Introducing our new managing director, Anders Nilsson!
Place of birth: Skillingaryd, Sweden
How did you end up in PR? In university, one of my lecturers commented on my ‘engaging writing style’ in essays. I’d never really thought about or been interested in writing before that, but her feedback encouraged me to explore careers where I could use and develop writing (and communication in general). So I sort of ‘fell into’ PR and, 15 years later, here I am!
Are there any aspects of PR you’re particularly keen on? I’ve been lucky enough to get stuck into most aspects of PR over the years: press office, campaigns, stunts, ‘digital PR’, investor relations, social media, content etc., and all to varying degrees of success… But I have my favourite ‘disciplines’ among all this.
I’ve always enjoyed media relations; be that helping a journalist on an exclusive story, pitching ideas and campaigns, arranging press briefings, or handling crises and issues. I also love getting to grips with messaging development, working alongside passionate founders and brand leaders to help them articulate what their organisations do in a way that their audiences will actually care about.
In a similar vein, I like training spokespeople in effective media relations so that they deliver good interviews for journalists while making the most of each opportunity for themselves and their companies. And I’m fascinated by the power of PR to help improve organic web traffic and to drive online and offline sales, and by the myriad measurement options available to us to demonstrate PR’s worth. Most of all, I like that there’s always something new to try and to learn.
Favourite film? That’d be a toss-up between Fight Club and Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. And *whisper it* the Harry Potter films…
Favourite site to waste time on? YouTube, and specifically the Moto Madness, GMBN, and Pinkbike channels.
Why PR? I love how much you get to learn about the inner workings of an organisation. PRs are (rightly) trusted with a lot of information, and helping to translate that into clear, understandable communications is a fun challenge.
Tell us three interesting facts about you: Playing fast and loose with ‘interesting’ here, but…
- I’m a passport-carrying Swede (and speak Swedish)
- I’m the human of a three-legged, wheelchair-riding American bulldog called Odie
- I applied for series four of The Apprentice and got through to the second round of auditions (dodged a bullet there)
Dream client: I can’t choose just one – Laka, Huel, YT, Atherton Bikes, This!, Ecotricity, Garmin, and Starling Bank are all up there but there are LOADS more.
Describe yourself in a sentence: A Swedish guy with a Welsh accent who likes two wheels more than four, the outdoors more than in, only eats plants, and listens to more 90s hip hop than is strictly necessary.
Where can we find you online? On Twitter at @AndersNilsson, LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersnilssonpr/