PR in the Real World

How do you build a multi-disciplinary corporate affairs function completely from scratch while navigating a high-stakes stock market flotation? In this episode of PR in the Real World, host Tony Garner sits down with Laura Harvey, Director of Corporate Affairs at Auto Trader , to map out the mechanics of leading a modern in-house communications department. Laura Harvey joined Auto Trader at a crit...

Sarah Ogden, Chief Client Officer Europe at Zeno Group, joins Tony Garner to share 25 years of agency leadership insights for this episode of PR in the Real World. They cover what makes teams thrive, why AI threatens junior PR roles, the behavioural science underpinning great communications, and Zeno's Clarity 2030 research — revealing that 72% of comms leaders expect greater influence by 2030, bu...

What happens when you stop treating artificial intelligence like a simple tool and start treating it as a "cognitive accelerator"? In this episode of PR in the Real World , host Tony Garner sits down with tech prophet, author and CEO Antony Mayfield to unpack the reality of working alongside frontier AI models. Antony Mayfield, co-founder and CEO of digital change consultancy Brilliant Noise, has...

How do you build a 36-strong, multi-award-winning agency from scratch with no client contacts and no corporate safety net? In this episode of PR in the Real World , Vicki Spencer-Francis, founder of Cowshed, reveals the triumphs, setbacks and strategic overhauls that led them to become the CIPR UK Agency of the Year. Vicki Spencer-Francis started her career in the bright lights of London televisio...

Is uncritical AI adoption risking the future of PR? In this episode of PR in the Real World, host Tony Garner sits down with industry leaders Stephen Waddington and Ben Verinder to unpack their book, AI for Public Relations. Stephen and Ben have spent two years examining how machine cognition is rewriting the boundaries of PR. Moving past shallow "techno-optimism," they address structural disrupti...

How do you successfully transition from heading a major regional newsroom to orchestrating the internal communication strategy for a global 23,000-strong public broadcasting workforce? In this episode of PR in the Real World , we talk with Maria McGeoghan, former Editor of the Manchester Evening News and internal communications leader at the BBC. Maria McGeoghan’s distinguished career spans the fr...

How do you build enough authority to run corporate communications for a major multinational company by your mid-20s? In this episode of PR in the Real World , training expert and PR veteran Steve Dunne shares the exact strategies needed to build a resilient, high-value career in public relations. Steve Dunne’s career started by accident at age 16 when a corporate aptitude test declared him a hazar...

How do you drive data-led behaviour change when the stakes include public health and human dignity? In this episode of PR in the Real World , Edna Boampong, Director of Communications at Liverpool City Council, breaks down strategic public sector PR. Edna Boampong has navigated an award-winning career from early event promotion at the Ministry of Sound to leadership within the NHS and local govern...

How do you move a policy idea from a 100-page research report into a live debate in the Houses of Parliament? This episode of PR in the Real World, Harry Bradshaw, Communications Manager at the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), takes us inside the SW1 bubble to reveal how real political influence is won. Harry Bradshaw's career has been deeply embedded in the corridors of power, transitioning from...

How do you land a story across a network of 130+ media titles reaching millions of people daily? In this episode of PR in the Real World, David Higgerson, Chief Content Officer at Reach plc, pulls back the curtain on the modern newsroom to reveal how the digital transformation has rewritten the PR playbook. David Higgerson oversees the content strategy for some of the UK's most iconic national and...

When tragedy strikes, can your words do more harm than the crisis itself? In this episode of PR in the Real World, Professor Lucy Easthope, the UK’s leading voice in disaster recovery, joins Tony Garner to unpack the devastating difference between "PR spin" and genuine, trauma-informed candour. Professor Lucy Easthope has spent her career advising governments, emergency services and global organis...

How do you turn a highly sensitive, secure defence program into a global social media powerhouse? In this 50th milestone episode of PR in the Real World, host Tony Garner travels to the Bavarian Alps to sit down with Flo Taitsch, Vice President of Communications and Marketing at Eurofighter Typhoon, to break down the strategy behind The Fighter Show. The Fighter Show has defied traditional defence...

How do you lead a communications strategy when the consequences are a matter of life, death and national inquiry? In this episode of PR in the Real World, Sarah Keaveny, Head of External Communications at Manchester Metropolitan University, shares the raw realities of frontline public sector PR. Sarah Keaveny’s career is defined by pressure and purpose. Starting as a crime reporter at the Bury Tim...

How do you turn a personal experiment into a global cultural phenomenon that millions of people participate in every year? In this episode of PR in the Real World, we go behind the scenes of Alcohol Change UK with Joe Marley, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, to discuss the strategy behind Dry January. Dry January is one of the UK’s most recognisable behaviour change campaigns, b...

How do you transition from planning a single national behaviour-change stunt to managing an education group demanding four campaigns a week? In this episode of PR in the Real World, Louise Marsden, Vice Principal at East Lancashire Learning Group (ELLG), shares how to lead fearless marketing strategies backed by data. Louise Marsden has split her 24-year career between directing disruptive public...

Are your channels locking out millions of people? In this episode of PR in the Real World, Louise Gibson of Sheffield City Council shares simple, zero-cost adjustments that make everyday PR campaigns work twice as hard. Louise Gibson has spent two decades managing public sector digital channels. Drawing from her lived experience growing up in a deaf household, Louise shifts the focus from basic co...

In this episode of PR in the Real World, founder of Experienced Media Analysts Steph Bridgeman returns to unpack what has changed - and what stubbornly hasn’t - since her first appearance. She explains how the refreshed Barcelona Principles 4.0, discussed at this year’s AMEC Summit in Vienna, align with the Integrated Evaluation Framework so communicators can set objectives, map outcomes and conne...

In this episode of PR in the Real World, Liam Kelly, Vice President Product Marketing at Onclusive, joins Tony to explore how the rise of AI and data intelligence is changing the way PR professionals measure success and demonstrate impact. With more than 25 years in media intelligence, Liam offers a fascinating look at how far the industry has come, and where it’s heading next. The conversation ex...

In this episode of PR in the Real World, we’re joined by Paul Holliday, Chief Strategy Officer at Bolton Wanderers Football Club, for a heartfelt and insightful conversation about his 20-year journey in sports communications that started in writing content for matchday programmes. This episode dives deep into the world of sport, PR and purpose. Paul reflects on the highs of promotion glory, the lo...

In this episode of PR in the Real World, Graham Goodkind, Founder and Chairman of Frank PR, returns to share the lessons, laughs and leadership insights from 25 years at one of the UK’s most distinctive agencies. Picking up where Part 1 left off, Graham dives deep into the people side of PR - what it takes to grow a loyal, passionate team and why ‘growing your own’ talent has been one of the secre...

In this episode of PR in the Real World, Graham Goodkind, founder of Frank PR, shares some of the most practical and hard-earned lessons from his 25 years in public relations. This episode is all about the mindset and moments that have kept Graham at the top of his game in an industry that never stops changing. Graham explains why there’s never a perfect time to start a business, how to create a g...

The PR industry’s AI revolution is here, and this week, we’re turning insight into action. In our 40th episode and part two of this special episode of PR in the Real World, Tony continues his conversation with Darryl Sparey, Joint MD of Hard Numbers, to explore how PR agencies can practically adapt to a future powered by AI, data and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). Darryl talks about how Har...

The PR industry faces its biggest opportunity in two decades. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and AI are already reshaping how reputations are built - and PR must be at the centre of that shift. In this special two-part episode of PR in the Real World, Tony Garner sits down with Darryl Sparey, founder of agency 'Hard Numbers' and one of the leading voices on AI in PR, to unpack what GEO reall...

PR in the Real World is the podcast from CIPR’s Small Agency of the Year, Viva PR, lifting the lid on how communications really works beyond the London bubble. Each episode shares practical, budget-savvy tactics drawn from the communities we serve in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, education and the public sector. No celebrity gloss, just impact you can measure. This week, Rachel Westray joins...

In this episode of PR in the Real World, we sit down with Andy West, a true legend in the PR industry, whose career spans nearly four decades at the very top of global agencies. Andy shares the stories, lessons and philosophies that have shaped his iconic career and continue to influence how agencies grow today. An early break at Text 100 during a period when the agency worked alongside Microsoft...