Julia Hobsbawm
Julia Hobsbawm (born 1965) is chief executive of Hobsbawm Media and Marketing, which coined the phrase "integrity PR" and became renowned for turning away clients it didn't believe in.[1]
The daughter of Marxist historian Professor Eric Hobsbawm, she is is the world's first professor of Networking, having been made Honorary Visiting Professor by London's Cass Business School.
David Blunkett and Kimberly Fortier first met at one of her parties.
She is married with five children.[2]
My life in Media
At home, what do you tune in to?
Jamie's School Dinners and, if I'm awake, then always Newsnight and This Week with Andrew Neil. I've also discovered The West Wing and have watched every episode. I really like Steve Wright on Radio 2.
What is your Sunday paper, favourite magazine?
I cram in as many as possible. The Observer and The Independent on Sunday media sections are very good. I'm addicted to Vanity Fair's Dominick Dunne. I nurse an occasional habit for the National Enquirer and like Grazia and Easy Living.
Name the one career ambition
To take the antagonism out of the relationship between PRs and journalists and develop media businesses that help to provide more transparency and better information traffic between them.
If you didn't work in the media what would you do?
Try to be the most active parent at my children's school - and teach more PR.
Who in the media do you most admire and why?
I admire people who campaign well in the media, particularly Jamie Oliver and Liberty's Shami Chakrabarti. Also Chris Evans, for his elegant comeback.
Curriculum Vitae
1982-86
Leaves the Polytechnic of Central London (now the University of Westminster) without a degree after she fails to transfer from French and Italian to media studies. Joins publishing house Martin Duntz, where she files and types invoices. Moves to Penguin and then Virago as a publicist.
1987-88
Joins Thames TV as a researcher for Books By My Bedside.
1989-90
Becomes a researcher on BBC1's Wogan.
1991
High-value donor (De Beers) fundraiser for the Labour Party.
1992
Founds Julia Hobsbawm Associates in her living room.
1993-2001
Firm becomes Hobsbawm Macauley Communications; her co-founder is Sarah Macauley, wife of Gordon Brown.
2002-03
Firm becomes Hobsbawm Media + Marketing Communications, as Macauley leaves to work part-time.
2004
Starts Editorial Intelligence Ltd, a media publishing company tackling poor pitching by PRs.[3]
2005
Editing "Where the Truth Lies", a collection of essays on the media.
