‘I came to Building Relations three weeks ago with no idea what to expect. I was seeking a collaborative, people-first workplace, as was distinctly lacking in my previous job in the accounting sector. Hence, my interests turned towards the PR and Communications sector in the hopes of finding those very attributes in a working environment,’ says Oliver, who recently joined the team for work experience.

I was met with a wonderful group of hard-working, passionate, funny, very collaborative people, and was genuinely surprised by the sheer variety of what working in PR entailed! It might be a cliché, but truly no two days here have been the same for me. From working on area audits, to researching journalists at the forefront of digital news outlets, and diving deep into the social media strategies of various developers and PR firms, I have learnt an incredible amount about both the property and PR industries.

Most unknown to me though was the world of digital PR, and how intertwined this has become with every aspect of a business’ image. If you’d asked me three weeks ago what SEO and GEO were, and why they mattered so much to the public image of every company, I would have been clueless!

Learning how the media and PR has shifted increasingly towards telling distinct, human stories, and making genuine connections with audiences online and in-person, all to combat the onslaught of AI-generated stories and thought pieces, has been fascinating. The growing role of influencers as brand ambassadors was also really exciting to research. I had never quite realised how reliant so many of us have become on using social media when looking for advice on major life events such as buying a first home, and the trust we place in specific online voices has become a crucial bond for PR agencies to understand and nurture.

I am currently reading Film & Television Studies at the University of Warwick, so my passion for storytelling, in both visual and written forms, has allowed me a great understanding of why certain stories (whether they be national news pieces or TikTok videos) connect with an audience. Such an understanding is an essential skill in PR and a crossover with my interests I did not expect!

Some highlights of my three weeks with BR include visiting the Queen Elizabeth II Gardens in Regent’s Park to film social media material with project designers at Tate & Co. (in the middle of the heatwave!), writing my first press releases, and getting involved in the weekly Bright Sparks meetings. The Christmas in July edition last week, preparing initial ideas for Christmas-themed client campaigns, was especially fun!

The whole team has been incredibly welcoming, always taking the time to answer my questions and explaining to me the details of their own work. It’s been amazing to have felt like a real member of the team in such a short timespan. I’d like to give a special thank you to Sophie Thompson, my manager during my placement, who organised my getting involved in a really broad range of work. As a result, I’ve been given a wide picture of what life at BR looks like, and just how much hard work goes into researching, preparing and executing the PR strategies behind many of the property sector’s most important brands.

For anyone interested in seeing if the PR industry is for them, I couldn’t recommend reaching out to BR more. I have greatly enjoyed my time here and am immensely grateful to BR for having me.