In this series of interviews, we find out what they’ve learnt working alongside the cluster judges and what their young minds bring to the table.

“What has made judging even more exciting this year is for the second time, we invited young communication enthusiasts from across the country to participate in the judging process, and selected 11 of the coolest, brightest minds who brought some really fresh insight to the process,” says judge and founder of the Prisms Young Judges initiative, Palesa Madumo, executive director of strategy at Vuma Reputation Management.

Boitumelo Molusi, account manager at Frayintermedia.

Here, our interview with Boitumelo Molusi, account manager at Frayintermedia…

What does this recognition and opportunity mean to you?

It’s an opportunity to delve into what forms successful PR campaigns. How senior PR professionals think and if I would like to mirror any of their character traits. It’s an opportunity to make friends who speak the same language as me (the PR language). It’s really a learning opportunity and one I wish to pay forward.

Briefly tell us about your experience in the industry.

The industry has afforded me a lot of opportunities to learn and improve my skills. I have a year’s experience working in a PR agency. I have a blog and now work at Frayintermedia as an account manager. I have two certificates in media management (AAA School of Advertising through the Amasa media management learnership) and the press code (Frayintermedia).

My initial qualification is a national diploma in public relations and communication science from the University of Johannesburg and I am currently studying towards my honours in journalism and media studies at Wits University. Other opportunities include attending the global investigative journalism conference (2017) and the Menell Media Exchange for the past two years, as well as building relationships with clients and media, writing website stories for an African audience and now mentoring our interns at Frayintermedia.

Comment on the judging process.

The process requires discipline and impartiality, which speaks to the point of not judging an entry from an organisation you have close ties with.

What has the response been to this year’s entries?

There were a number of impressive entries. The kind that makes you go "Wow, why didn’t I think of that?!" For other entries, I can just say that we learn as we go and we learn as we grow. Always room for improvement.

What makes the winning work stand out?

The winning entries reflect great understanding of what the campaign needs to stand out; good identification of target audiences and media channels; creativity and a wow factor. The entries also create confidence that the PR industry is in good hands. PR professionals are working diligently to ensure that our industry remains reputable.

Prisa also introduced the Student Campaign of the Year in 2016. Why do you think it’s important that students and the next generation of PR professionals are included in such initiatives?

The world’s youth population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2020, which makes it very crucial to transfer and develop youth skills not only in PR but the world in general.

It is important that we learn from those who came before us. It’s also important that we are given platforms to share our ideas and contribute towards a bigger picture.

What do you think young minds bring to the table?

Fresh ideas and assurance that the future of PR is in safe hands.

What have you learnt working alongside the cluster judges?

My opinion matters. I have grown. I am where I should be. Good is enough but excellence takes the cup. No pressure. *giggles*

Comment on the past, present and future state of PR.

We started using traditional media and are now incorporating technology because we are in the digital age and it is important to keep up with what is new. Traditional media will always be close to my heart, but one can’t be naïve and ignore how technology affects the work that we do.

I believe we will always work towards marrying old media with new media and make it work on behalf of our clients. We now have a plethora of avenues to explore when executing campaigns and telling stories. It’s great. The future is exciting.

What are you most looking forward to in terms of this year’s Awards?

The main thing was to go through the judging process. I now look forward to being there when excellence in PR is rewarded on 22 April.

As mentioned, the Awards take place this Sunday, 22 April. Follow us on Twitter for live updates on the night and visit our Prism Awards special section for other related content and of course all the winners following the announcement. Here’s the link to our other social media pages, as well as the Prism Awards’ Facebook and Twitter accounts.