A coffee led to a high-flying career - and friendship - for these PR pros
Bridgette: We first met at the Backdoor Cafe in the Mount over a coffee, Fran wanted me to be her Public Relations mentor - and I took that role seriously. I think at first she regretted her request, because her first year at Village was intense - we were on a fast growth curve and we needed her to be operating at a level of service she was unused to. I was time-poor and my approach was fast and direct. However, I had the best of intentions - to groom her to be a professional PR consultant.
At Village we call her Franimal, because she is the life of our parties and is always up for having fun. She also has a dance, named the Fran Dance - which involves a repetition of fast jumping (usually in high heels) and arms jerking concertina-like upwards. This is often performed at work when she or a colleague gets a major media win for a client, like when she recently secured a client on breakfast television.
Her joy for life is infectious and as a result she has the most friends of nearly anyone I know. People love Fran. This is because she is slow to judge people and fast to forgive and has a Pollyanna-optimism about life. I could so see her representing Richard Branson, she has such a positive spirit.
This week is her last at Village, as she is going on a Spanish adventure and we all feel very sad she is leaving. She is adored by her colleagues and clients alike. She has developed into a mature PR and marketing practitioner. The other day a naughty client tried to poach her for a national communications role - to me that was the biggest compliment, she had mastered the art of PR and marketing and the world had noticed. Watch out Europe - get ready to dance.
Fran: When I first met Bridgette over coffee I remember thinking "man she talks a lot", which I was grateful for as I wasn't quite sure where to start on the topic of launching my PR career. Luckily, Bridgette has never been short on words.
That was just over three years ago, I was in a marketing job but looking for a PR mentor. I met Bridgette through her husband who explained her background to me, and I pretty much begged him to put me in touch with her. So we started having coffees and that eventually developed into a job.
Bridgette had a lot on her plate when I started at Village and with two entry-level PR consultants to help her out, you could say we had to learn fast. In fact, we affectionately likened Bridgette to Kelly Cutrone (America's cut-throat PR powerhouse from TV show The City) for her direct management style.
I certainly wouldn't be the PR consultant I am today without having endured Bridgette's boot camp back then. I think I'm incredibly lucky to have learnt the foundations of my PR skills directly from one of the country's best.
We've had loads of fun together at Village and pulled off many great events and media wins. Bridgette and I have a mutual love of hip-hop music so there's always been plenty of grooving and singing in the office.
Beyond the PR powerhouse, she is a great friend and incredibly supportive and funny. I've always been able to talk to Bridgette about things outside of work. In fact, I'm going to miss my Village family when I head overseas - Bridgette and the girls are some of my closest friends in the Mount.
I believe people come into your life for a reason and Bridgette entered my life at poignant time. She armed me with a work ethic and skills that I'll apply in any position I undertake, anywhere in the world. I'm genuinely grateful for Bridgette's friendship and for her belief in me as a PR professional, and I'm pretty sure she will be my PR mentor for many years to come.