Meet Sophie

Introducing Sophie Hulf, an account manager in emotive’s PR & Advocacy team. A recent recipient of the agency’s Value Award for Imagination, Sophie works on several consumer health and pharmaceutical client accounts. Here, she tells us about her emotive career and a typical working day

What has your career at emotive been like?

I started at emotive nearly two years ago as an account executive and really hit the ground running with a range of clients and projects, from skincare and supplements to public health campaigns. I’m fortunate to have been promoted twice since then and am now an account manager. I’ve learnt a huge amount over the past couple of years, and my learning curve doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

Where do you work?

I live in Brighton and combine flexible working from home with going into our Sussex office once or twice a week. I usually move around my flat depending on my mood or the job at hand – copywriting is table business, whereas social media strategy calls for the sofa. For more collaborative work, the Haywards Heath office is a short drive away through some incredibly scenic countryside. The London office is also only an hour on the train and perfect for meeting clients, hosting new business pitches, or to just enjoy the buzz of the city.

Talk me through a typical day at emotive

My day usually begins with checking through my emails and getting updates on projects. I’ll also flick through the media monitors to check for coverage – it’s a great feeling to see our campaigns featured in the press and always gets my day off to a good start.

Work in PR & Advocacy is very varied, so it's difficult to describe a ‘normal’ day. One week I can be developing the brand identity for a new wellness product, planning a launch strategy and hosting an event for journalists. The next week I could be carrying out a consumer survey and writing the findings into a press release for the national media. I’m a very visual person and love getting involved in the creative side too, making videos and designing infographics or social media assets.

I’ll tend to schedule my day with ‘bitty’ jobs in the morning and then settle down to longer or more focused tasks in the afternoon. I also try to get out every day at lunch for a walk – although I’ve also been known to dash to Zara or do a food shop during my lunch break, which is a great perk of flexible working.

I’m currently doing a training course in brand strategy, so if I have any time spare in the afternoon, I’ll log in and work my way through a module. This is an area I’m passionate about and adds a different perspective to my work here. It’s also great to be up-skilling while working.

What three words would you use to describe your job?

Creative, collaborative, insightful.

What part of your day or your role do you love most at emotive?

I like speaking to patients and consumers to learn about their experiences – it’s rewarding to hear from someone who has benefited from our work or the brands we represent.

New business pitches are always fun because I enjoy getting involved in brainstorms with the team. We’ll tend to go into the office for these meetings, so we can bounce ideas off each other. I’m most inspired when everyone is freely voicing their thoughts, and recently won the agency Value Award for Imagination, so it’s great to know that my ideas – even the silly ones – are paying off.

The strong working relationships I have with people across the agency are key to my enjoyment at emotive. We’re a close-knit team in PR & Advocacy, and being around lots of smart and creative minds pushes me to be my best. Plus, we have a great time together when we go for the occasional after-work drink.

Outside of work, how do you keep yourself busy?

I enjoy painting at the weekends and sometimes exhibit around Brighton; I like the mix of working on global healthcare campaigns one day and getting messy with my brushes the next. I also play netball and swim in the evenings. I read a lot too; my colleague, Phoebe, and I have set up a mini book club – it’s just the two of us at the moment, but we’re always recruiting for more bookworms, so long as you like thrillers!

emotive is an award-winning, global healthcare communications agency. We inspire change that has a positive impact on people’s health through our medical, scientific, brand, patient, PR and advocacy services. If you would like to find out more about joining emotive, please contact jade.nuttman@emotiveagency.com. For more information on our services, contact chat@emotiveagency.com.