Celebrating 15 years of creativity: Chloé Nelkin on navigating the evolving arts PR landscape

From humble beginnings to a thriving agency with offices in London and Edinburgh, Chloe shares the highlights, challenges, and transformative shifts she's witnessed in the industry.

Congratulations on hitting 15 years! What’s been the highlight of building your agency in the worlds of arts, culture and theatre?

Thank you so much – it’s been an exciting 15 years. The highlight has got to be all the amazing people I have met and worked with and being part of growing the messaging for incredible projects that have become hugely impactful and well-known. If you’d told me 15 years ago that CNC would grow to be a team of 11 people with offices in London and Edinburgh I don’t think I’d have believed you – not because I didn’t have faith in my own abilities but because the mission was just to do what we do well and see what happens. I’m so honoured and excited that CNC has become what it is today and the people we’ve worked with are all part of that journey.

Founder and Managing Director Chloé Nelkin at the 2024 launch of NT Art Month.

How has the way you approach PR and branding for arts organisations evolved over the years, especially with changes in how we consume theatre and culture?

When I first entered PR nearly two decades ago, the main focus was print and traditional media. Of course, digital existed but print was always the goal. Now the world is dominated by digital - many publications have a digital-first ethos and social media has become a huge part of our outreach. Digital platforms and socials mean that the world of PR has become far more immediate. Messaging can be modified practically in real time with updates going out on the day of an event. This means we ensure our strategies change as required rather than being wedded to a timeline that doesn’t always work.

PR, for me, is all about storytelling and with so many new platforms and new ways to convey stories we have more possibilities.

What have been some of the toughest challenges you've faced working in arts PR, and how have you tackled them?

I’d love to say challenges have been few and far between but since I set up CNC we’ve been hit by a global pandemic, Brexit, a cost of living crisis, a funding crisis to the arts and so much more. As corny as it sounds, the challenges make us stronger. It’s certainly not been a walk in the park and, at times, it’s been really tough but trying times force us to pause and look at what we do well and how we can reinvent ourselves.

What do you think makes your agency stand out in the theatre and arts scene, especially when it comes to creativity and storytelling?

We have a huge passion for wanting our clients to succeed which makes us think creatively about the stories we tell for them. We work collaboratively as a team, taking a deep dive into each project and finding angles that will excite people. This, along with our personal approach, and love for our work makes us stand out. We also love to communicate – not just with the journalists with whom we work but also with our clients. And we communicate in a very transparent and honest way. If something isn’t working, we’re there to have an honest chat and not hide the truth. I think that is paramount to creating a strong business built on strong principles.

For those just starting out in arts PR or theatre marketing, what advice would you give them as they navigate this unique industry?

Make connections and be polite, even when it’s through gritted teeth. PR is all about relationships and the people you know – building genuine relationships is so important to success both as an individual and an agency and also valuing those relationships and not taking them for granted. And then be polite – you never know where people are going to end up or move to so never underestimate that manners are everything. But, also tell the truth – every industry has people you won’t want to connect with who are dishonest yet you can be polite without having to put yourself in a position that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Looking ahead, what are you most excited about for the future of your agency and the arts world as a whole?

I absolutely love my agency and the team who are working with me. We are fluid - I don’t have a strategy whereby we have to grow over a set period of time or have to work with a certain type of client. We work with clients we love in an industry we adore and continuing that ethos and keeping that passion alive is what excites me. In the past few years, we’ve founded an art festival in Edinburgh called NT Art Month, launched The Pink Podcast and, to coincide with our 15th anniversary, we have started CNC Books to publish the amazing plays that we are promoting. Whatever next!

The arts, as we’ve said, has undergone catastrophic shifts but it is a phenomenally resilient industry with the most incredible creative visionaries and I can’t wait to see what is next and be part of that.

Based in Edinburgh and London, more information about Chloé Nelkin Consulting please visit the website for current work and contact information - https://www.chloenelkinconsulting.com/