Calling all curious and current PR girlies! If you’ve ever wondered about Public Relations aka creating and maintaining a positive public image for individuals, brands, orgs, etc., or wanna start your own business one day within the field, then this feature is for you.

Enter: Siobhan Murphy (she/her), founder of NYC-based PR company babar. Inspired by TV characters like Samantha from SATC and C.J. Cregg from The West Wing, Siobhan had multiple internships while in college, and ended up in one for Apple’s PR team. There, she fell in love with the PR world, so much so, she would even miss class to stay late at work. When she graduated, she moved to NYC to continue her career and as they say, “The rest is history.”

Jk, we have some more info on what happened after she moved to The Big Apple down below. Keep reading to find out what a typical day looks like in PR, what it’s like working with other founders, and her advice for those seeking a similar future.

What led you to creating your own agency, babar?
For as long as I can remember, the idea of starting my own PR company was in the back of my mind. I was raised by a mom who worked for herself, and I’ve always loved the excitement of working with lots of people and brands simultaneously. After being in the wild whirlwind of in-house PR at Twitter, I knew when I left I needed to do something equally exhilarating and rewarding. I started babar to fill a gap I saw in the industry. Brands and founders today are often left to choose between hiring an expensive PR agency or bringing on a PR person as a full-time employee. Often, what they really need is a dedicated, senior PR person they can bring on for important moments. Whether it’s to announce a funding round, build a brand’s profile in the press, or launch a new product, having a PR go-to is often the most effective for a growing brand or founder.

What does a typical day look like for you?
Given that most of the work we do is reactive and unexpected, there is no format our days follow, which is weirdly one of the appealing parts of being in PR for me. However, since starting babar, I’ve been able to control my schedule more, adding boundaries and blockers to certain days of the week so I have time to do uninterrupted work or just get some sunshine. Most of my days consist of meetings with clients, calls/emails/coffees with journalists, writing, editing, and sending pitches and press releases, bouncing between multiple Slacks, and, of course, scrolling Twitter to keep up with what people in the industry are talking about.

What’s it like working with other founders?
I love working with founders. We live in a time where people care who the people are behind the brand—consumers want to know the stories and intentions behind the things they’re spending their money on. With that, there is a major need today for 2 PR strategies—one for the brand, and one for the founder. My favorite stories to pitch to press are interviews profiling founders and their stories.

What skill set should one have to work with clients across all industries?
Some skills to have include: being a good writer, having a good sense of humor, and being able to read a room.

Do you have any advice for those starting out in PR or who want to get involved in PR?
The best advice I got when I was young in my career was to never say no to a coffee. The more you can learn about other people’s jobs and the larger network you can build from the start, the better.

If someone is interested in working with you, how can they get in touch?
DM us on IG or email us hello@babarpr.com. We want to know your favorite brands, or brands you wish you knew the stories behind. Also, we currently have a spot open on our roster for 1 new client!