PRmoment Podcast

James Hickman, director, Hatch Communications, on the PRmoment podcast

May 02, 2019 James Hickman, director, Hatch Communications
PRmoment Podcast
James Hickman, director, Hatch Communications, on the PRmoment podcast
Show Notes

This week on the PRmoment Podcast, in the latest of our life stories series, I interviewed James Hickman, director, Hatch Communications.

Hatch is a Leeds based consultancy founded in 2008 and they now have billings of £2m per annum and 25 staff. Hatch had 80% growth last year, all of which was organic growth.

Clients include Diageo globally and the Rugby League World Cup

Here is a summary of what James and I discussed:

[00:00:56] Whether it is tougher to build a PR agency business outside of London than it is within it. 

[00:03:22] How face-to-face client contact is so important in building longer client relationships. 

[00:04:46] How small agencies like Hatch can win big clients like Diageo. 

[00:08:41] Why some agencies in Manchester and Leeds have been "digital native" for longer than many London firms. 

[00:10:31] How the co-founders of Hatch Jason Madeley, Matt Peden and James launched Hatch from the ashes of Ptarmigan PR.

[00:13:35] A lesson for PR agencies everywhere: Why Manchester's biggest agency Ptarmigan went from 50 people to 5 in two years. 

[00:15:56] Why James finds PR graduates a really good source of talent with a broader skill set than in the past.

[00:16:21] Why the current decreasing number of PR degree places is a problem for the sector.

[00:18:05] Why Channel 4 coming to Leeds is a big shot in the arm for Leeds creative sector.

[00:19:58] How the creative agencies of Leeds wooed Channel 4 to move to the city.

[00:22:51] Which other agencies in Leeds and Manchester does James admire?

[00:24:49] How Hatch has grown at 80% in the last 12 months and what the future holds for the business.

[00:28:52] How working with partner agencies in a collaborative way has helped Hatch grow.

[00:29:33] Why geographical based PR firms are a concept from the past - geography is now not a relevant factor - it's about vertical expertise and specialist knowledge.

[00:30:54] James talks us through Hatch's role as a sponsor activation agency.