Mediamix: BJL’s Robson branches out; Smoking Gun wins Hexbug

LEE Robson has left Manchester advertising agency BJL to set up on his own.

A PR and copywriting specialist with a background coordinating TV and brand campaigns in London and Manchester, he has launched LRPR.

He has already won accounts with TV production company True North, the Manchester creative agency SharpFutures, and BJL.

Robson said he would be drawing on experience spanning five years at BSkyB, where he served as lead publicist for The Simpsons, as well as devising and implementing launch campaigns for everything from Nip/Tuck to Ross Kemp on Gangs.

Alongside brand building consumer PR campaigns for the likes of AOL, The Huffington Post UK and Peugeot, Robson’s corporate PR experience also includes over two years handling trade PR for Leopard Films & Argonon as well as supporting with Discovery Channel corporate comms in his role as associate director at House PR.

He said: “I’ve been very fortunate to have worked on a wide range of incredible brands and campaigns with some fantastic agencies and in-house teams, and I’m looking forward to bringing the benefits of that cumulative experience to my own client base.

“Although Manchester has a thriving PR scene with many agencies for whom I have a huge amount of respect, I’m in a unique position to be able to provide a balanced B2B and B2C brand building background, combined with TV and entertainment credentials that are few and far between outside London.”

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PR agency Smoking Gun has picked up the account for the Hexbug children’s toys which mimic the movement of insects.

Hexbug manufacturer Innovation First hired Manchester-based Smoking Gun following a three-way pitch.

The American firm, sought fresh public relations support to support the launch of four new product lines ahead of Christmas.

Rick Guttridge, Smoking Gun’s managing director said: “This most definitely hits the status of dream client for me thanks to the combination of fantastic brand stories to be told and the adulation of my children who were existing Hexbug lovers.

“We’ve had great success in marketing innovative consumer technology for a number of clients to date and this is another brand in that vein. With so much work to get our teeth into and fun to be had, it’s actually going to be a case of stopping people from working on the account such is the team’s enthusiasm.”