Journalist of the Month

Jenny Proudfoot, the Features Editor at Marie Claire, is our Journalist of the Month. When Jenny’s not bossing the world of fashion and journalism, she can be found tucked up with a cup of proper coffee and a glossy mag. Jenny took some time out for us this month to answer our SBPR questions, and here they are..

What are the 5 words that best describe you?
Warm, charismatic, funny, strong and determined.

What magazine do you love reading and why?
I buy a Marie Claire magazine in every country I visit, from France to USA - it’s become an airport tradition to pick one up for the plane to wherever I’m going - even if I don’t speak the language. I absolutely love reading the Sunday Times Style (I want to work there one day - call me) and also up there are Stylist and Vogue - I love them and have worked in both offices so it helps that I know both teams are wonderful.
 
What is your favourite book?
Can I have three? (SBPR say yes of course you can!) Normal People by Sally Rooney had the most emotional effect on me (I fell in love with Connell). Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is probably my favourite book currently - I can’t fault it, I thought it was perfect and would recommend it to anyone. Then finally, Women and Power by Mary Beard - a manifesto that everyone should read.

Which song makes you dance?
It’s a toss up between Bring It All Back by S Club 7, I Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher and Still Young by The Cat Empire - I’m aware that’s not your average mix, but if you’re partying at mine in Battersea, that will be your soundtrack.

What has been your best career moment?
Becoming a Features Editor was a huge milestone - it has always been my dream, but for me I think it has to be some of the amazing travelling I’ve done with the job. From covering the Women’s World Cup in Paris and exploring the backstreets of Tokyo to sailing to New York, working the Toronto Film Festival red carpet and reporting on the Formula 1 Pit Lane in Monaco - it’s those kind of pinch-me moments where I can’t actually believe that this is my job.

What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
Don’t let anyone make you believe that your dreams are too big. You can achieve anything you want to with hard work, self-belief and kindness. And if people underestimate you, prove them wrong.

Where are you happiest?
I’m happiest when I’m one glass of Sauvignon Blanc down at a South London bar with my loved ones. I’m so in love with London and I’m happiest when I’m just exploring and being a tourist in my city with my people.

Who would be your number one dinner guest and why?

Gloria Steinem would be my number one dinner guest, with Reese Witherspoon as her plus one. They are game changers in the feminist movement and I would just love to be in their presence, pick their brains, hear all of their stories and hope that some of their energy would rub off on me. And I know it wasn’t part of the question, but I’d cook them Delia’s hot crab soufflé and Scandi-style Smorgasbord. Reese seems like she would bring an amazing home-cooked pudding.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
I think it would have to be healing people because it actually helps others, far more than something like being invisible. But, if having Bernard’s watch counts as a superpower, I might have to go with that instead for the nostalgia.

And then a question from you to the SBPR team…
What is the most common misconception about your job?
That all we do is fanny around with press releases and drink prosecco - ok, we do drink prosecco!

Influencer of the Month

This April we’re championing beauty blogger extraordinaire Really Ree. Ree has ran her successful blog for 10 years, sharing everything from first look product launches, insider beauty industry news and a plethora of makeup and skincare knowledge. She prides herself on keeping it real for the everyday, ordinary person who just wants to look their best!

We asked Ree some questions and absolutely loved her answers, have a look:

What are the 5 words that best describe you?

Excitable, chatty, enthusiastic, friendly, loyal.

What magazine do you love reading and why?

I have to confess, I rarely read magazines now. If I do, it's the Stella magazine from my mum's Telegraph.

What is your favourite book?

Traditionally, the answer to this has always been To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. Now I think it is The Life-changing Art of Not Giving a F!

Which song makes you dance?

Anything by Britney!

What has been your best career moment?

I think it was when my L'Oreal Elvive ad was played on the big screens at Piccadilly. It's a moment I'll never get over. There have been lots of amazing moments and I'm amazed every day that I actually work with the brands I have obsessed over all my life, but that was a standout!

What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?

You haven't failed until you quit. Just keep going.

Where are you happiest?

When I'm on the evening dog walk. Archie my dog is a constant source of joy and I am like Beyonce to him.  He loves me much more than my actual son does!

Who would be your number one dinner guest and why?

I think I'd have Charlotte Tilbury. Her energy is incredible, and she likes a glass of fizz too!

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

To be able to know what beauty brands are launching before even they know!

Ree asked the SBPR team: what's your top motivational work tip?

Sunny – Recognise results

Unfortunately, clients don’t always thank the team for their hard work. So to motivate your team in the workplace you need to remember to recognise the results they produce. Let them know specific reasons why they did a good job.

For example, “Great job on that feature Grace, It’s already increased traffic to our customer’s website tenfold over last month.”

Lizzie - Give yourself a pat on the back. Allow yourself, and even encourage yourself, to be pleased with what you’ve done. Working from home is so much harder with no team to bounce ideas off of, and no one there to be your cheerleader, so remember to be your own cheerleader!

Grace - If you’ve had a morning of difficult work and feel daunted about doing any more, do something on your list which is going to get you a quick win, it will make you feel so much better and you’ll feel like you’ve achieved something for the day. Also, give yourself breaks… I need to do this more!

Small Business of the Month

This month, we wanted to do something a little bit different, with all the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19 we thought now’s the time to shine a light on small businesses who need support more than ever at this time! This month, we’re featuring Lillie Hussain, Founder of Loving Life Lillie Yoga. Lillie is the crème de la crème of yoga instructors, specialising in Vinyasa and Yin Yoga. We were lucky enough to get visits twice a week from Lillie in our offices, unfortunately, with the Coronavirus putting any real-life classes on hold, we won’t be seeing Lillie in the office for a little while. Fear not! Lillie is offering online courses so we can all still get our yoga fix in the comfort of our own homes, head over to her website to find out more .

While you’re here, have a read of some of Lillie’s answers to our burning questions…

What are the 5 words that best describe you?
Creative, love, savvy, determined, vibrant 

What magazine do you love reading and why?
I love to read Women's Health Magazine, it's such a positive mag with lots of advice on how to keep a healthy, happy mind and body, plus one day I will be on the cover, I can say that right? I'm channelling it! 

What is your favourite book?
I am currently reading 10x Rule by Grant Cardone, I love any books that are going to positively impact who I am as a person and a business woman, if you're solo in your business like me, shout out to the Reaching Millions book by Sunny & Lizzie at SBPR!

Which song makes you dance?
Well last night I was dancing around my lounge to "Do a Dear" from the Sound of Music. Other than that, I love Nicki Minaj, Suberbass, I can rap & twerk all in one song. 

What has been your best career moment? 
Best career moment, hmmm, I will never forget my Tuesday class a couple of months ago when we couldn't fit another human in the room it was so busy & I had a little moment of "sh** maybe I'm actually quite good at what I do"!

What advice would you give your 18-year-old self? 
Don't even sweat it, eff the boy, don't doubt yourself, don't you dare say mean things to yourself, stop thinking what other people say to you matters, you do you & you go get ‘em tiger. You got this.

Where are you happiest? 
In my beautiful flat with my wonderful partner. I used to think happiness was waiting somewhere abroad for me and it was something I had to look for, now I find happiness in the simplest of things.

Who would be your number one dinner guest and why?
Kim Kardashian, I'm going to be Kim's Yoga Instructor one day, you can't knock her drive & how well she promotes her businesses. Top secret, I've Instagrammed Kim K before, offering her a virtual class, I guess she just hasn't seen it yet, but she will. 

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
My superpower would be to replicate myself as many times as possible, the replicas can go and learn, help, and teach others all over the world all of their experiences, then return back to me and enable me to be my best version on this planet, my one lifespan would expand into hundreds. 

If you had to ask us one question what would it be? 
If you could offer a first-time entrepreneur only one piece of advice, what would it be?

Grace - “Never underestimate the power of PR! Your product or brand being recommended by a journalist and then seen by millions will put you one step ahead of your competitors.”

Josh – “Ensure your USPs are conveyed through your communication strategies.”

Lizzie – “Focus Groups! Whatever you/your friends/family think of your idea, test it out on your intended audience – preferably people you don’t know. Create a questionnaire, explain/demonstrate your product/service to 10-20 people and get their honest feedback. But be warned – you might hear things you didn’t want to, but it’s definitely worth it – it’s much better and easier to make changes early on to your offering, rather than further down the line.”

Laura – “Be brave and be different! Make sure you are offering something new and unique to what other competitor brands are doing in your chosen industry. You need to be filling a gap or creating a new space in the industry in order to be successful. Do your homework and make sure there are no other brands like yours out there.”

Annabel – “When you’re building your brand, business or service you need to have an acute knowledge of your ideal customer. Know what makes your potential customers tick, know where they shop, where they get their news, what kind of products they are already buying, who their favourite influencers are, what social media platforms they spend their time on. The more you know about the people your business is designed to serve, the better you can reach them! And it is never too early to start building your community on social media!”

Sunny – “Before you ask someone for something, think about how you can help them first!”

Journalist of the Month

This month’s journalist of the month is interiors connoisseur Lara Sargent! Lara is a Freelance Interiors Journalist, writing across titles such as the Telegraph, Livingetc and Ideal Home. You may also recognise Lara’s name if you’re a regular reader of the Metro, as she writes the coveted weekly Hot List, and the home trends guide.

Lara took some time out this February to answer the Sunny Bird PR questions…

What are the 5 words that best describe you?
Hardworking, inquisitive, sociable, loyal and slightly ditsy (I know that last one is two!).

What magazine do you love reading and why?
I really love reading the content on Sheerluxe.com…it’s a really engaging site for fashion, lifestyle and interiors (and I particularly like the Behind The Scenes videos showing life at a busy magazine HQ). Do subscribe if you don’t already...

What is your favourite book? 
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 

Which song makes you dance?
Common People by Pulp. It reminds me of living in London in my 20s in the midst of the whole Britpop era. Fantastic! My children now love it too (which makes me feel ever so slightly old).

What has been your best career moment? 
My best career move was going freelance. I’ve had so many great opportunities to write for such a wide variety of publications including the Telegraph Magazine, Livingetc, Ideal Home, and of course Metro which I love! I still write for trade title Essential Kitchen & Bathroom Business magazine - I first cut my teeth in the interiors world on a trade magazine and it’s an invaluable experience for getting a good grounding in the industry.

What advice would you give your 20 year old self? 
Keep listening to those Indie bands and have fun (which of course I did by the bucketload!).

Where are you happiest?
By the sea. My husband and I came back to our hometown in Wales when we had our first child and we live just a five-minute walk from the beach. I start every day with a quick 20-minute walk around the coast with one of my best friends and their dog - it really sets you up for the day!

Who would be your number one dinner guest and why?
I’ve just binge watched Cheer (a reality cheerleading programme on Netflix) and I’d love to have a chat with Monica the cheerleading coach…she is so tenacious and hardworking.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
To fly! I’d love to see the world from a different angle.

If you had to ask us one question what would it be? 
What would be your dream campaign to work?

Lizzie: I would like to work on a campaign that helped to impact meaningful change in society – it must be a great feeling to be a part of something that’s made a difference!

Josh: I would like to work with on a campaign with lots of over-the-top and wacky stunts!

Grace: I would love to work on an influencer-driven skincare or makeup campaign, I find it incredible to see how much reach and growth that influencers can bring to a brand.

Annabel: I would love to work on a campaign that focuses on raising awareness and making a positive change in the mental wellbeing of young people, especially with social media always on the rise.

Laura: My dream campaign would be to work on a fun PR stunt, like when Aperol Spritz created a canal in London where you could sip on cocktails and float down a bright orange river!

Journalist of the Month

After the festive break, we caught up with regional journalist Marion McMullen from Reach PLC’s shared content unit.

A section of the media that push their content out to regional press across the UK thus spreading the good name of our clients for everyone in the country to see in one go!

Marion and her team produce material across a range of product portfolios in print and online including travel, fashion, food, films and books.

Before working on 2020’s new and exciting projects, Marion was able to give us 5 minutes to answer SBPR’s most important life questions…

What are the 5 words that best describe you?

Busy, busy, busy, busy ...sleep.

What magazine do you love reading and why?

Women's Health Magazine - keeps me motivated to head to the gym.

What is your favourite book? 

I'm a sci-fi geek so anything by Peter F Hamilton.

Which song makes you dance?

Anything except country and western .... and Christmas carols.

What has been your best career moment? 

Answering this survey.

What advice would you give your 20-year-old self? 

Drink more coffee.

Where are you happiest? 

In the audience for the opening night of a new show.

Who would be your number one dinner guest and why?

I'm an utter disaster in the kitchen so I'd have to invite someone who could do all the cooking like Mary Berry or Jamie Oliver!

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

The ability to eat and drink everything in sight and sport perfect abs.  

If you had to ask us one question what would it be? 

What's the best thing about your day?

Josh – Working with a such a diverse range of clients.

Grace - When we get a great piece of coverage come through.

Annabel – Working out the figures for how much we’ve achieved! When we can give our client tangible measures for success such as reaching over 750,000 people with a piece of coverage or gaining 1,000 new followers on their social media in a week it’s exciting.

Lizzie - Not knowing what the day is going to bring – the beauty of working in an agency – no two days are the same!

Laura – Weekly yoga!

Journalist of the Month

This month we are catching up with Emma North, a freelance journalist who has written for titles such as Glamour, ELLE, Vogue, The Telegraph and Fabulous magazine! Emma will be heading to our client’s luxury women’s only retreat, Bliss Sanctuary for Women in Bali, with her mum in January, but before she heads off Emma has taken 5 minutes out to complete our SBPR Journo of the month questions…

What are the 5 words that best describe you?

Loyal, calm, friendly, empathetic and creative

What magazine do you love reading and why?

Ooh - I love reading Cosmopolitan for their up-to-date and engaging topics. They always seem to be one step ahead of everyone else in terms of controversy and interesting reads. I also love to read Grazia for the celeb gossip and beauty pages. Joely Walker is my female crush. 

What is your favourite book? 

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker 

Which song makes you dance?

Crazy in Love - Beyoncé. It used to be my ringtone in the days before iPhones. Every time I hear it, I think my LG flip phone is ringing and I want to dance.

What has been your best career moment? 

Having my name credited in Funmi Fetto's beauty bible book, Palette.  I assisted her as beauty assistant which was a dream come true. I reached out to Funmi years ago and she's been my mentor and inspiration ever since. Big love to her.

What advice would you give your 20 year old self? 

If you're scared - don't waste your energy worrying and do it anyway. What's the worst that can happen?

Where are you happiest? 

I'm happiest at home in Devon, with my dogs and my family, eating pasta. Or on a Caribbean beach... I can't decide.

Who would be your number one dinner guest and why?

I can't choose just one! I'd have to say Freddie Mercury or Mahatma Gandhi. Freddie would be so entertaining and charismatic. Gandhi would explain to me how I can find peace in this crazy world. 

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

I was cabin crew for 4 years and spent my life on long haul aeroplanes, jet lagged and exhausted. For that reason, I always swore if I had a superpower it would be teleportation. Travelling sucks. I'd like to be able to click my fingers and be somewhere instantly... primarily for naps.

If you had to ask us one question what would it be? 

Are there any clients that you dream of working with and why?

___________________________________________________________

Josh - Paddy Power – they do crazy and outrageous stunts to get them noticed in the busy betting sector and I’d love to be part of the creative.

Lizzie - Farrow and Ball – just because I love them so much; their ethos, branding, colours, and style!

Annabel - I would love to work with a brand which creates Christmas decorations - I am absolutely obsessed with the decorations that Paperchase makes, and I love their stationary too!

Grace - I would love to work with Nars, the make-up brand. I love their make-up and their campaign imagery. They always collaborate with amazing celebs, host incredible events and can be quite controversial with their branding!

Laura – I would like more travel clients and luxury retreats in places like the Maldives, Caribbean etc. – mainly so I can visit them!

Journalist of the Month

Photo: Sarah Brick

Catriona Innes is currently Features Director at Cosmopolitan where, in the name of investigative journalism, she has joined an undercover police force, worked as a Playboy Bunny croupier and – for one night only – performed a stand-up set with just two hours’ practice. When she’s not trying on other careers for size, she edits, writes and commissions the award-winning features section of the magazine. Originally from Edinburgh she now lives in London with her husband and cat.

Catriona took some time out of her publishing duties and undercover exploits to answer the notorious SBPR questions…

1.What are the 5 words that best describe you?

Eeeek, I really don’t know. I’d like to think I’m positive (though my friends also know I do like a good bitch every now and then), hard-working, fun (even if I don’t bring the fun I tend to gravitate towards those who do), sleepy (if I don’t get my nine hours that would change to grumpy) and, I guess, happy. I’m very happy right now.

2.What magazine do you love reading and why?

I always get all the weekend supplements – I absolutely love the Guardian Weekend, their long-form features have inspired me throughout my career. I’m also loving ELLE since Farrah Storr took over, the memoir piece at the front is always so moving. And Red for motivation and good advice. American GQ costs a fortune to get here, but is worth it for the long-reads.

 3.What is your favourite book?

I always recommend The Lost Art Of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice, it’s one of the few books I’ve read again and again. After Long Silence by Helen Fremont is a brilliant memoir about a woman who discovers that her family is Jewish and that her parents were in concentration camps. They hid it from her to protect her. I’ve bought it about five times as I keep lending out copies to people that I don’t get back.

 4.Which song makes you dance?

Raise Your Glass by P!nk.

 5.What has been your best career moment?

Getting my job at Cosmopolitan. As soon as I read the first rebrand issue I knew I had to work here – it was at a time when lots of magazines had taken out long-read, investigative features and Cosmopolitan was bucking the trend. I wrote in straight away saying I loved what they were doing and applied for the job of Senior Editor as soon as it came up. Since then I’ve commissioned so many features I’m proud of, as well as writing a huge variation of reports on more serious issues like sexual assault in the porn industry and going undercover with a police force who catch predators on the London underground to lighter things, like when I performed a stand-up comedy set or went to work in the Playboy club.

 6.What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?

Career-wise: keep going and trust yourself. I had a lot of wobbles in the early stage of my career where I thought I just wasn’t good enough and would stop emailing editors with my pitches. But now I see that I should have gone for it more and not taken silence as a “no” (I now realise editors are SO busy so that’s probably why they didn’t reply.) Life-wise: carry on having adventures, they matter so much more than the clothes you’re wearing or anything that could bring you ‘status.’

7. Where are you happiest?

Golden hour, first night of a festival, surrounded by friends, can of Strongbow in hand.

 8.Who would be your number one dinner guest and why?

P!nk. But not sure it would be that fun for her. I met her once and couldn’t speak I was crying so much.

 9. If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

Teleportation. I’d love to be able to, in an instant, visit my family and friends in Scotland.

10.  If you had to ask us one question what would it be?

What do journalists do that make your job harder?

It’s our job to make journalist’s jobs as easy as possible, so it’s interesting to think of it the other way around. Here’s what the team thought:

Lizzie: Not answering the phone or replying to emails.

Alex: It’s only happened once but naming the client’s product wrong in press did not go down well. The other frustrating thing is not being able to get feedback why a feature doesn’t make the cut.

Josh: Judging the story before they’ve heard it because I’m a ‘PR’ or ‘Press Officer’.

Laura: Not crediting the brand or company when we have provided the journalist with brilliant quotes and images for their story.

Sunny: Saying they are going to feature a story and then no doing it, as it’s very difficult to explain why stories get spiked to clients.

Catriona’s first novel The Matchmaker is available from November 28th and can be ordered here.