PR Not BS

My guest today, Zoe Hewitt, swapped her role as a set designer in film and tv to be an interior designer – because the skills are pretty much the same. There are obviously other reasons, which you’ll hear about. 

Zoe has known what she wanted to do since being a young child, and got useful careers advice from school – unlike many of us and especially me who was told that I could choose between being a secretary or a nurse – which did I fancy?  

Zoe has always been proactive, and has made her own opportunities. In fact, she’s never really been employed, but has always been a freelancer.  

During her time as a set designer, she worked in theatre and worked in tv including on the iconic series Torchwood, filmed in her home town of Cardiff. 

Now, living in Bristol, she has built a career around making a difference to someone’s life by the use of interior design – to bring, joy, calm, or peace- whatever the client is looking for. 

Her main style is all about colour – people don’t go to her for beige! 

To contact Zoe: 

Website: https://www.stylemongersofbristol.co.uk/ 

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/stylemongersofbristol/ 

If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe 

I was imagining my guest today talking to me from sunnier climes, only to be told that he was actually in a very cold LA! 

Nathan is the CEO of Miller Ink, a strategic communications agency with headquarters in LA, and offices in New York and San Francisco. He has spent the last 20 years in communications, working with a variety of large corporate clients, high profile individuals, entertainment leaders and some non-profit advocacy groups. 

He previously worked at the UN as the chief speechwriter and communications director at the Israeli Mission to the United Nations; in Brussels with a ‘think tank’ working on EU issues; and in politics in LA and in Washington.  

When Facebook started in 2004, Nathan was a freshman at college, had a Facebook account before many other people, and used this to his advantage in his first PR job. 

Nathan talks about how he works on crisis management with some very large US companies, including representing a custodial bank in a lawsuit with the Federal Reserve!  

It may seem odd for someone who works at this level to chat to a fellow PR from another country who specialises in working with small and micro businesses. Yet, as you will hear, we have a lot in common.  

One is the mantra of No BS when it comes to PR!  

To contact Nathan: 

Website: https://miller-ink.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/millerinkla/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MillerInkLA 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MillerInkLAI 

If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe 

Today’s guest has been described as a serial entrepreneur – a title she hates! 

However, Rachel has been running different businesses over the last 20 odd years. 

Prior to Lockdown, she and her husband ran a software business, but thanks to the huge changes that took place, 50% of their clients left. Like many small businesses, they were left wondering where they were going to make the money to pay for everything. 

Her husband, Elliot is an amazing pizza cook, so he suggested they started selling pizzas. 

I’m sure when many of you hear this, you’ll be thinking, how on earth would that work. 

Rachel and Elliot were incredibly well organised, and most of this is down to the fact that Rachel likes to know the figures and plan ahead. Plus, she also understands and knows how to use marketing well. 

When it comes to competition, she has a great attitude – which is almost ‘bring it on’. This isn’t just about Pizza – it’s about understanding how to run a business successfully. 

Apart from feeling hungry as you listen to us chat, after listening, you are all going to wish you lived within CasaGees’ delivery radius! 

To contact Rachel:
Website:  casagees.co.uk  

 If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe 

I want to introduce you to Trish Lynch, a very experienced broadcaster, interviewer, presenter and moderator, who shares the amazing story of how she almost fell into this business.  

She went to a casting with a friend who was actually going for the job, and because no one turned up, they invited Trish to interview.  She ended up with a video of her on a news desk with Eamon Holmes and David Frost.  That one video got her foot in the door, and there has been no stopping her since. Not that it was an easy ride - she had to learn and build the skills that have served her over the years.

It's likely that not many of us know what a moderator is. It’s a facilitator, a host, or an MC – basically the person in charge of everything that is happening on a stage.

Her biggest tip is for interviewers is, always research, because you are often in a situation where you need to fill in, and if you don’t know anything about your speakers – then you will be left floundering.

We’ve all heard of ‘resting bitch face’ – well Trish tells me about the ‘listening face’… 

To contact Trish:

Website:  https://www.trishlynch.co.uk/

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishsinclair/

If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group: Fiona Scott’s PR Tribe 

Today’s guest, is Dave Nelson of Truffle and Thyme, a catering business based in North Wiltshire.

For many years Dave had worked in the catering and events industry in London, and latterly in the West Country, in a variety of operations and management roles. Then COVID hit, and had a drastic effect on the entire hospitality industry and Dave’s job evaporated. 

His new business grew out of necessity, when recognising he needed to do something to make a living, was able to make use of all of the things he had learned in the many kitchens, he’d worked in during his career.  And of course, use his life-long passion for food.

He explains how he recognised the trend for grazing, which was something he could curate and manage from home and had the perfect skills to do.

Dave shares how he managed to produce his grazing boxes from home, while his family were also home in Lockdown. As you’ll hear, he went to great lengths to insure he kept managed health and safety rules. Now he has a unit in Wiltshire as his business grows.

Today, at the same time of year that his business began three years ago, he is busy putting together, Christmas hampers.

If you come on any of my workshops, you will be lucky enough to savour the delights of Dave’s amazing grazing platters.  Also, if you look at any of his links to his website or social media – warning – you may start to feel peckish.

 We also talk about PR too! 

 To contact: Dave visut 

Website: https://www.truffleandthyme.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truffleandthyme

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truffle_and_thyme/

If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe 

My main aim in my professional life as a PR specialist and expert, is to help people and their business or organisation to become more visible.

Looking ahead to 2024, in this episode, I predict the things that the media will be engaged with, and share how you can get your voice heard, talking about those themes. I look at more general ‘trends’ to be considered in how PR will continue to be shaped over the next year. 

This includes the continuing importance of social media, of video content and the growing domination of generations who communicate via online tools. 

My over-riding point is, as always, strong human-interest stories are incredibly important. And, as sadly, there is further contraction of the traditional media, there will be a great demand for those stories – so it’s vital start thinking and planning ahead. This alone will put you ahead of your peers. 

Among the trends I talk about, three things I see as important in 2024:

• The rise of AI will continue, and understanding how to use it well and mindfully is important. 
• Having an authentic voice – personality is going to become more important, not less. 
•  The need to understand Generation Z if you are an employer, or if they are your clients/customers.

 Also, thought leadership will become more important on LinkedIn. Listen in for more tips and trends! 

If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe 

Today’s guest is Natalie Brown, the author of ‘Confessions of a Crummy Mummy – The Baby Years’. She is also a freelance journalist and parenting blogger.

Natalie talks about how starting out her career working on local newspapers has set her up for the journey her career has taken her on.

She shares with me how she ended up writing her book, after having a baby in lockdown, and how being a journalist and working in PR, doesn’t necessarily mean you get everything right when marketing your own book. Natalie also will possibly surprise you with her great insights about publishing – she thought writing the book was the hard part!

One of her main tips, as you’ve heard on many of my podcasts, is the importance of your local community vs national.  

The value of contacts is something else that Natalie talks about, and how helpful having those within any profession is vital. Her contacts helped start her off in her freelance career.

She also shares how her blog developed into a space where people pay for her to publish their guest blogs on her platform, bringing in an income stream. And she has tips for generating traffic to your blog from other social media.

To contact Natalie:

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConfessionsOfACrummyMummy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/confessionsofacrummymummy/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsnataliebrown

Blog: www.crummymummy.co.uk

If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/162841034317598 

My guest today is client and friend, Laura Dent who talks with passion about her business, So Fresh & So Clean, based in Swindon. 

Along with her husband, Laura has run the cleaning company for the last twelve years.  They offer commercial cleaning, and also specialist cleaning, biohazard, hoarding services, mental health cleans and after death cleans. 

For Laura, the most important part of her business and the one she gets the most reward from, is doing mental health cleans. Recently the business has set up a Community Interest Company (CIC), to be able to fund these type of cleans by donating a percentage of their profits. 

Another extremely important thing for her, is that her staff are treated well, and that their physical and mental health and cared for too. They have recently set up free counselling, 24/7 for their staff, should it be needed. 

Laura also talks passionately about the people for whom the company work. In cases of mental health and after death cleans, generally, people have little understanding of the issues surrounding hoarding, and the reason why people get into the situation they’re in. 

You may also be shocked to hear about the after death cleans, but also moved by the care that Laura and her team take in dealing with these cases. 

To contact: Laura 

Website: www.sofreshandsoclean.org.uk 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/S0FreshS0Clean 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/so-fresh-&-so-clean-uk-ltd/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sofreshandsocleanukltd/ 

If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe 

Faith Roswell, my guest for this podcast, wears many hats.  She is a writer, former model, self-defence educator and journalist. 

We talk about how after studying English literature, sociology, art and critical thinking at university, she went on to become a full-time model, which she gave up to become a cage fighter, but COVID put a stop to that.  

Faith talks about how she overcame the stereotypical idea we have about modelling and how a case involving outing predators in the modelling industry set her up to become a spokesperson for model safety. 

She is now writing a book about psychological self-defence. 

You need to listen in to hear how Faith has juggled all of the different areas of her life and how it is all about remaining genuine in whatever you do. 

Faith is certainly not your typical ‘anything’ and she delights in disrupting ‘norms’ and false narratives. 

To contact Faith: 

https://www.facebook.com/thefaithroswell 

https://www.instagram.com/faithroswellofficial/ 

If you would like to contact me: www.Scottmedia.uk or if you’d like to join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe 

David Gillespie is an actor who has appeared on TV, radio and on stage, and he is also a corporate coach – he is all about communication.

You may well know David as the curate, Duncan Boyd in EastEnders, a role he came back to after a gap of nearly 34 years.  He also played Selby, one of the original crew members in Red Dwarf.

A co-author of 5 books on communication, David knows his subject, as you’ll hear in our conversation. Like me, he is a nosey person, which works well for both of his careers.

We talk about engaging with people, and how even when you give a presentation, you are there to entertain, and you are in the world of show business.

David’s passion for communication comes through during the whole podcast, and you can’t help but be drawn in to hear his story.

A brilliant tip from him: - interested = interesting.  The more interest we take in other people, the more interesting they find us.

To contact David:

Website: https://www.Dave-Gillespie.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegillespieconsulting/

If you would like to contact me, you can visit my www.Scottmedia.uk or join my free Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/prtribe