MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The PR agency handling the next series of Doctor Who has set its sights on games – by hiring Simon Byron to head up its new division.
London-based Premier Public Relations officially opens its newly-formed video games division this week, run by former Barrington Harvey director Byron. The 60-strong agency recently ran campaigns for the likes of Slumdog Millionaire, 24, and Ashes to Ashes. It most recently won the account the series of five of Doctor Who. Celebrity clients include Daniel Craig, Kate Winslet and Jude Law.
Byron says the agency is well placed to represent everyone from small developers right up to big publishers and format-holders. He has worked in PR since 1994, has also co-written two books on games and is one of the hosts of the Games Media Award-nominated One Life Left.
Videogames PR agencies have traditionally come in two flavours: those that know games but lack the mainstream experience to really push them beyond the gaming press or larger agencies who can’t tell a PlayStation from an Xbox,” said Byron.
The opportunity to marry expert gaming knowledge with the support of a truly mainstream entertainment agency is incredibly exciting and I’m delighted to be spearheading this new division. We intend to offer a service to anyone operating within the games industry. Whether we are working with a small independent developer or a multi-million dollar launch, we can offer the best team for the job.”
John Reiss, chairman of Premier, added: With the industry worth a staggering 4billion at retail in the UK alone, video games are big business.
As leaders in the field of entertainment PR, we are perfectly placed to bring videogames into the mainstream. The appointment of Simon Byron sends a clear message that we intend to be the best in this area.”
