Community News
Behind the Headlines with Jennifer Burner
17 July 2012

Jennifer Burner, MD at Halpern PR, on MailOnline's sidebar of shame, cracking up about Catsarse PR and why dedication means wearing a red bikini in the middle of Covent Garden...

The thing that gets me up in the morning is...
My two gorgeous little girls. They're more entertaining than an alarm clock for sure. Climbing on me, screaming, running riot round the house and all the usual antics children get up to annoy parents in the early hours. I wouldn't change it for the world though. My Starbucks cappuccino always helps too. Grandé and skinny please.

What made me want to get into PR was...
Well, the truth is that I've always loved to talk and as soon as I realised you could make a career out of communicating your views I was set on it...but, the white lie I told in my Omnicom graduate interview was that I attended a PRCA grad fair which had opened my mind to communications channels...

If I could change one thing about the industry it would be...
The level to which people disregard its worth.

My greatest inspiration is...
My family.They're the fuel behind everything I do. Clichéd - sure, but true.

The three things I demand in my colleagues...
Honesty and dedication all blended in with a sense of humour.

The character I most dislike in people is...
Negative competitiveness. Everyone has to work as a team to make things work and striving for things can sometimes blur people's positive intentions.

I laugh most at...
Catsarse PR on Twitter. Whoever is behind it is hilarious; we're always cracking up in the office.

The PR figure I most admire is...
The passionate ones who are constantly looking for ways to change the perception of our industry.

The one website I always check is...
Mashable. In the ever-evolving digital world they are always ahead of the times. Oh and MailOnline, the sidebar of shame provides endless entertainment.

My daily newspaper of choice is...
All of them? My newsagent bill is huge.

The finest moment in my career so far is...
Taking the job at Halpern nine years ago and being part of the company evolving from a boutique press office shop to the leading consumer brands agency it is today.

My most embarrassing moment was...
Standing in for the model who failed to show up for a Diageo news stunt. Three months into my PR career, faced with an angry client, a set of photographers about to walk and a month's worth of work about to result in 'no news'. I donned the red bikini in the centre of Covent Garden. As I said earlier 'dedication blended with a sense of humour!'

I've got a secret...
I have an unhealthy admiration...ok, obsession, with Take That. I've been to all their shows. Actually this isn't a secret. I'm never afraid to let people know!

If I won the Euromillions I would...
Buy myself a self indulgent private jet so I could fly over to New York to see my brother, and to Australia to see my sister and my niece and nephew as often as possible.

The next big thing in social media will be...
Blippar. It's the first image-recognition phone app aimed at bringing to life real-world newspapers, magazines, products and posters with augmented reality.

In five years' time PR will be...
Dominated by the digital world. There seems to be no limit to where it's going. Watch this space...

If you'd like to feature in a Behind the Headlines interview please email celina.maguire@gorkana.com.