Birmingham-based PR agency, EAST VILLAGE., has welcomed journalist Becky Weaver to the team, following a number of internal promotions. Becky brings a wealth of experience working with arts, culture and retail brands, as the agency looks to re-establish its core sectors.
With over six years’ experience in the industry, Becky began her career as a multi-platform journalism apprentice with the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, and trained with the BBC; which is where she discovered her love for lifestyle and entertainment writing. She joined local creative agency Riley Raven, where she worked on major projects for the Mailbox and Style Birmingham magazine, before creating engaging content as a commercial features writer at BirminghamLive and Reach PLC.
Now Becky has joined EAST VILLAGE. – which specialises in PR, marketing and events for retail, leisure and hospitality brands – as senior account executive, following a number of internal promotions at the agency. She comments:
“After working as a journalist for nearly seven years, I felt that it was the right time for me to close that chapter, take a new step in my career, and move into PR. I’m absolutely thrilled to join Tara and the team at EAST VILLAGE., having worked with them during my time as a journalist. I am really excited to take on new challenges and see what I can bring to the table at one of Birmingham’s leading PR agencies.”
Becky joined TeamEV last month, just as the Coronavirus pandemic broke out, changing the way we live and do business for the foreseeable. Speaking about her appointment and the challenging timing, EAST VILLAGE. founder and managing director, Tara Tomes, adds:
“Becky joined the team at an interesting time to say the least; we only had one day in the office together before I made the call for everyone to work from home, which was the week before lockdown began. We always pride ourselves on being agile – that’s the beauty of being a boutique, close-knit agency – and we introduced flexible working about a year ago, so the operational side of things has been pretty smooth. However, welcoming someone new to the team and not being able to be together meant that we needed to focus on team spirit and communication, and of course, TeamEV hasn’t let me down. Daily Slack chats and Zoom calls have kept morale up and Becky has fit right in… it’s great to have her on the team!”
Becky’s appointment comes as EAST VILLAGE. welcomes Hattie D’Souza, who has been with the agency for five years, into a new role as Account Director; focused on team productivity and development, as well as new business strategy. Jodie Tipper, who came through the agency’s ‘Grow Your Own’ internship scheme and returned after graduation, has been promoted to Account Manager, specialising in hospitality and Third Sector clients. University of Birmingham graduate Holly Young also joined the team earlier this year.
Speaking about how the current global pandemic is impacting the agency and its clients, Tara continues:
“Covid-19 is like nothing we’ve ever known, and all we can do is adapt to it as best we can. It has been heart-breaking to see all of the businesses we work with affected, some more than others of course, especially our amazing hospitality clients. We’ve done all that we can to support and help them pivot, where possible, but it’s a pretty difficult waiting game. Agencies like us now just have to be on hand to provide advice and expertise as and when the economy starts to move again. We’ve started this process with the launch of ‘EV. Insight’, where we’re sharing our collective 30 years’ experience working in specific industries; as well as hosting webinars and providing free one-to-one advice to local businesses.
For us, we’re using this time to plan for our own future; we’ve had some challenges over the past year but now it’s about stepping back and focusing on how we want to grow. I set up EAST VILLAGE. as a retail and hospitality agency and want to make the most of the team’s incredible passion and expertise in those areas; especially given how they’ll be affected as they start to re-open again. Sitting down and developing your strategy is hard when you’re running around keeping plates spinning so I am thankful, at least, for the chance to look at where we all want the agency to go. Who knows what the future holds but, for now, the focus is on keeping the team motivated, providing the expertise our clients need, and supporting our community as best we can.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of EAST VILLAGE. clients have been at the forefront of community support. Living Well UK, a consortium of mental health charities, has partnered with the Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to open the dedicated phone line to support people whose mental health is suffering as a result of the crisis, including a line especially for key workers. Charity Heart of England Community Foundation, which celebrated its 25th birthday earlier in the year, has also launched a Coronavirus Resilience Fund that has seen around £330,000 in donations and already funded over 100 community projects.
Other success stories include Centrick, which has seen phenomenal success with its virtual viewings service; Henley-in-Arden based restaurant, The Butchers Social, re-opening as a community shop selling fresh, local produce; and home learning provider, Oxbridge, launching a £35,000 bursary to help people develop new skills during lockdown. The agency has also worked on the city’s first virtual black tie event, Brum’s Big Black Tie Bash, in partnership with Elegant Entertainment and recently launched SIFA Fireside’s #SIFASurvives appeal, including the Big Brummie Camp Out event.