Rick Hollister has more than 12 years of PR and marketing experience, previously working for the likes of PR Agency One, Brazen and Peppermint Soda.
He joined Manchester-based marketing and communications agency Refresh in 2024 as an associate director, where he is now responsible for expanding the agency’s client portfolio, growing existing clients, and working alongside the senior leadership team to support further agency growth.
From award judging to video and campaign planning, he shares a recent week in his life…
Monday
7:30am on the way into work, I try to remember everything I’ve spotted and saved over the weekend. I can’t look at a newspaper, billboard, magazine, website, or social media without bookmarking it, screenshotting it, or sending myself the link to pass on when I’m next at my desk. The trouble is, by Monday morning, I can’t remember what platform it was on and where I saved it. By the time I reach Manchester Piccadilly, I’m confident I’ve retrieved my articles and items of interest, ready to share with colleagues and clients.
We start the week with an all-agency meeting where the whole team shares their topline priorities. It’s another busy week for team Refresh, with the agency-run Heating Installer Awards judging day happening mid-week, while other members of the team are at a tech conference in London and an industry dinner.
My afternoon is spent reviewing a video and campaign plan for a financial services client we’re working on. It’s almost time to launch their new app. The animation and voiceover are bang on brief. An easy job for the afternoon. I’m excited to launch the financial wellbeing campaign in the next few weeks. Watch this space.
Tuesday
Tuesday morning starts with a Zoom call with the MPA (Manchester Publicity Association) team and the group of awards judges for 2025. It’s my second year as part of the 25+ strong panel, and I’m excited to see the entries from the region’s best marketing and publicity pros. Cindy Simmons chairs the call and introduces the new judges, as well as giving a reminder of how the whole process works.
Judges don’t review competitor agencies’ work, or their own campaigns, and it’s her job to map out who gets which entries. An unenviable task when you consider the hundreds of entries each year from individuals, in-house teams, and agencies. I put the face-to-face judging day in my diary and plan to follow up with my fellow judges before the big day.
I’m working on refreshing the agency’s consumer PR and marketing offering alongside my MD, Laura, which means polishing our credentials and laying out a strategy to target more home interest brands with our services. Refresh already has a roster of home interest and lifestyle brands, but by renewing our approach, we hope to attract more brands and businesses wanting to get their products in glossy magazines, as well as raise awareness generally. Having a mix of B2C and B2B clients is important to us, and keeps us on our toes. Being a multi-specialist agency also ensures every day is different.
Wednesday
It’s Spring Statement day. While most announcements have already been made or leaked, I still followed for a surprise. Alas, there were none. However, there’s still plenty in the Chancellor’s plans that will spur on our built environment clients as the government gives further grants to reach its 1.5 million new homes target, and invests in the skills and people who will create the new homes.
Another day and another event. This time it’s a trip up Oxford Road to Whitworth Hall for Design Festival North. It’s a relatively small showcase for architects and designers, but it makes up for that in personality. Everyone I speak to is animated and excited to share their wares. I find some genuinely cool products and ideas on circularity and sustainability in the sector, and leave inspired. A couple of hours well spent and a list of people to follow up with.
I’ve also made time for lunch – rice and three at This & That, a Northern Quarter institution – with two old friends. It’s a successful catch-up as I’ve bagged an invite to a birthday party in the summer and an invite to a placemaking festival in June, which brings together people from the built environment for a day of presentations and panels on people, places, and culture.
Thursday
Today I’ve planned a trip to the NEC in Birmingham for the Housebuilding & Renovation Show. I’m particularly excited about this one as I’m partway through my own home renovation project. While I’m there in a professional capacity, any tips I get for my own project are a bonus. I’ve mapped out my route of the exhibition halls and the people I can’t leave without speaking to on the way down. I’ve also built in time for anything that catches my attention on the day.
After listening to the tail end of his talk, I collared Andy Stevens, who has started a YouTube channel and media brand aimed at the construction industry. While industries like tech and business are saturated with podcasts, the construction sector is catching up on establishing itself across different marketing channels, and Andy is playing his part. He gives me some insights into his plans for The Build Network UK, and we exchange details for me to follow up when I’m back at my laptop.
Friday
I’m working from home today, which means I can get stuck into a series of new business proposals I have to write. We’re supporting one of our existing clients with the move to a new website and CMS, which entails a full rewrite of its web content, product pages, thought leadership, and blogs. It’s a big job and one that our copywriting team is looking forward to. There’s also PPC work and a thought leadership campaign planned, too.
This extra detail means pulling in more of our specialist teams for an integrated launch in the summer. While starting as a traditional PR agency, and a traditional PR practitioner myself, few campaigns or briefs solely stick to one channel or media anymore, and we always consider an integrated approach. Taking an integrated marketing approach also means we can involve more of our team in a united effort to bring our creative ideas to life. Proposals complete and sent, I’m hoping their sign-off is as seamless.
I wrap up for the week, with one eye on the ever-changing weather forecast on my phone. It’s another weekend in the garden for me while we wait for planning permission to be (hopefully) granted and our building renovation work to begin.
