Bernice Saltzer - Owner, Sorted PR
Did you always envisage a career in the Media industry?
I can honestly say I never wanted to have any other kind of job. I used to love to write stories and poems as a child so writing was really second nature to me, so when I discovered there was a job where I could do that for a living, it was a bit of a no-brainer.
I remember being extremely determined, even when at school it was suggested journalism was too difficult to get into. I was told by a careers’ adviser that there were few jobs compared to the number of people who wanted them – which made me all the more determined.
What has been your career path so far?
After school I went on the National Council for the Training of Journalists’ pre-entry course. In those days it was really the only way into the industry, there were no university courses. You had to do the one year training and then try and get a job so you could then finish your training.
I did that and then worked at newspapers in the region for about 20 years, before deciding to move into public relations and setting up on my own.
What have been the biggest challenges you have faced so far?
As someone who is quite “old school” dealing with the rapidly changing face of the media and news in general. At Sorted PR we do operate in quite a traditional fashion but it doesn’t seem to do us any harm – luckily we’re very busy and have some amazing clients, many of whom we’ve had for years.
Who do you most respect in your industry?
The person I most respect is my colleague, Emma Walker. Like me she’s from a journalistic background so understands the media. She’s a brilliant writer, utterly trustworthy and is also one of my best friends. I couldn’t function without her!
Which fictional media character can you most relate to?
Definitely Carrie Bradshaw!
What is your biggest weakness?
I don’t suffer fools and I probably have quite a low tolerance level. I was once described as “being a great friend but a terrible enemy.” Sadly that’s probably true!
What is your greatest strength?
I’d like to think I go above and beyond. Reputation is really important and it doesn’t matter if I’m working for myself or when I worked for other people, I have a really strong work ethic. Someone once said to me that the worst thing anyone could say to me was that I didn’t do a good job – and they were probably right!
I also think at Sorted PR we are really good at thinking outside of the box and coming up with newsworthy ideas.
What has been your proudest achievement?
There have been so many over the years – winning contracts when we’ve been pitched against big London companies, stories which have been picked up internationally – too many to mention really.
What are your future career aspirations?
I’m not sure I have any aspirations left – I just want to keep doing what I do and sticking to the way we do it for as long as possible.
How do you see your industry evolving in the next 10 years?
I imagine in the next decade it will change beyond recognition, but I hope that it will still retain some of the old fashioned values and a commitment to real news.
How do you like to unwind?
I love to cook and we like to entertain a lot at home. I’m a great theatre fan but our greatest love is to travel – we’ve just come back from a trip to India and I’m working through my bucket list of places I want to go to.
