Tell us a little about your current role and career to date
I’m the owner of Clearbox, a communications and community engagement consultancy based in Belfast. We have a brilliant team of people, and we work with world-class clients including 3EN, Amazon, Neptune Software, ROOM, Synergy Learning, Universal Pictures and Zoopla.
My first taste of the PR industry came through work experience during my time at university in Leeds, where I did a PR degree from 2002 – 2006.
My first role was working as a press office assistant at the Professional Darts Corporation. The initial one-week placement turned into a year-long job where I toured the world (well…we toured the UK, but we did also go to Las Vegas…), learned so much about the industry and developed the skill of knocking out large volumes of copy at a frightening speed for press releases, match reports and the PDC website.
As part of my studies, I needed to find a full-time job for a year, so I applied for the industrial placement programme at McDonald’s. I was lucky to land a position in the sport sponsorship team in the company’s head office in 2004, where I worked with the four home nation FAs, the International Olympic Committee, Team GB, FIFA, and UEFA.
At McDonald’s, I worked alongside the red consultancy. I loved their vibe, their clients, and their Soho office so when I finished uni, I went back to London in 2006 and joined red’s graduate programme. I spent four years there, learning from the best, working for the best and making friends for life. I also worked on McDonald’s there, naturally.
My next role was with Fever PR in 2010, where I worked with a creative team, made more friends for life, and got the chance to work with incredible people at Amazon, who I am fortunate to still be working with today.
In 2011, I returned home to Northern Ireland. After working in several local PR agencies, I joined Clearbox as a director in 2014. Despite having more directors (two) than clients (one), we kept going and managed to land two projects that would shape the agency forever.
Thanks to old friends in London, we built a statue of Mrs. Brown (from Mrs. Brown’s Boys) for a campaign in Dublin, and we started working with Amazon. These campaigns were the bedrock of everything we’ve built in the last (almost) ten years.
We were named best new PR consultancy in the UK in 2015 by the good people at the PRCA and we’ve continued to try to evolve as a company ever since.
Is there any aspect of your job you particularly enjoy? And any aspect you don't enjoy?
I know the industry has evolved way beyond this, but I still absolutely love the buzz of press coverage.
I also really enjoy helping young people to get a foot on the ladder in the industry. We run a graduate programme here at Clearbox and earlier this year, we launched a new programme called Absolute Beginners, offering jobs and training for people who didn’t go into higher education.
There’s nothing that jumps out in terms of things I don’t enjoy. I suppose I’m lucky to have found a job and an industry where I can turn my hand to most things.
Actually, I’ve just remembered I need to fill in my timesheets. I don’t enjoy those. Does anyone?
What career advice would you give your younger self?
Try to enjoy it a bit more, especially when you’re young. Embrace all the opportunities that come your way, even if you’re not sure about them. Go on holiday. Stop wasting football tickets in favour of work. Highbury will be gone one day, and Arsenal won’t be in the Champions League anymore, so just go to the game.
Also, when you go past a charity shop on a lunch time walk in the future and you see a rare Oasis singles box set in the window for a shockingly low price, go in and buy it. Don’t go on your walk first. It won’t be there when you get back.
Why did you decide to join the PRCA NI Committee?
I thought that instead of sitting on the fence observing the issues facing our industry, I should join a group of people who are trying to do something about it. The committee here has some great characters and personalities and I also think the work it does with the Next Gen committee is important, so it made sense for me to put my shoulder to the wheel and get involved. I’ve really enjoyed being involved.
Read our previous 'Meet the Comittee' Q&As with Vicki Caddy, Riki Neill & Geri Wright, Claire Best, Sarah Hamilton and Claire Bonner.