Today we’d like to introduce you to Bob Bradley.
Hi Bob, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started off as a touring musician, playing and writing music casually with my friends and that led to a couple of record deals that kept us busy for many years. We were very fortunate as a band, and I leveraged that experience to leap into the music industry working on the other side of the desk. I started in PR and Marketing over 15 years ago, working for different record labels and music companies until I decided to freelance and start a couple of boutique companies of my own. I would credit any success (or luck) to having a strong network of friends and contacts throughout my career. It was almost like hanging out with good friends, which they of course were, but a lot of the time we discussed cool ideas and ultimately those led to different opportunities for personal and career growth. Over the years, I’ve branched out into different industries as well, which has been a lot of fun and I really enjoy working with all of my PR clients.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not always, with anything marketing and PR related a potential client will either 100% understand the value of these crucial services or it’ll be the first to go when hard times hit a business (or artist). Early on, it was building a list of credible clients that would go to bat for you, leave a great testimonial and even speak to a prospective new client about past work. Over time this gets much easier, especially as clients seek out my work and I sometimes have a waiting list for many months. When the pandemic hit, I initially lost over half my clientele, I remember getting what seemed like call after call with distressed clients unsure what to do since their business was severely impacted almost instantly. Along the way, you really never know what can happen, the best you can do is be prepared by becoming resilient and having a plan of action for when things go south. Thankfully, though, things have been fantastic 99.9% of the time in my world.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I run a public relations business here in Orange County, California. As a publicist, I have had quite a few areas of focus over the years but more recently I’ve been working with mostly corporate clients in different industries ranging from food & beverage to specialities such as workforce management and even art. I’ve also worked with music and entertainment clients over my 15 + years in the business, and that also makes up a portion of my client roster.
Our specialty is earned media and marketing strategy for our clients. We dig deep to find that best parts of their story, purpose and latest offerings to craft a pitch that really knocks it out of the park. We are proud to be a boutique outfit and have the opportunity to only work with clients that we have synergy with. I believe a big differentiator is service, it’s being there for the clients like a friend would be and taking the time to understand their goals and short/long-term objectives. Securing a client is so much more than just hard work and growing the business, it’s also ensuring both our client’s and company’s reputations are buzzworthy and impossible to ignore. That’s the point of PR, right? Haha.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I would say I have a mix of both characteristics. Taking risks is built in for anyone who runs their own business. Just taking the leap from working for a company to running your own is a major step in a different direction, and it is one that comes with zero guarantees. Once I built my business up to one where I have more clients inquiring to work with me than I can handle, I knew that the risk was worth it and that I could now take other steps (risks) to grow the business further and branch into other exciting areas that may or may not work. I would say taking calculated risks is more my style, rather than being spontaneous about the 1000 ideas that pop into my head daily.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.bradleypublicity.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradleypublicity/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bobpublicity
Image Credits
Brad Alexander, Bob Bradley
