Kite Hill UK is three years old! If it weren’t for our steadfast commitment to avoiding client-servicing while half-cut, we’d be cracking open the champagne right now. Maybe we’ll pour a glass later; we have prosecco on tap after all (how very PR of us), courtesy of our good friends and landlords at WeWork.
When the UK operation began, we had neither landlord nor prosecco, just a small handful of part-time freelancers lending a few valuable hours to support a limited number of ad and marketing tech clients looking to expand their communications outreach into the UK market. Today we’re a full-fledged tech PR agency with our own client roster, a permanent, growing team, our own lovely WeWork office, and even our own inaugural hosted educational industry event behind us.
So much progress has been made, but rather than spend further time reeling off our achievements and boring everyone to tears, I thought it would be infinitely more interesting to ask some of the UK team for their personal reflections and highlights on 2018 at Kite Hill UK.
Frances, Account Executive: "My client highlights of the year, in no particular order; revealing the DMARC implementation - or lack thereof - of cybersecurity’s leading lights at Infosec with Red Sift; starting work with Attest where food + tech + brands = all of my professional goals realised; elevating the voices of Qutee’s influencers to challenge the negative stereotypes of video gaming; and coordinating with the PB to my J, Moira Shannon, on IgnitionOne. Who knew the auto industry was so interesting?!
But I know that my top highlight of the year is yet to come; it’s only a few days until VP Tom and I are heading to Kite Hill HQ in New York, where I finally meet the team I’ve spent a year learning from, working alongside and exchanging ridiculous gifs, laughs and sarcastic Slack messages with.”
Georgie, Intern: “In my first few weeks at Kite Hill, I felt welcomed by the team and was presented with an array of clients paving the way with innovative tech which sparked my excitement from the offset. As someone who is fresh out of uni and whose parents were convinced the only pathway I had was to teach, everyday the Tech PR industry presents me with new opportunities I can only struggle to explain to them!
A particular highlight was the inaugural London Comms Week event, which embodied the spirit of Kite Hill and showed how a small team of hardworking individuals can produce big results with the help of our lovely colleagues from across the pond. The event contributed to an important dialogue about the future of PR, which for me, as someone who is just starting out in the industry, raised lots of questions and gave me hope and excitement as to what my career has in store…”
Yogi, Senior Account Manager: “If I had to use just one word to sum up 2018 for Kite Hill UK, I'd say 'startup'. We've had startups and scale-ups aplenty coming on board over the past 12 months. Unlike the multinational conglomerates or the sassy independents now heading into their teens, they've afforded us the freedom to push the boundaries of conventional corporate news-driven PR, for example, using proprietary data to drive media interest, set debates on fire and land some hot, high-impact coverage.
We’re lucky to enjoy an incredible working dynamic between the humans in London and New York. We strive to support, mentor and champion each other and the agency’s successes are testament to the excellent people that call themselves the Kite Hill Dream Team. Our inaugural London Communications Week event looked at the agency of the future and how to attract the next generation of talent – at Kite Hill, I believe we’re already doing much of this right – we are diverse, we are flexible and we nurture raw talent. It’s a great platform to build on.”
Alice, Account Associate: “I joined the Kite Hill UK team as a fresh graduate slightly nervous about moving from the world of Fashion PR to Tech PR, but I’ve felt embraced and encouraged by the entire team, including the team in the US.
The last few weeks have been very busy with a lot to take in and new clients to learn about, but I feel like I am learning from the absolute pros in the industry here. I have particularly enjoyed working with Garrison, our cyber security client. I have loved stepping up to the challenge of learning about a new industry, and I’m really excited to see what 2019 will bring!”
And there you have it - the view from the people that really matter, the people that have enabled this young PR agency, in a vastly competitive marketplace, to enjoy such a positive and promising 12 months. So hats off to the team: Kite Hill UK is three years old, but 2018 is the year our UK business truly came alive.
-Tom Kirkham, VP