lisa goody and belle the beagle
She has worked in PR for years, and before that magazines, so Lisa Goody has all the goss on the industry. Here she tells us about her career to date, and how she was the youngest Avon lady in the country!
Words: Simon Glazin Pictures: Simon Glazin
Living above one of east London's busiest streets might put some people off, but for Lisa and her husband Nick, they have made a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle. Their flat, which they share with four-month-old Belle, is all white walls, statement furniture (check out the silver cabinets) and quirky pieces of art. Not to mention that on the particular Saturday that I turned up to shoot, their air purifier was pumping out lovely fragranced air, so the whole place smelled like a posh spa.
Lisa is the PR manager for American brand, Free People (owned by Urban Outfitters, Inc). She loves her job, and it's easy to see why when she starts listing all the positives about it: talking to press and bloggers, involved in big brand initiatives, manage and write the blog, shoot and look after the social channels and jetting off to Philadelphia every couple of months where the rest of her team are based.
Nick owns a street food company, MeatPorn, based at east London's Old Truman Brewery. It's one of those seriously cool food trucks that you see a line outside every single lunchtime. Pulled pork burgers, beef brisket, chips galore. Meat lovers, get yourself there!
Belle is a bouncy, lively Beagle with that lovely puppy no-inhibitions attitude to... everything. If she could bite through the floorboards she would. But after five minutes of jumping around, there's five minutes of quiet time when she takes herself off to her bed in her cage, curls up and has a puppy power nap. Scroll down to hear more from Lisa, including some amazing career advice and the best bits about her job...
"I’ve always loved fashion; my mum says that I insisted on wearing party dresses every day when I was really little."
On life with Belle: It’s been really special, having this new living thing in your life that you have to think about - who suddenly relies on you and loves being with you 24/7. It definitely took a few weeks to adjust, especially when she was tiny and needed to be kept an eye on constantly. Normality went out of the window – but now we have a new normal and I wouldn’t change it for a second. She is incredibly loving and can’t get enough cuddles! She brings so much joy it to our lives.
On work life: I’m the UK PR & Marketing Manager for fashion brand Free People. I work with journalists to create brand awareness in the press, host customer events and experiences, shoot and write for the brand blog and look after all the UK social media. It’s an incredible company, who encourage creativity and new ideas. I have been with Free People for two and a half years, and it’s been amazing to see the brand grow in the UK. My team are based in the US, so I get to travel to Philadelphia and NYC every few months to spend time with them and catch up with all the new plans. Then I come back and put them in to action!
On the best bits of work: My junior years were in magazines, before I went in to PR. I always loved both sides of the business, so when I went to Miss Selfridge when I was 26 I was able to combine both. Doing the PR, but also working on, styling and helping to produce look books and shoots. Now at Free People, I work across everything for the UK, so no one day is the same as the other. I love PR and helping grow awareness and pushing sales, but also love doing all the creative stuff too – producing imagery that fit in with our signature style but with a local, British twist.
On Free People's amazing dog collection: Our founders have dogs and have made the US head office dog friendly. There’s a dog park on site, and everyone is encouraged to bring their furry friends in. They hang out under their owner’s desks, and come to meetings, it’s so much fun! We’re a lifestyle brand, so our customer doesn’t just want to wear our clothes, she wants the Free People touch in every aspect of her life, whether that’s her home, her work out or her pet!
On career plan B: I don’t think there was ever one! I’ve always loved fashion; my mum says that I insisted on wearing party dresses every day when I was really little. My other passion was performing, I went to dance school throughout my teens, and loved being on stage, so perhaps something in entertainment. But I was never really quite good enough, so probably would have been backstage enjoying the buzz! Now I just bring out my moves at the Christmas party.
On career advice: My favourite advice is ‘treat people how you expect to be treated’. As a student, our tutors would say, ‘look around, because you will probably work with most of the people in the room at some point in your careers’, and that was so true. If you are respectful, kind and hardworking, you will go a long way – the industry is actually pretty small, and everyone in intertwined. Hard work and a positive attitude pay off in the end. Also, be prepared to adapt and change with the industry, if you see an opportunity for a new way of doing something; don’t be scared to trust your gut. For PR roles, apply to companies that you love and believe in. You have to immerse yourself in that brand, so if you don’t believe in them and their core values, going to work every day won’t be much fun.
On her daily routine: I get up at 7.30 and Nick and Belle stay in bed pretty much until I leave the house at 8.30ish. We thought she would help us both get up an at’um for early morning walks, but she LOVES a lie in. She stays cuddled up in the warm and watches me get ready. Our beautiful FP showroom is in Marylebone, so I either cycle in or get the bus. I share an office with the wholesale team – there are only 6 of us who work from there, so it’s very calm. My direct team are -5 hrs (EST) so I normally have emails from the night before to catch up on. The mornings are my time to connect with UK media, plan marketing initiatives, partnerships or events, and the afternoons, when my team come online, I work closely with them. I often have appointments with press, bloggers, or like-minded companies that we want to partner with. I can also be out and about shooting for the blog or our social channels. Belle comes in to the office with me once a week – she sleeps under my desk and we take it in turns to take her out to the local parks, she has her own fan club at FP HQ! The rest of the week she is with Nick, but I make him send me pictures of her adventures!
Oh her favourite Belle tale: My absolute favourite thing is the little sign she does when she curls up for a nap. It’s the loveliest sound, of pure joy and contentment, and it melts my heart every time! Most of the funny stories so far involve her being mischievous, and us finding her at the eye of a mess storm with an innocent look on her face. She’s starting to understand when she is being naughty now, which is hilarious. She looks at me when she’s about to do something, to see if she is going to get away with it. This week she discovered how fun toilet roll can be…
One thing people should know: When I was 15 I was the youngest Avon Lady in the country! I used to sell to my parents friends, local ladies in my village, plus friends at school. I loved it, and got a buzz from making sales and money (normally to spend on clothes!)
