Dynamic Duos: ‘It’s PR, not ER’

In Dynamic Duos, Mumbrella each week asks two colleagues with a professional and personal affiliation to share with readers the importance of workplace relationships in an increasingly hybridised world of work.

Rochelle Burbury:

Jules and I met when we employed her as an account manager at my previous PR business, Access PR about 15 years ago. Back then she was a fresh-faced, enthusiastic 24 year old and I was the slightly cynical, sometimes surly, ex-journalist who was still coming to terms with hiring PR consultants with no background in journalism!

We were a fast-growing, fast-paced business which had recently extracted itself from mother ship M&C Saatchi. I had never actually run or owned a business before, let alone worked in PR after 20 years in journalism, so it was very much learning on the go, winning new clients, keeping them happy and proving ourselves.

Luckily that formula worked and it was in my mind no doubt greatly helped by our team – but in particular Jules. She stood out to me. She was tenacious, had an incredible work ethic, listened to feedback, is a like-minded perfectionist and to my initial horror – started bossing me around! We worked so well together that, despite our age difference, we were alike in many ways. Although I still maintain she is bossier than me!

Once I sold the business, Jules spread her wings to work in the UK in PR, returning home two years later to start a family and get an inhouse PR gig with the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network. We always kept in touch and caught up semi-regularly with another of our much-loved former colleagues, Ange Cross.

Then, about three years ago, Jules let me know she had left the hospital and was going out on her own. I knew right then I wanted to work with her again. So we did! She has since brought so much to the business – particular around process (I’ve never been good at that!), knowing how to talk to our clients and the media and creating a seamless working relationship with me.

I’ve never looked back, and finally, finally, I convinced Jules to become Third Avenue’s inaugural managing director, which we announced this week – no doubt so she can boss me around some more, with even more authority.

Julie Wright:

Rochelle and I started working together more than 15 years ago. She was one of my bosses at agency Access PR, which she co-founded, and I was fresh to agency life. It was a learning curve and she really intimidated me! She had this commanding way of entering the office, and to be honest I just really wanted to impress her. The first task she gave me I had no idea how to do, and then during one of our first interactions, she told me I had big shoes to fill (she doesn’t remember saying it but I remind her every chance I get).

But honestly, she really wanted me to succeed, she championed me, celebrated the big and small wins and that has been her way ever since (with some ‘gentle’ ribbing on the side). We learned really quickly that our skills complemented each other – or as she puts it, I am the conch to her chaos – and no matter what she says, she loves how bossy I am.

I left the agency to live and work overseas, and we stayed firm friends. We have supported each other through challenging work periods, through grief and loss, I’ve watched her children grow from primary school aged to incredible young adults, and she has been there as I became a parent and navigated those challenging early years. Ultimately, that was what led us back to each other in a work capacity in 2021. I was looking for work that would allow me to be around more for my young family, and she needed a safe pair of hands to support the growth of Third Avenue.

Our dynamic has definitely changed in 15 years. So much time has passed since she was the boss and I was the bright eyed junior burger. What started up again in 2021 as a few hours a week on a couple of clients, has morphed almost three years later into us working across every client together, bickering constantly like an old married couple and seemingly a thousand WhatsApp messages to each other every day. We talk to each other more than we talk to our husbands most weeks!

At the end of the day, what underpins our relationship is a deep respect for each other, not taking ourselves too seriously (we aren’t curing cancer), an understanding of what it is to be an ambitious career woman who also wants to be a present parent and an innate sense of understanding for each other.

Rochelle on Julie:

Most memorable moment with Julie: There are many – but one that happened that shall not be mentioned here. What happens in NZ, stays in NZ. One of the better ones was a team strategy getaway at Uluru where we attended the ‘Sounds of Silence’ dinner in the glorious outback, with Uluru in the background and a sky full of stars and dreamtime stories. Needless to say, the ‘silence’ part didn’t really work for us and I’m sure we ruined the night for many guests.

More recently we attended a conference – we went on all the rides – and this is where I convinced Jules to come on as MD. It was such a great bonding experience, we had the best time – even though Jules managed to fall in a large hole (she has the scars to prove it) and nearly killed me with cocktails and dodgy bars.

Best word to describe her: Conch. This is my nickname for Jules. And not the modern slang (!) but the old skool meaning of ‘conscientious’. She’s a fantastically hard worker, keeps everything on track, we have processes now that are like some kind of wizardry (she understands my hatred of PowerPoint) and she has built great and trusted client and journalist relationships. My expectation is that everyone will like her more than me!

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t call her bossy.

Most annoying habit or endearing behaviour she has: Bossy and hot headed! We both have a clear idea of how we want things done. Sometimes I win, sometimes she wins. But it’s never a competition, we just laugh it off. However, you really need to take a front row seat when she loses her shit – it’s a sight to behold. I didn’t think I was scared of anything – but I’m scared of that!

I don’t like the word ‘endearing’ (I mean, only dogs are endearing), but what I like most about Jules is that she is grounded – ‘It’s PR, not ER’ – we remind ourselves when things get out of hand or totally crazy. We have a great laugh pretty much every day, prop each other up, and I’m quite sure she should name one of her children after me!

Julie on Rochelle:

Most memorable moment with Julie: Remember the big shoes to fill comment? That would be up there. There’s also a particularly memorable work trip to New Zealand… but it is mostly a collection of little moments at work where she talks me off the ledge and builds me up. I have exceedingly high expectations of myself, that are often impossible to meet, and she is always firmly in my corner, no matter what. Reminding me of my successes, helping me learn from the mistakes and challenges, while also telling me to pull my head out my arse when it’s needed.

Best word to describe her: Fearless, in many ways, but particularly in her resounding loyalty to those who earn it.

Most annoying habit or endearing behaviour she has: You want me to pick just one? She annoys me in a general sense on the daily and gets a great deal of satisfaction from doing so. I suppose it’s also slightly endearing (depending on the day/minute).

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