Celebrating women in their 50s. Communicado punches above its weight in bringing the PR smarts....

Kathy Lane , Communicado's PR Specialist, reveals how being in your 50’s is the secret to great storytelling. 

A recent report shows that the media’s industry standard for employing people over fifty sits at 5%. Communicado challenges that figure sitting at 15%. 

Youth certainly doesn’t equate to output and in an industry where we are telling stories of diversity and unwavering truths, Kathy Lane , CMC’s PR Specialist, proves that living a thousand lives can enrich the way we speak of our brands. Starting her career in advertising with McCann Erickson before entering the media jungle as the small business owner of 'FireWorks PR & Events’ for 18 years - a company that she started just one year postpartum with twins - this single mother’s devotion to storytelling hits differently. With over 25 years of PR experience and now as the co-founder of the successful podcast ‘From the Hip’, Kathy shares a wealth of experience in journalism, PR, and production, working with a broad range of clients over the years such as Tahbilk, Dulux, Carpet Court, NeuroEndocrine Cancer Australia, Clarks Wallabees, Westbourne Grammar, Riverview Farms, Flora, Federation Square, Flight Centre and Abercrombie & Kent, to name just a few.

Whilst everyone in her team may be young enough to be her child (she quotes), her generosity is boundless; mentoring and shaping so many of the junior members within CMC. In this exclusive interview, Kathy reveals nothing less than an honest account of the changing media landscape, the relationship between podcasting and PR and what it means to be a woman in your fifties making it happen. 

Kathy you owned a business that upheld a legacy for over eighteen years. Can you please tell us some of the highs of owning something that is yours and some of the key lessons that you’ve carried over to working in house at Communicado?

The highs of owning and driving a business is being completely in charge of your own destiny. You live and die by your own decisions and have the ability to make choices based on the business’s (and your own) values and vision. What I have learnt that I have brought to CMC is the responsibility attached to taking people’s money. It’s all hard earned and needs to be taken seriously with agreed objectives and outcomes achieved so everyone is satisfied with the result. Whilst I’m all about the fun, I take the responsibility of delivering the work very seriously and it has stood me in good stead.  In this business, reputation is everything. It’s all we’ve got and I hold that very dear. For instance, I have worked with family owned wine business Tahbilk, for over 20 years and we remain fresh and focussed.  And they have come with me to CMC which is very gratifying. Being able to expand the team who work on the brand has been great and some young, fresh eyes are always a good thing. I’m just the steady hand on the tiller, guiding the ship with lots of knowledge and experience from behind the scenes.

You’ve witnessed the media landscape change so vastly over your career. What have been your key takeaways from where things were ten years ago to where they are now? Better or just different? 

Well clearly the media landscape has changed dramatically over my 25+ years in business.  The blurring between what used to be genuine editorial into more paid models, the rise of ‘influencers’ and anyone with a smartphone becoming a ‘journalist’ has been remarkable. The rise of online publishing and the immediacy of the news cycle. But I still hold the role of traditional journalist very respectfully - fact checking, research, a balanced view are values that are still very relevant, particularly with the proliferation of news sites and the rise of ‘fake news’. It’s hard to keep on top of what’s real and what’s not, particularly when my children’s generation are getting so much of their news from social media without thinking too much about it. 

I love working with old school journos and pitching strong stories that matter. However, like any cultural shift, we have to move with the tide, embrace what is and adapt to the new landscape. And we’re constantly doing that in PR. And it’s delightful to see the increasing professionalism of influencers who are taking good money to create content for brands - there’s a responsibility that comes with that too, and it’s great to work with those who get it.  None of this is going away so we just need to stay on top of trends, keep looking for new opportunities and staying positive. No point looking backwards - the brave new world is here to stay.

The lines between journalism and advertising are blurry. Expand….

In the old days the line between genuine editorial and advertising was very clear - and never the twain did meet. A journalist was just that and the advertising division a completely separate department, both with two very different purposes. Editorial was the third party endorsement that brands craved and advertising clearly a more controlled approach. However, with the challenges around funding publications, there has had to be a new approach - a pay to play in some cases - and we work with media on behalf of our clients to explore possibilities that have credibility. Still no greater feeling for a PR than to get a genuine editorial story over the line - that’s the buzz we all still love! And a syndication!  Now that’s real gold. 

Three years ago, you started a podcast called From the Hip with your co-host Mish Eisen. The podcast has 46 episodes and a strong and loyal listenership. Can you please tell us about the relationship between podcasting and PR in 2024 and how podcasting has changed the way you tell stories?.

Podcasting has emerged as another avenue for conversation and profiling - and that’s been a wonderful thing. With the proliferation of podcasts on just about every subject, there’s loads of opportunity to put forward clients with interesting stories.  But that’s the key to the pitch. Where is the nugget of gold? What have they got to say that’s different? Where’s the opinion? And given that podcasts are editable, there’s the opportunity for a longer, more rambling conversation that’s not necessarily controlled but can reveal something unexpected. That’s a beautiful and surprising thing.

The art of hosting a podcast involves… 

When we started the podcast I was determined to ensure it was quality so we enlisted an experienced radio broadcaster as our producer. His guidance has been invaluable and clearly, as an experienced storyteller, his editing has been key to the success of our episodes. Mish and I have a two pronged approach; sometimes it’s just us chatting about a particular subject and shooting the breeze. We don’t script rather have some questions prepared for each other that we don’t reveal until we’re recording. Our other approach is to have relevant guests on particular topics; financial literacy for women; menopause; book groups; hospitality; marketing the Barbie movie etc. Really interesting women with something to say. Clearly we do some research about our guests and have some guiding questions however, the key is in the listening. Like any decent interviewer, listening and shifting direction, thinking on your feet is vital. Going off piste is sometimes where the best stuff happens.  

On the back of our podcasting, we were invited to moderate a session at the inaugural Sorrento Writer’s Festival in 2023. The theme was ‘Why do so many modern women shun the ‘F Word?’ The F word was feminism and we had a powerhouse panel of women across ages: Jane Caro (60s), Kristina Zwica (40s) and Charlotte Ree (30s). We recorded it for the podcast and it was promoted as a From The Hip episode. Loads of reading and preparation for that one. And totally terrifying but we did it! Another new experience for us and an amazing opportunity.  

The juggle of motherhood and career is a fine line. Can you tell us what it’s been like on the other side with adult kids?

When I started my business, my twins were only twelve months old. However, the flexibility in those early years was paramount. And it really remained key throughout all of their school years. Kids need you around, to be present, to drop in and out as needs be. And if that meant starting work at 5am before they were up, so be it. And I was sincerely grateful that when they were doing VCE during 2020 at the start of COVID, I was able to take the foot off the self employed pedal a bit and be on hand for catering and counselling. What a year for them.  Wow. The motherhood and career line is definitely fine and whilst difficult, it’s a modern reality. And workplaces like CMC have changed and offer a lot of flexibility for working parents, understanding the challenges and doing their best to accommodate. With so many women now the breadwinners in their family, there are often conflicts that male breadwinners possibly don’t have to deal with. The expectation that even though mum has a career, she’s still the primary carer. Don’t get me started. So much inequality that still exists. But it’s also incredibly satisfying to create great role modelling for your kids; about the importance of work and life. Showing that you can. My kids are older now and finding their way however, they still need their mum! That’s for sure. It just takes a different form of support these days.