Brendon Craigie's guest appearances

Brendon Craigie

Build a Better Agency Podcast

PRmoment Podcast

PR's Top Pros Talk

Tim Johnson

Christopher Lochhead

Dorie Clark

Gene Hammett

Blair Enns

Adam Carroll

Drew McLellan

Ann Handley

Matthew Pollard

Vanessa Wakeman

Tom Schwab

Alex Berman

Chris Prefontaine

Mitch Matthews

Jeff Coyle

OwlTail

What lessons can PR professionals learn from Unicorn CEOs about communications? Brendon Craigie, CEO, Tyto, discusses the importance of prioritizing authentic storytelling to have complex topics resonate with massive audiences. Brendon also outlines the unique challenges that Unicorn CEOs face such as mitigating workloads for a fast-growing staff and handling high-pressure situations from a young age.  Interested in learning more about how Unicorn CEOs approach communications and culture? Download Tyto’s guide “Growing Without Borders: The Unicorn CEO guide to communication and culture” here or listen to the Unicorn CEO series of interviews on “Without Borders”, Tyto’s podcast. To share your feedback, contact: Doug Simon: dougs@dssimonmedia.com  or news@dssimonmedia.com - 212.736.2727 For more info go to: https://www.dssimon.com

What lessons can PR professionals learn from Unicorn CEOs about communications? Brendon Craigie, CEO, <a href="https://tytopr.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tyto</a>, discusses the importance of prioritizing authentic storytelling to have complex topics resonate with massive audiences. Brendon also outlines the unique challenges that Unicorn CEOs face such as mitigating workloads for a fast-growing staff and handling high-pressure situations from a young age.  Interested in learning more about how Unicorn CEOs approach communications and culture? Download Tyto’s guide “Growing Without Borders: The Unicorn CEO guide to communication and culture” <a href="https://tytopr.com/ebook-growing-without-borders-the-unicorn-ceo-guide-to-communication-and-culture/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> or listen to the Unicorn CEO series of interviews on <a href="https://tytopr.com/without-borders-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">“Without Borders”</a>, Tyto’s podcast. To share your feedback, contact: Doug Simon: dougs@dssimonmedia.com  or news@dssimonmedia.com - 212.736.2727 For more info go to: <a href="https://www.dssimon.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.dssimon.com</a>

Unicorn CEOs - Brendon Craigie, Tyto

This week on the PRmoment podcast, I’m talking to co-founder of Tyto and previous global CEO of Hotwire Brendon Craigie. Brendon joined Hotwire in 2000, three months after it was founded and went on to become its group CEO. During his time at Hotwire the firm grew to have a turnover of $31 million. Unexpectedly for most observers, Brendon left Hotwire in 2017 following its acquisition of Eastwick. He set up Tyto in October of that year. Eighteen months later Tyto has a fee income of approximately £1m.Here’s a flavour of what Brendon and I discussed:[00:01.18] Why Brendon left his position as global CEO at Hotwire after it acquired Eastwick.[00:01.25] How he and the management team gew Hotwire to become a $31m, multi-sector, multi-geography PR firm.[00:05:56] Why Brendon decided it was now or never for his own start up.  [00:06:09] Why Brendon's first boss Kristin Syltevik at Weber Shandwick had a massive impact on the rest of his career.   [00:10:39] How he went from Hotwire’s third employee to become its global CEO.[00:12:37] Why “growth creates opportunity” is such a truism in the agency world.  [00:14:07] How working in a business that is growing makes for a much more positive culture.  [00:15:40] Why Brendon thought about setting up a mail order coffee business.  [00:16:29] Why Brendon decided to stick at Hotwire for 17 years, rather than twist and make a move to another firm.[00:16:59] How Brendon thrived under the leadership of Kristin Syltevik and Anth­ony Wilson at Hotwire as they provided a "conveyor belt of challenges" for him.  [00:17:41] Why Brendon found the reporting requirements of working for a holding group and the "canvas on which you've got to operate" limiting.   [00:18:17] How to grow businesses you need to be entrepreneurial and speculative, but conversely to deliver the kind of results that a holding company requires you need to be a brilliant manager.  [00:19:23] Whether the departure of Kristin Syltevik and Anth­ony Wilson from Hotwire in 2011 left Brendon feeling isolated or empowered.  [00:21:16] Having worked on the buy side of Hotwire’s purchase of Eastwick, Brendon gives his advice to people who are looking to build and structure their agency with a view on a sale.  [00:22:36] Whether Brendon had a tear in the eye when he left Hotwire for the final time.  [00:23:12] Why Brendon used to get jealous of people doing their leaving speeches.[00:23:39] Why leaving Hotwire felt like a divorce.  [00:24:39] How post-leaving Hotwire Brendon found himself feeling stressed about not having anything to do.  [00:25:17] Brendon explains Tyto's proposition.   [00:27:45] How Tyto has a location-agnostic approach.  [00:28:36] How Tyto attempts to integrate its people into dynamic client teams despite them working in numerous locations, often alone.  [00:30:59] Why, following Brendon’s experiences at Tyto, he believes that when all your staff are remote, no one feels remote.   [00:37:23] How just 18 months after launch Tyto has a fee income of £1m.

This week on the PRmoment podcast, I’m talking to co-founder of Tyto and previous global CEO of Hotwire Brendon Craigie. Brendon joined Hotwire in 2000, three months after it was founded and went on to become its group CEO. During his time at Hotwire the firm grew to have a turnover of $31 million. Unexpectedly for most observers, Brendon left Hotwire in 2017 following its acquisition of Eastwick. He set up Tyto in October of that year. Eighteen months later Tyto has a fee income of approximately £1m.Here’s a flavour of what Brendon and I discussed:[00:01.18] Why Brendon left his position as global CEO at Hotwire after it acquired Eastwick.[00:01.25] How he and the management team gew Hotwire to become a $31m, multi-sector, multi-geography PR firm.[00:05:56] Why Brendon decided it was now or never for his own start up. [00:06:09] Why Brendon's first boss Kristin Syltevik at Weber Shandwick had a massive impact on the rest of his career.  [00:10:39] How he went from Hotwire’s third employee to become its global CEO.[00:12:37] Why “growth creates opportunity” is such a truism in the agency world.  [00:14:07] How working in a business that is growing makes for a much more positive culture. [00:15:40] Why Brendon thought about setting up a mail order coffee business. [00:16:29] Why Brendon decided to stick at Hotwire for 17 years, rather than twist and make a move to another firm.[00:16:59] How Brendon thrived under the leadership of Kristin Syltevik and Anth­ony Wilson at Hotwire as they provided a "conveyor belt of challenges" for him. [00:17:41] Why Brendon found the reporting requirements of working for a holding group and the "canvas on which you've got to operate" limiting. [00:18:17] How to grow businesses you need to be entrepreneurial and speculative, but conversely to deliver the kind of results that a holding company requires you need to be a brilliant manager. [00:19:23] Whether the departure of Kristin Syltevik and Anth­ony Wilson from Hotwire in 2011 left Brendon feeling isolated or empowered. [00:21:16] Having worked on the buy side of Hotwire’s purchase of Eastwick, Brendon gives his advice to people who are looking to build and structure their agency with a view on a sale. [00:22:36] Whether Brendon had a tear in the eye when he left Hotwire for the final time. [00:23:12] Why Brendon used to get jealous of people doing their leaving speeches.[00:23:39] Why leaving Hotwire felt like a divorce.  [00:24:39] How post-leaving Hotwire Brendon found himself feeling stressed about not having anything to do.  [00:25:17] Brendon explains Tyto's proposition.  [00:27:45] How Tyto has a location-agnostic approach.  [00:28:36] How Tyto attempts to integrate its people into dynamic client teams despite them working in numerous locations, often alone.  [00:30:59] Why, following Brendon’s experiences at Tyto, he believes that when all your staff are remote, no one feels remote.  [00:37:23] How just 18 months after launch Tyto has a fee income of £1m.

Brendon Craigie, founder of Tyto, on The PRmoment podcast

Remember when it sounded crazy to remote employees scattered all over the country?  Or even crazier, in multiple countries? The truth is today, it’s becoming the norm rather than the exception. Many agencies are choosing a hybrid approach, with a central office and staff in a brick and mortar location, but also with remote full-time and part-time workers. Some agencies are going all-in on remote work, ditching the central office and becoming, in the words of my podcast guest for this episode, “location-agnostic.” I am intrigued by this, to say the least. I worked for and built businesses in an era when you went where the work was, whether you loved that particular center of commerce or not. But our business is changing, and the agency owners I work with are shifting into this new normal as well. I had some big questions about becoming totally location-agnostic. How do you develop a strong culture when you all work in different places? How do the clients feel about it? How do you do the collaborative work that agencies are known for when you are scattered all over? My guest on this episode is Brendon Craigie, co-founder and managing partner at Tyto PR. Tyto is a pan-European company with a fully location-agnostic staff. Is building a healthy and happy work culture possible with an all-remote team? Brendon is finding the answer to that is a resounding “yes!” But there is more to his company than a remote workforce. They are intentionally flat, hiring well-seasoned creative “black belts” rather than having junior-level staff as worker bees. They are finding this to be a business model that’s rewarding to clients as well as the firm itself. In his role, Brendon leads the agency and is heavily involved in counseling clients on strategic and creative matters. As an experienced global CEO, he also enjoys working closely with other CEOs on broader business and communications strategies. Prior to launching Tyto, Brendon was the global CEO of Hotwire. As part of Hotwire’s founding team, he rose through the ranks to become CEO, and during his six-year tenure in the position he doubled the company’s size and repositioned it into a top 50 global challenger brand. Brendon’s achievements were recognized through multiple awards. Brendon has worked across Europe, Asia, and the U.S. with a host of global names including Cisco, Microsoft, and Google. During his career, Brendon has helped to devise strategies and support campaigns for high-growth companies entering Europe to grow their brands and business. These campaigns often extended several years and included several early-stage companies, such as GoPro and BlackBerry, that have become multibillion-dollar successes, while others achieved the exits they desired.   What You Will Learn About in This Episode:  The virtues of being a location-agnostic company The logistics and financial implications of an all-remote workforce Creating a culture in a virtual agency Building a flat organization with seasoned, high-level, customer-facing staff When you meet with colleagues, how to meet with a purpose How to bring the best ideas forward through a “creative sprint” process When and how a virtual workforce can get together in the real world – preferably for a mix of work and play A cost/benefit analysis of having a staff of seasoned professionals How to angle for that non-contested pitch to your ideal clients Baking insight and research into the way you do business and how you get new business.  Ways to contact Brendon Craigie:  Website: tytopr.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/brendoncraigie  We’re proud to announce that Hubspot is now the presenting sponsor of the Build A Better Agency podcast! Many thanks to them for their support!

Remember when it sounded crazy to remote employees scattered all over the country?  Or even crazier, in multiple countries? The truth is today, it’s becoming the norm rather than the exception. Many agencies are choosing a hybrid approach, with a central office and staff in a brick and mortar location, but also with remote full-time and part-time workers. Some agencies are going all-in on remote work, ditching the central office and becoming, in the words of my podcast guest for this episode, “location-agnostic.” I am intrigued by this, to say the least. I worked for and built businesses in an era when you went where the work was, whether you loved that particular center of commerce or not. But our business is changing, and the agency owners I work with are shifting into this new normal as well. I had some big questions about becoming totally location-agnostic. How do you develop a strong culture when you all work in different places? How do the clients feel about it? How do you do the collaborative work that agencies are known for when you are scattered all over? My guest on this episode is Brendon Craigie, co-founder and managing partner at <a href="http://tytopr.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Tyto PR</a>. Tyto is a pan-European company with a fully location-agnostic staff. Is building a healthy and happy work culture possible with an all-remote team? Brendon is finding the answer to that is a resounding “yes!” But there is more to his company than a remote workforce. They are intentionally flat, hiring well-seasoned creative “black belts” rather than having junior-level staff as worker bees. They are finding this to be a business model that’s rewarding to clients as well as the firm itself. In his role, Brendon leads the agency and is heavily involved in counseling clients on strategic and creative matters. As an experienced global CEO, he also enjoys working closely with other CEOs on broader business and communications strategies. Prior to launching <a href="http://tytopr.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Tyto</a>, Brendon was the global CEO of Hotwire. As part of Hotwire’s founding team, he rose through the ranks to become CEO, and during his six-year tenure in the position he doubled the company’s size and repositioned it into a top 50 global challenger brand. Brendon’s achievements were recognized through multiple awards. Brendon has worked across Europe, Asia, and the U.S. with a host of global names including Cisco, Microsoft, and Google. During his career, Brendon has helped to devise strategies and support campaigns for high-growth companies entering Europe to grow their brands and business. These campaigns often extended several years and included several early-stage companies, such as GoPro and BlackBerry, that have become multibillion-dollar successes, while others achieved the exits they desired.  What You Will Learn About in This Episode: <ul> <li>The virtues of being a location-agnostic company</li> <li>The logistics and financial implications of an all-remote workforce</li> <li>Creating a culture in a virtual agency</li> <li>Building a flat organization with seasoned, high-level, customer-facing staff</li> <li>When you meet with colleagues, how to meet with a purpose</li> <li>How to bring the best ideas forward through a “creative sprint” process</li> <li>When and how a virtual workforce can get together in the real world – preferably for a mix of work and play</li> <li>A cost/benefit analysis of having a staff of seasoned professionals</li> <li>How to angle for that non-contested pitch to your ideal clients</li> <li>Baking insight and research into the way you do business and how you get new business.</li> </ul> Ways to contact Brendon Craigie: <ul> <li>Website: <a href="https://tytopr.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">tytopr.com</a></li> <li>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendoncraigie/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.linkedin.com/in/brendoncraigie</a></li> </ul> We’re proud to announce that <a href="http://hubs.ly/H06PywY0" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Hubspot</a> is now the presenting sponsor of the Build A Better Agency podcast! Many thanks to them for their support!

Episode 158: The Location Agnostic Agency with Brendon Craigie