Scrabble, karaoke and 1v1 basketball
For this week’s ‘meet the lorries’ instalment, we grabbed some time with London lorry Philip Iacob, who sits across our tech and M&E PR teams. Here’s what he had to say about the importance of relationship building, being passionate about PR and his love of Karaoke.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in working in b2b tech PR?
Whichever way you look at it, PR is a people business. If you’re interested in working in B2B tech PR, then you really have to get to know and understand the journalists you’re working with on a daily basis. That means being genuine and engaging, knowing what makes them tick, how they like to operate and what companies and brands they truly engage with. The list goes on. The quicker they get to know who you are, the better.
What skills are essential for your b2b PR role?
You’ll often hear people talk about being organised, creative, etc.. which are all important. However, I believe at the root of everything lies your passion for the industry. It’s not a skill per se, it’s an ingrained feeling that will guide you in your career and make you determined to be the best. If you care about and love this chaotic yet wonderful industry we work in, everything else will flow naturally.
What’s the best part of working at the lorries?
The people, the clients and the freedom to do things your way. It’s a cool environment that makes you get out of bed every day with a smile on your face, and let’s be honest, not every agency out there has that sort of impact on people.
What is your favourite part of working in PR?
It’s an industry cliché, (feel free to quote me on it), but you often have to keep a lot of plates spinning at the same time. That daily hustle and bustle becomes addictive. You have to chase commentary at the last minute, arrange interviews, put together a social media schedule – it all happens so fast and we’re all waiting for our next hit.
How would you describe your day job to a child?
I take words and put them onto a Scrabble-like game on a computer. The less complicated words I use, the more points I get. Simples.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Karaoke. I’m the first one to grab the mic and the last one to drop it. Bring on the next Lorry Christmas party… my, my, my, delilahhhh!
What’s something not many people know about you?
I’m pretty good at basketball. I’ve previously challenged Bemi to a 1v1 match and even put £10 on the line. After finding out how good I am, he has yet to accept my challenge.
Most embarrassing moment?
Buy me a beer and I’ll tell you.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the lorries and to see what job roles are currently available, check out our Join Us page.
