Lauren Graham joined Clearbox just over a year ago as a junior account executive to boost the offerings of our editorial team. She loves dark chocolate, coffee and reading novels, which she discovered during a recent morning media sweep leads to a decreased risk of dementia. Who knew?
On to more about media monitoring though…
What did you do before Clearbox?
“I left school in 2018 and went to Queen’s to do a degree in English and Creative Writing, which I loved.
“When I graduated I applied for a PGCE. But I was actually quite happy when I got waitlisted for that. Although teaching is great, it was really all I thought I could do with an English degree, because no one tells you about any other career options.
“Then, I panicked, because I didn’t have a plan aside from teaching, and I didn’t want to do that. That was when a girl I knew from church told me about an internship programme with an organisation called Agapé. I applied for that, got it, and spent the next two years working there, until a week before I joined Clearbox.
“I learned a lot about myself at Agapé, and those years were formative for me before I joined the workforce full time. If I’d gone straight from uni into a job, I think I would have been quite frazzled, but the internship gave me good groundwork to build upon, particularly around learning how to structure my day and prioritise.
“I had to initiate a lot of conversations with strangers at Agapé too, which increased my people skills. That’s been really helpful for starting a career in PR.”
Why did you join Clearbox?
“Amy Winter knew I was job hunting and sent me the application for the junior account executive role at Clearbox. I’d never thought of working in PR, but she’d done an English degree, so I suspected that if she was enjoying her job, that I would enjoy PR too.
“No one tells you what you can do with an English degree when you’re at uni, or even what the skills you learn during the degree can be applied to, but PR is perfect. I’m really glad to have ended up here.”
What does a typical day look for you at Clearbox?
“I try to arrive at quarter past eight to give myself time to make a coffee. I’m not a morning person, so that’s a nice way to ease myself into the day.
“While I drink that, I spend time reading the news, figuring out what’s going on with the world and checking for coverage for our clients. I tend to pitch any stories that I need to get out in the morning, too, so that they’re out there early for journalists to pick up.
“At about 10am, I get myself a bowl of porridge (and often a second cup of coffee). Then comes emails – answering them and sending them – and asking everyone around me questions.
“I take lunch at one and try and get out for a walk. When I get back, I do my less urgent tasks like writing media pitches and working my way through the communal selection of snacks.”
What’s the best thing about working at Clearbox?
“There are very many great things about working at Clearbox.
“I’m going to say the culture, though. It’s never felt like a hierarchy when I’ve been here. No one’s ever made me feel like because I’m more junior I’m less important or my opinion is less valued. We very much are a team – everyone’s listened to and we’re nice to each other, which is huge in a work context. No one is a dick!”
What is your dream Glastonbury line-up?
“Legend slot would need to be Fleetwood Mac. Taylor Swift would have to be there, naturally, and Boygenius (can you imagine if Taylor Swift got up and performed with Boygenius?) Lastly, Post Malone, which no one expects from me.”
What is your fantasy dinner menu? Three courses, from different restaurants, any in the world.
“My starter would be the mushroom arancini from Orto. I’m not a starter person, but I think about that arancini often.
“I do love a Tribal Burger, so that would be my main – specifically the burger with the really good pepper sauce. They do really good chips, too.
“And for dessert, we’re going back to Orto for the bread-and-butter pudding with soft serve. The bread-and-butter pudding: incredible. The soft serve: incredible. Just incredible.”
