crucial in helping Anna Morris gain inside knowledge of the world of public relations.
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I started out working for a local PR agency when I was a student and spent every day I wasn’t in class at the office gathering as much experience as possible. When I graduated, I was lucky enough to be offered a permanent role with the company and I spent the next few years absorbing every thing I could about the world of public relations.
From here, I spent several years activating consumer campaigns within roles at other PR companies before being recruited by an advertising agency to help establish and grow a PR department. A couple of years later I decided to bite the bullet and launch my own agency and the rest is history. Clearbox was established in 2013 and it has been an explosive couple of years. We have grown from having nothing but a laptop and a phone to working with some of the world’s biggest brands such as Amazon.co.uk and Universal Pictures.
What was your favourite subject at school?
My favourite subjects were maths and physics — both of which I continued to A-level. I wasn’t entirely decided on what career I wanted to pursue when I was at school, but I enjoyed both of these subjects and I think it’s important to have an interest in what you’re studying.
Did you go on to further/higher education, if so what did you study and where?
I studied advertising and marketing in London for a year before moving back to Belfast where I enrolled in the Communications degree at the University of Ulster. I had a fantastic course director who was extremely supportive and helped to open a lot of doors for me. I think university can provide a really great platform to meet different people and learn a lot of invaluable information, but it’s important to apply that knowledge to the real world which is why I would strongly recommend securing a work placement while studying.
How did you get into your area of work?
While studying, I was keen to build up my practical experience so I knocked on the door of a local agency who gave me a job doing press clippings and taking names at events. It doesn’t sound very glamorous, but I absolutely loved it and developed a hunger to learn everything I could. I was offered a permanent role with the same company as soon as I graduated and I haven’t looked back since.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
I had an interest in news from a young age, but I wasn’t sold on being a journalist. When I discovered that there was a career that incorporated a mix of writing, news and brands, I was keen to find out more. I spoke to several people who worked within the industry to discover what was involved and whether I would enjoy it. The more I learned about the job, the more determined I became to forge a career in PR.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
While qualifications are good, skills and experience are better. In public relations I would strongly recommend building up a good bank of experience and transferable skills. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in a PR agency, but anywhere that will provide a solid foundation of office-based experience will be invaluable and help with scaling the ladder.
Are there any alternative routes into the job?
There are so many routes to a career in PR, but I think a lot of people assume that the best place to start is with a degree in a related discipline. However, I would place the most value on someone who was well organised with great IT skills and enthusiasm for the job above all else.
There are a lot of people who cross over from journalism into PR while a background in marketing or advertising can also be an alternative route to the job.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
A career in PR requires good communication skills — both written and verbal. The job involves a lot of interaction with clients, suppliers, colleagues, media and the public so it’s important to be able to communicate confidently and effectively.
When working in consumer PR, it’s also important to be able to think outside the box and to approach things differently to how other people would. The consumer marketplace is incredibly busy with audiences experiencing up to 5,000 commercial messages every day so it’s important to be creative and take a few risks to make yourself stand out against the noise.
What does a typical day entail?
I know it’s cliché, but every day is different in PR. The one constant is that we are always monitoring the news agenda and online conversations so our team is fully aware of what is going on in the world and how this could potentially affect our clients.
Each morning we’ll read the newspapers, listen to the news bulletins and monitor online media. We’ll be logged into twitter all day for ‘social listening’ so nothing noteworthy escapes us. Aside from that, our days completely differ from one to the next. One day we could be filming a corporate video in London and the next day we’ll be overseeing a publicity stunt in Dublin. There are, of course, a lot of desk days where we’ll be writing media pitches, drafting new business proposals and pulling together campaign evaluations, but the beauty of working in an agency is that we’ll be doing this for a great mix of brands and there’s never a dull moment.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
PR is a job of incredible highs and lows. There can be endless hours, hard days and long weeks but nothing can beat the buzz following the completion of a successful campaign. I absolutely love to see something go from a simple idea in a team meeting to a commercial success.
Why is what you do important?
Public relations is important for companies who have a story to tell. There may be some work to do around a brand that is opening a couple of new stores or launching a new product. Or it may be that there is an ongoing story to be told about the people behind the brand.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
The most important advice I could give anyone who is considering a career in public relations would be to go out and get as much experience as possible. Get experience working in an office, get experience working with people and spend as much time as possible soaking up absolutely everything that you can. While summer holidays may be great for relaxing, they’re also the perfect opportunity to squeeze in some invaluable work experience. Don’t worry if it’s not necessarily related to your chosen discipline — everyone has to start somewhere and employers will respect your enthusiasm and commitment.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
I would be doing something with horses — maybe working with an organisation such as the Irish Horse Welfare Trust or Crosskeenan Lane.
If you could go back, what is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
Toughen up!
The best careers advice I ever received was:
Surround yourself with people who are smarter, faster and better than you.