Rhubarb December 2025

INTERVIEW

Emily in her first office in 2012.

‘Emerge’ – Emily’s PR agency.

tolerance level for discomfort, and to remember that no one really cares what you are up to. Most overnight success stories take at least 10 years, so speed isn’t always the goal. I use social media as a marketing tool and assume everyone else is doing the same. Stay close to things that are real and things that matter (according to your own definitions). EMERGE is now over 10 years old – the past decade has seen significant changes within the PR industry, including the rise of social media and influencer marketing. How have you and your team responded and adapted to this changing media landscape? The ability to evolve and iterate has always been baked into the way we do things at EMERGE. It’s a reality that if you want to run a business for a decade or longer, the economic, political and commercial landscape will move, so we’ve tried to be predictive and move with it.Thinking about the way people

What came next for you after leaving Teddies?

I’d like to preface what comes after with the fact that I very much flunked my A Levels, having been predicted three As, I got two Bs and a D. Not quite the result anyone was hoping for. I then took a gap year to go to Thailand for foreign adventure, only to immediately see and spend time with everyone I had gone to school with. I retook my A Levels and achieved AAB, and applied to university. I studied Criminology and Criminal Law at Manchester University – two subjects rooted in narrative and context which, in hindsight, have shaped everything I do. I flirted with the idea of journalism or law, but I was drawn to PR because it sat at the intersection of people, culture, and communication. I interned, took low-paid jobs, learned quickly, made mistakes, and found myself craving more creative control. I started a business at university and shortly after graduation, my co-founder drained the bank account and disappeared. I started EMERGE, my PR agency, the next day, just before my 22nd birthday. You launched your own PR agency, EMERGE, in 2012 at just 22 – what motivated you to set up your own company so young, and do you have any words of wisdom for others thinking about doing the same? I imagine I was inspired by naivety, and the confidence of youth. PR is an industry with few entry barriers, and I had interned and worked enough to be able to understand that I could offer something to the industry. I loved the communication elements of Criminal Law, the storytelling and the flexibility in the language. Looking at global brands and the way they spoke to their customers was super interesting. I also was fascinated by building community – something I had seen in my sports endeavours.The market was also changing which was significant in terms of timing. New social media platforms were altering the way brands sell. It’s not dissimilar to what we are seeing now in terms of how AI is impacting business. As with any major change, there are opportunities. My advice would be to work out your own definitions of success, discover your

download media through new verticals, Substack, podcasts, GEO and LLMs, is important for PR agencies so that they can remain relevant and be seen as a value add to clients.The rise of social media and the influencer economy hasn’t been a challenge – it’s been an opportunity. At EMERGE, we obsess over

human behaviour, not just headlines.We’ve embraced content creation, influencer strategy, brand partnerships, and now IP of our own – from podcasts to products. Our agility is our superpower. We’ve built a team that can adapt, create, and lead in the moments that matter.The question we always ask is:Why should anyone care? If we can answer that honestly and creatively, we’re in a good place.

43