I graduated in 2006 from Southampton University with a degree in English and Film, some great friends and a whole lot of (unrepeatable) stories.
After a competitive interview process, I went on to secure an internship at a global PR company in London, gaining some incredible hands-on experience in an extremely busy, fast-paced environment. And despite the unholy wake-up time and hours of daily commute from the Midlands, it really excited me.
This led to my first ‘proper’ job at a PR agency in my home city of Nottingham. Starting in the B2B arm, I grappled with all sort of clients from mobile technology to fibre optics, and it’s safe to say I was pretty relieved when I was promoted across to the B2C arm…!
When the recession hit, myself, alongside about a third of the agency, were made redundant. Not one to shy away from a challenge, I decided that it was time to take a step up, and that the decision had just been made for me!
So I jumped in to a role at a full-service design and marketing agency with clients across B2C, B2B and internal, and many and varied responsibilities. From strategy planning and costing, to project management and staff supervision, to brand development and safeguarding, to pitching and budget management, to copywriting and relationship building, there wasn’t an element of a project that my hand didn’t touch. Great for my natural attention to detail, commitment and slight control freak tendencies; not so great for my mental health.
After about 5 years, I went in-house as PR and Marketing Manager for one of my key clients, a Times Top 100 financial services company.
Around 18 months later I had my first son and, like many parents, my priorities changed and I could no longer envisage myself in that corporate environment.
There was soul-searching, there were tears, there was an epiphany – and then there was WORDS by Jo.