10 years of Hooton - a decade of opportunities and really wonderful people

Tell someone that you started your own PR agency in your living room, and chances are that you’ll be met with one of two responses. There are the raised eyebrows and the exclamations of how cool it must be to run your own company and be your own boss. Then there are the questioning cynics – the ones who simply don’t believe that you did it all solo. (“What, no help at all?”)?

Ten years in, I can confirm that it’s the latter group who are closer to the truth. Nothing that Hooton has achieved over the past decade could have been achieved on my own. From our colleagues and our PR peers to our clients past and present, this is an agency built on collaboration – and that makes me prouder than anything else.

And I really am so proud of what we have achieved together.?

When I registered Hooton as a company in 2014, the public relations landscape was completely different. The digital landscape felt like a vast, uncharted territory, full of potential for those who embraced and experimented with it – which is exactly what we did. Online publishing meant that our ideas could be executed more swiftly, and our clients’ stories could reach audiences faster and more directly than ever before. Hooton jumped at every opportunity – quickly winning clients such as Zoku, Converse and BETC. Our early projects were diverse and groundbreaking: We edited the publication of must-have glasses brand Ace & Tate’s first (and completely honest) ‘Responsibility Report’, launched an audio erotica app and opened an arts centre in an ‘anti-gentrification’ suburb in Paris. We even launched a hotel brand that had yet to build a hotel!?

Fast forward ten years, and the PR landscape is shifting once more, bringing with it incredible advancements, as well as new hurdles. The rise of AI, fake news, algorithm-driven narratives and the constant need for new content have transformed the industry, and Hooton is committed to rising to the challenge. Never before has honest, transparent PR and journalism felt more necessary. As an industry we need to demonstrate that we are not just paying lip service to values such as sustainability and transparency, but are actively embedding them into the core of our business operations.

Adapting to change isn’t enough. At Hooton, we want to lead it. That means helping our clients express themselves honestly, paving the way for a future where PR is synonymous with authenticity. Much in the same way that we threw ourselves into the deep end when we launched ten years ago, we are once again embracing every new challenge with our arms wide open, learning at speed and challenging ourselves – and our clients – to drive real social change. From launching our Anti-Greenwashing Review service to striving for a higher B Corp score than ever before and taking on like-minded, purpose-driven clients who are committed to making a difference, this feels like a particularly exciting time.

The success that Hooton has achieved in just ten years is a true testament to teamwork. While the industry is evolving, the collective sense of camaraderie and collaboration hasn’t gone anywhere. The insights and advice exchanged at industry events, the mentorships and even the friendly competition have all contributed to making Hooton what it is today. From our interns to our PR directors and everyone in between, each individual who has walked through our doors has left a mark on our agency. Team members’ creativity, hard work and endless ideas have been the driving force behind every campaign, every winning pitch and every client relationship.

So here’s to celebrating a decade of achievements and to all the amazing people who have made it possible. Your support, trust, and partnership mean the world to me. As they say in my second language, merci infiniement. Here’s to the next 10 years <3