From working on events with Camilla Parker Bowles in attendance to doing the PR for Givenchy in London, Sarah Humphries has led an impressive career. Launching her own agency in March this year, the Sarah Humphries Agency SHA has quickly gone from strength-to-strength - culminating with the team being named Star Beauty PR Team of the Year. The SHA PR director managed to take time out from her hectic schedule to reveal to beautydirectory how she got her start, the best bits of the job, and what she looks for in a potential employee.
Where did you career in PR begin?
I studied journalism at the University of Canberra for one year, before I realised I’d lived my whole life in Canberra and needed to see the world. I moved to London and accepted a customer service role at Givenchy. Knowing that I wanted to get into PR and that I had no contacts in London, I did what every girl wanting to break into PR needs to do - I cold-called PR agencies looking for work experience. One call led to another and I ended up working for PR and events company Beat PR. The first event I worked at was the launch of Tom Parker Bowles’ book, and his mum Camilla was the first guest to arrive. After doing a number of events with Beat, a position within the Givenchy PR department became available and with my new experience and contacts, I was offered the role. The rest is history.
When and why did you start SHA?
Following 10 years experience in beauty PR, five of which being with Kirsten Carriol at Buzz Consulting, I had the opportunity to take over the business from Kirsten, which I rebranded as SHA. I was the account director for beauty and health at Buzz Consulting, and before that the in-house beauty PR at Givenchy, London.
Is your role at SHA similar to what you were doing at Buzz?
Yes and no. Most of it is very similar because I’m extremely hands-on with all of my clients, but there is the business side of things that I’m across now as well.
Was it a hard process to break out into having your own agency?
I was incredibly fortunate with the opportunity that Kirsten presented to me, but after a year with SHA, I feel confident we have independently proven ourselves as the best agency for our clients. Starting a new business is, by its very nature, a hard process, but it is the most fulfilling one as well.
Did you have to make any sacrifices to get where you are?
No. For me, working in PR has been such a passion that I’ve never felt like I’ve had to sacrifice anything. To be honest, my job – even at the most junior level – has always provided me amazing opportunities.
What does your role involve, exactly?
I’ll give you this week as an example:
Each morning I have a 15-minute catch-up with my team to review their plans for the day.
I had five media appointments.
Presented the PR Strategy at the the cross-agency 2014 response of four key clients to the senior management team.
Met with a social media agency we are looking to partner with, and a coffee with a global vlogger who I will be working with early next year.
On Friday we have our full team WIP and we celebrated some brilliant editorial with a scrummy breakfast.
What’s the best part of the job?
My team, working with such a great group of media, and that high that you get when you land a full-page story or TV interview for a client is unbeatable.
What excites you about working in beauty PR?
The fact that it is always evolving, from the products we launch to the media mediums we work with.
What makes SHA a unique agency?
We’re a small to medium sized agency, which means you get senior people, who have impeccable contacts, working on your business in an agency that has the capabilities and structure to support working with large corporate multinational clients. Because of our size, we are able to keep our close relationships with the media and not get lost amongst the corporate world. These relationships are critical in ensuring our clients stay top of mind. All of my clients are big globally known multi-national brands from luxury to FMCG, which is also a unique position for SHA to be in.
What would you say is the key to running a successful PR agency?
Working to your brief, but thinking outside of the square. Focus on getting the press and the rest will be okay.
You’ve just won a Star Award for Star Beauty PR Team of the Year. What makes a good PR team?
What I love about my team, and why I believe we won this award is that we are a team, in the true sense of the word. Each of the girls are brilliant PRs in their own right: smart, savvy, sociable, helpful and creative, but together they are unbeatable. They share my vision for doing what you love and doing it really, really well.
What skills do you look for when looking to hire a PR account manager?
Great work experience – before they are ever paid. A recommendation from a journalist (a CV can lie, they won’t). A love for consumer media and news.
If you weren’t in PR, what job would you be doing?
I’m actually doing the job of my dreams, but if I had to do something else, then, given my ability to make a mean sandwich, I’d open a sandwich shop… in Hawaii.
Where would you like your career to go from here?
For SHA to be known as the best beauty PR agency in Australia and around the world.
SHA PR brands include Aqua di Parma, , , , , Laura Mercier, , , , , , , , , , , , , and .