Creative Careers Month: Q + A with Suzanne Frost, Press & PR Manager at The Place

Suzanne Frost — Press & PR Manager at The Place — shares how she blends storytelling, relationship-building and a dancer’s instinct in her work, from uncovering compelling narratives to navigating the glamour and challenges of PR.

What’s your role at The Place, and what does a typical day look like for you?

I am the Press & PR Manager. My job is to steer and safeguard the reputation of the organisation and make sure we are really well known for all the right reasons, within our industry and beyond. I am the storyteller, so I need to have my eyes and ears everywhere, know what all the different departments are working on and why that is exciting. There is a lot of detective work, sniffing out the best stories and angles that will appeal to journalists and speak to the wider public or to current issues. A typical day can vary a lot but will definitely include a lot of wordsmithery, writing, editing, thinking, and rewriting. And a lot of meetings – you don’t find any hidden stories without talking to people.

How did you find your way to The Place?

I was a professional dancer for ten years. It wasn’t until my mid-thirties that I started looking around at what else I might like to do in life. Truthfully, when I was a kid, my first dream was always to be a writer — before I got hooked on dancing. One day, I was being interviewed as a performer and, on a whim, I asked the journalist if I could send him some of my writing — and he published me! I then took a long-distance course in journalism, studying backstage in my costume and makeup between numbers.

I came to London for my MA because UK universities were willing to recognise my dance experience as the equivalent of a BA I’d never obtained — something that would have been unthinkable in my home country. I worked as a journalist for one glorious year, but it didn’t quite pay the rent or feed a family. I returned to an institution because I love brushing shoulders with artists in the corridors, being involved in projects early on and belonging to something. I was a company dancer all my life, so I still like having a home of sorts.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I love an event — whether it’s a press night, a fundraising gala, an award ceremony, or a roundtable. I love welcoming people in and showing them what we do. I used to love seeing my name in playbills, then in bylines. Now, I get a thrill when we place a brilliant think piece in a national newspaper, knowing I made that happen. I still love copywriting, especially when working closely with artists who may just have an inkling of an idea — it’s up to us to forge and mould the right words together to capture the essence of their vision and make it sparkle.

What’s one part of your job that people might be surprised to learn about?

PR can be quite glamorous — and occasionally also scandalous! You might host celebrities, shake hands with royalty, or get invited to award shows. Equally, one unfortunate association and Hello! magazine is on the phone, angling for you to say something incautious. The media often want us to trip up — it makes a better story. A reputational crisis is where a PR really shows their worth: you need to think fast, stay calm, and look ahead, scanning for any possible pitfalls. A crisis can be quite exciting — and, as a PR, you get to enjoy the drama a little bit, I suppose.

Has there been a favourite project or standout memory during your time here?

Resolution Review is one of the greatest joys of the year. I get to bring together a group of dance critics with a group of talented young people, and together we discuss the trials and tribulations of trying to capture something as fleeting as dance with words. It’s like a congregation of nerds, and I absolutely adore every one of them. I’m still in touch with people from six years ago, and watching their writing careers unfold is genuinely so gratifying. Plus, they’ll be the dance critics of the future, so in terms of relationship building, it’s unbeatable.

Which skills do you use most often in your role?

Writing, storytelling, translating complicated institutional or industry jargon into something entertaining and joyous to read, that can capture people’s imagination. Diplomacy – you often deal with people whose life experience or way of working can be quite far removed from yours. And empathy! When you want to make people care about your work or idea for a story, it is so crucial to be able to change perspective: What would make THEM care? What are THEY passionate about? How does my story relate to THEIR experiences, challenges or interests?

Building relationships with journalists is about so much more than pitching. It's knowing how old their kids are, remembering their favourite seat, their last big article. You often get just a minute at the box office to make those connections, and nobody enjoys fake small talk. You need to be genuinely interested in people. An early mentor once told me a Press Manager is in the business of empathy, and that really stayed with me.