Why you should work in PR: Cannes Lions

Arik Hanson wrote a lovely blog post in "PR Daily" at April 1st this year. And I do hope this post was not intended by this date, as it really inspired me. Under the titel "Why I´d love for my daughter to go into PR" he lists some pretty good reasons why PR is a fantastic job. One is: "You may meet famous people and visit places you´d never dreamed you would."

That´s so true. Ketchum, the agency I joined 22 years ago (or longer? no? ... I can´t remember) brought me to places I´d never thought I will be able to go.I´ve been in secret kitchens of famous chefs. I´ve been backstage with celebrities. I´ve been at a pre-premiere of a Pixar movie. Ketchum brought be to headquarters of the World Economic Forum. Ketchum made me speak at the UN in New York and now ... I am at the Cannes Lions Festival, judging in a room of the Palais de Festival where the Cannes Filmfestival is taking place. How wonderful is this.

And of top of this - as Arik Hanson says - it brings you "close to famous people". That´s the most exciting part. Tomorrow one of my most adorable role models will speak at the Cannes Lions Festival and I will never ever get a chance to come closer to him as this. I´ve had always - along my whole career -  the privilege to be guieded by great leaders and role models on leadership at Ketchum. And I am thankful the experience to work with great leaders such as Sabine Stadel-Strauch, Ray Kotcher or David Gallagher, just to mention a few. I learned so much from them and they inspired me for many years.
But one guiding star ... and now you may laugh .. but I don´t care ... always was Patrick Stewart ... well not exactly him ... it was him in his role as Captain Picard on the spaceshuttle Enterprise Next Generation.
First of all, I always saw myself as part of a "next generation", second Picard is an "knowing it all, always wise"-leader. Sound old fashioned? But this is exactly what I loved. Integrity, loyalty and deliverateness - that´s what I always strived for. But it´s really hard to do this if you are not on a spaceshuttle.
So he is here tomorrow and will speak about storytelling! So fantastic.
But you also should read Hansons blog carefully as he says "You may meet famous people ..." - and that´s true in our job as well. You come close and you "may".
And I will not.
When Stewart climbes the stairs to the stage tomorrow I will be in the judging room looking over the best work in PR for the Cannes Lions 2014. And this is another great reason why you may consider to get a job in PR.