Chris Norton shares what it takes to land a role at Prohibition in Leeds, how celebrating mistakes built one of the UK’s most downloaded industry podcasts, and the simple piece of advice that’s shaped his career.
How do you land a job at Prohibition? I set up Prohibition back in 2010 from my garage at home after realising freelancing 70-hour weeks wasn’t sustainable, and I couldn’t chill out at all on holiday. So today we look for people who are sharp, curious and not afraid to challenge the brief or us. If you’ve got ideas and the graft to back them up, you’ll fit right in. We like someone with a strong work ethic and with initiative.
What piece of work are you most proud of and why? Launching Embracing Marketing Mistakes, and doing a public relations podcast properly. It has now had more than 160,000 downloads, 450,000 views on YouTube, and it has opened up honest conversations about when marketing goes wrong. I wanted to create something refreshing that people could genuinely enjoy and laugh along with, rather than just joining the usual echo chamber. Failures can build reputations if you’re brave enough to talk about them.
What’s the best job advice you’ve been given for working in public relations?
Never bullshit a journalist. They’ll see straight through you, and once the trust is gone, it’s gone.
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