What the Flack: Ellie Botwood Celebrates 10 Years of BOT Inc.

Ellie Botwood runs BOT INC, a PR specialist who counts Merman, BITE Collective, Marshall Street Editors, Mrs Baxter and Tango Production in Poland as her clients. 

LBB> Tell us about your current role and what you do? 

Ellie> I am a PR Consultant with my company Bot Inc. I provide PR & Social Media strategies and creative solutions for agencies, production companies and post houses. I’m just about to celebrate my 10 year anniversary this week and I can’t quite believe it!

LBB> And how did you get to where you are today? 

Ellie> I went around the houses a bit. Does anyone actually plan on working in advertising I wonder? 

I started in feature films as a production trainee for the likes of directors Alfonso Cuaron and Neil Jordan which was hardcore. I also was Julianne Moore’s PA for a bit but nearly got fired because I talked to her too much. The 2nd AD said I had to listen and pre-empt what she wanted which I thought was an ineffectual way of communicating as someone’s personal assistant! So yeah I didn't last long there. She was lovely though.

My advertising life started as an account handler/creative assistant at agencies such as DDB and WCRS where I learned the ropes, which was great fun and much more “me”. But then the creative bug caught up with me and I went to work for Mark Denton, becoming his assistant and consequently his sales rep who taught me everything I know about PR. 

LBB> What does your average day look like?

Ellie> Starts with a beach walk with the dog to get a cup of coffee from my friends at The Pump Rooms on Brighton seafront (*not a paid plug). Brighton is full of amazing characters with fascinating backgrounds and I love hearing people’s stories. 

Back at the fort, I look at the latest trends, editorial calendars and competitors' PR to find out what is going on in the world first and foremost. 

My role is to think of ways to promote the company and talent, whether it's an article or ‘out of the box’ thinking. I rarely come up with the best creative ideas at a desk. Normally it’s on a walk where I have inspiration. I’m also doing DIY at the moment and it's amazing where your mind drifts when you’re painting. The idea of keeping creatives locked in an office is madness to me. You need nature, ability to breathe and freedom to be creative. Clients breathing down your neck or standing over you, 99% of the time never works.

I’ve wfh since day 1 and it's always worked for me. I need the quiet and space to think and write as well as have private conversations with clients. A lot of time you have to juggle many plates in a day. Most PR is reactive, whether its news, being available for comment or recent work airing ahead of schedule, you have to keep calm and get on with it, quickly! Normally you’re the first port of call when the shit goes down. And then you have to move FAST. Clients need to be able to trust their comms guy. 

I end the day normally feeding and bedding down the horse. I can’t tell you what the stable yard does for my mental health. It’s so grounding shovelling horse shit. 

LBB> For your organisation, what is the key function of PR and comms? Is it about company culture? Attracting clients? Empowering talent? Something else?

Ellie> It’s all of the above. 

People consume a lot more these days whether it’s magazines, films, podcasts, social media, you name it. I think that’s why we’re all feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and depressed. 

If you want to be relevant you need to be across all these platforms and listen to what’s going on around you; What’s current? What’s sustaining people’s interest? There’s always someone doing something new and innovative so you have to move and adapt with the trends if you want to remain relevant and keep business flowing. 

But it’s also about consistency. Social media plays a huge part these days in creativity and selling. It has to be top notch, on trend, creative and relevant. 

I can’t believe how many agencies, the communicators of the marketing world, get their own social media so wrong. 

LBB> PR has always been about finding the story / finding the angle. What is your process for staying ahead of the content curve and serving up something fresh and engaging?

Ellie> I would like to say it’s instinct when finding a story. I always think about what I personally would like to read, what do I find interesting? I listen to the radio a lot. It’s a really good tool to keep ahead of the curve and learn what’s driving audiences these days.

As far as showcasing talent, I think it’s important to get your personality across. People buy into people. Also passion. Passion is infectious. Regardless of what someone is talking about, if they are passionate about it, it nearly always translates and keeps readers engaged. 

LBB> And what other common misconception do advertising/production people have about comms and PR?

Ellie> I think some clients who don’t have experience of PR and comms don’t understand pitching to journalists. Just because you have the relationship with the publication doesn’t necessarily mean you can get their 15” idents onto the front page. Sometimes it's tricky to say, ‘I know you’ve worked really hard on this for 6 months but the creative isn’t up to scratch to be newsworthy’. 

I always try to give my clients the bigger picture and manage expectations. Perhaps I’m too honest at times but I’m only saying what everyone is thinking. Being independent means it's my reputation on the line too. 

Also, don’t underestimate just how many people read the Mail Online! 

LBB> When it comes to getting coverage/PR for a creative campaign in the consumer press, how should creative teams go about working with their agency’s comms and PR experts?

Ellie> Get everyone involved who worked on the process. A hack once told me, the more people who shout about it, it shows how much they believe in their work. 

By involving production and post..all the way to the crew and service company, you are creating a little army who will promote and sell on your behalf. At the end of the day it's a team effort and why shouldn’t everyone share the glory if they’ve worked hard?

Get your PR team abreast of the campaign early on! The earlier the better to build the campaign and see where it will run…

Oh and also leave the writers to write the press releases. 

LBB> When a business is faced with very bad news, what’s the key to getting through it?

Ellie> Be honest, be prepared, tackle it head on and ride it out. It might be big news today but it will be something else tomorrow. 

LBB> What frustrates you about the way the media and PR have changed over the years?

Ellie> Fake news. Always go for facts people!

Social media commentary. People getting their knickers in a twist over really mundane, ridiculous things on social media and brands then changing their opinions due to public pressure. Drives me nuts.

And most importantly freedom of speech. Censorship and cancel culture is WILD and out of control. Everyone is allowed an opinion. Stupid or not. Most of the time conflicting opinions can turn into healthy arguments if said face to face.

LBB> And what excites you?

Ellie> I’m an analogue '90s girl and I love how everything retro is hugely back in fashion. I’m a big fan of nostalgia. I went to see the '90s band Gomez at Concorde a few months ago and was surrounded by Gen Xers. No one was on their phone, everyone was living in the moment, singing along. It was joyous! 

Life before the internet really was so much more carefree and fun. I feel people are looking for that real-life connection again, especially post Covid. 

I do also think Gen Alpha (2010 +) will buck all the trends. Kids are already saying no to photos and being over exposed and I love that. They’re going to be the game changers and keep the rest of us in check! Trust me on that one!