This week on The PRmoment podcast I’m catching up with Rebecca Blinston-Jones, UK managing director of MWWPR.
MWWPR is a US-owned, mid-sized PR firm with revenues of $40-50m that employs around 250 people.
In the UK it has revenues of £1.7m and employs around 20 people.
Here is a taster of what Rebecca and I discussed:
- How her formative years at Text 100 played a huge part in Rebecca’s career 1.05 mins
- How Rebecca met her husband at Text 100 1.40 mins
- How Rebecca used to sign clients on the back of napkins during her time at Mantra PR
- How Mantra survived the dot.com crash and was then sold to Lowry Group and merged into Speed Communications. 4.30 mins
- How Rebecca met and worked for Patrick Herridge at Mantra Communication, then they worked together at Parys Communications and then at MWWPR 6 mins
- How Rebecca had equity in both Mantra and Parys - and why the trend of owners offering equity in exchange for fees is less popular than in the past 7 mins
- Why Rebecca likes working for businesses when they are “early stage” 8.15 mins
- The current “micro” acquisition trend in the UK PR market 10 mins
- How PR firms are purchasing non-PR businesses 10.40 mins
- The rise of independent mid-sized PR firms in London 11.40 mins
- How in the US agencies have started setting up in tier 2 and tier 3 cities to address the cost of living in US big cities 13 mins
- Why many mid-sized firms from the US have a “small” brand in London but big ambitions 14 mins
- Rebecca talks about MWWPR acquisition plans 14.30 mins
- The challenges of finding the right people for a senior team in London 20 mins
- The risk of senior recruits going wrong 21.30 mins
- Why Rebecca decided she wanted to become UK MD of MWWPR 25 mins
- Why there needs to be equal childcare responsibility between a husband and wife 27 mins
- Rebecca tells us about MWWPR’s growth plans for the UK business 30.30 mins