Meet the team: 5 questions for Jonny Sharp

Continuing with our ‘Meet the team’ series, here we meet Jonny Sharp – who has a wealth of experience in B2B and B2C PR across a range of sectors. He is a former national newspaper and magazine journalist, with highly developed ‘news sense’ and ‘selling in’ knowhow.

When did you start working with SHC and what’s your background?

I started working with SHC in early 2017 after connecting with Suzanne Howe in a  PR group on a social media platform. It’s probably fair to say my career has been quite diverse after starting out as a local newspaper journalist in the late 80s and progressing to be a senior reporter on daily titles such as The Birmingham Post. In the mid-90s I used to commute to London to freelance for several of the nationals and combined this with writing features for weekly magazines and specialist titles.

Like many ex-journalists I took that well-trodden route into PR more than 20 years ago, freelancing for a number of agencies around the Midlands and representing some clients of my own. As well as extensive experience agency-side, I also spent some years as a PR and Communications Manager in public sector roles in the NHS and Government Agencies, among others. My last staff role, not long before starting with SHC, was heading up Media Relations for a well-known car brand, travelling to dealers nationwide and developing news stories and taking photos for automotive titles and the local and regional media.
 
What have been your career highlights so far?

If I look at my career as a whole I have immensely enjoyed working in journalism and PR. I rose to quite a high level in journalism achieving by-lined articles in many nationals and in PR I am pleased to have gained so much insight into the sector by working agency-side, in-house and in B2B and B2C. It is true that variety is the spice of life!
 
What have been the biggest changes in the PR landscape that you’ve seen?

The PR landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last decade or so to become more digital and interactive. We have seen the rise of social media becoming more integral to PR strategies. It’s important that PR Professionals need to adapt to the evolving media landscape and develop content optimised for digital consumption.
 
What do you enjoy most about your work?

I especially enjoy securing media coverage. In a results-driven business there is always pressure to achieve a good amount of coverage for clients in key media targets. Sometimes much of the work I do involves engaging with journalists to boost media coverage. Enjoyable aspects of this work include playing a team role, adding value to SHC and hopefully keeping clients  happy! At this point in my career I have a lot of experience and knowhow to bring to the table and I enjoy the challenge of operating in a wide range of sectors. There is a small, settled team at SHC but we all know how to muck in and support each other, and make the most of our different skillsets.
 
That’s enough about PR and work… tell us about you!

When the weekend comes I can be a bit of a ‘sport junkie’ following the mixed fortunes of Tottenham Hotspur, and in the summer Worcestershire County Cricket Club and the England cricket team. I go to fixtures when I can but these days the proliferation of streams is a handy alternative. My father had his own business in the hospitality sector and it must be from him I have inherited a keen interest in checking out pubs of all types, and enjoying the odd pint of Real Ale (all in moderation, of course).