With our team rapidly growing, and so many wonderful people joining the Agent99 family, our new blog series will introduce you to our team members and give you an insight into who they are, what they do, and a little bit about some of their hidden talents! Hope you enjoy meeting each and every one of them.
Spotlight: Sharon Zeev Poole, Director and Founder of Agent99
1. Who are you and what do you do at Agent99?
I am the original founding member of Agent99 and am the Director of the business. I’ve had over 20 years of experience in the industry and have worked on clients internationally in the UK and Canada on some iconic brands such as Warner Bros. Pictures and Starbucks Coffee.
I started the agency in 2007, and my role has significantly evolved since the first day on my lonesome at my desk! After building the agency, these days I am much less involved on the operational day to day execution on each of our client’s accounts, but I am very much involved in the initial strategy and ensuing tactics on each campaign.
My key role involves ensuring that each client’s work is tracking to plan, problem solving and strategising when required to. I also oversee the whole team, and am focussed on our growth as an agency, setting goals and targets, recruitment of PR talent and new business development.
It is an all encompassing role but bringing our values to life through everything we do is something I am very passionate about! I believe it’s also helped us grow and win some incredible industry awards over the last number of years. I am very proud of who we have become, and what we have achieved.
2. How did you get started in PR?
My first role was working in house as a Marketing Manager in Melbourne, I then moved overseas and fell into a PR job completely by accident. I never studied PR at Uni, but instinctively did this in my first role by writing op-eds for industry publications and securing editorial for the company, but I didn’t know this was an actual thing!
My first job was changing the perception of drinking water in the UK. Random. I know. But it was instant love for me, and I knew I found my passion. I then moved to Canada when I met my (now) husband, and that’s when I started my agency life working across numerous global consumer facing brands. It was an exceptionally steep learning curve, and I really didn’t know if I would make it! But I did, and then we moved to Sydney where I developed my skills further with a PR job at a mid-sized agency before starting my company. It’s been a heck of a journey, but I’ve loved every minute.
3. Why Agent99? (Both the company + the name)
During my time at several agencies, I saw the good, bad and the ugly. I knew I wanted to start an agency where results and business impact for clients was the most important thing, above and beyond countless documents and endless meetings. This, coupled with creating an environment where my PR staff felt supported, heard, respected and provided with opportunities to grow, were my driving forces. And I am proud to say that this is exactly what we have created as a team.
In terms of the name… well, 9 is my lucky number. ‘99’ is when I started my PR career, and the character Agent99 always made Maxwell Smart (AKA Agent 86 in the iconic 60’s show Get Smart) look so clever… which I thought was the perfect analogy to how we work with our clients as ‘PR Agents’. It all just made perfect sense to me! So, there you have it.
4. When hiring staff, what’s your one non-negotiable quality you’re looking for?
Ooohhh, that’s actually a really tough one as it’s really a combination of things for me. However, I know this one seems obvious, but when I have a PR job role on the table, I love great communicators who can present themselves confidently and articulate what they want, and how they will get there. I guess that’s more than one hey?! But this tells me they have thought about what they want, it shows determination, and it also gives me a sense of confidence that they will represent our clients well.
5 What are three words someone would use to describe you?
- Determined – I am like a dog with a bone and never give up, there is always a way!
- Focussed – it’s amazing how many times someone will call out my name and when I’m in the zone… I just don’t hear it. Very helpful in an open plan office.
- Open – I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I share a lot. Good and bad, depends on which way you look at it!
6. If you could do PR for any brand in the world, who would it be?
Honestly, I think it would be one of the streaming platforms like Netflix, Stan, Amazon, or Apple+. I am a big fan of documentaries, movies and interesting stories, and it would be such a dream to tell those stories widely.
We are always on the hunt for amazing talented people to join our PR team! We love passionate, honest, driven people, who really care about creating an impact for our clients! To apply, please visit our careers page and drop us a line for a confidential chat!
Agent Sharon
