Gemma Smyth launched her own PR company seven years ago and hasn’t looked back since.
As we walk around the Phoenix Park discussing life, business and everything in between, Gemma appears to take it all in her stride.
Based in Castleknock, she lives with her husband Ronan and two children – Oisín, seven, and Hannah, five.
Crash course in ag
Although her undergrad was an arts degree and her master’s was in public relations, Gemma describes herself as an “honorary ag student” of the University College Dublin (UCD) School of Agriculture.
“I studied arts but, to be honest, I got more of an education in agriculture than anything else,” she recalls. “I lived with ag science students and worked in the Sports Bar all through college (the hotspot for ag students at the time).”
Gemma grew up by the sea in Strandhill, Co Sligo, and was the youngest of three children. Although her father had a small hobby farm and the Irish Farmers Journal was always in the house growing up, Gemma says that she didn’t fully comprehend the extent of the agriculture industry before working in the sector.
After graduating, she travelled to New Zealand, working in vineyards and on kiwi farms for a year before returning to Ireland and accepting a job in Agri Aware – a job which was “one of the best things to ever happen” to her.
“It gave me a huge grounding in an area that I didn’t know a huge amount about,” she explains. “The importance of networking [which I learned there] has been carried all the way through my career.”
Gemma Smyth Communications
In 2013, Gemma not only welcomed her first baby, but also established her own company after deciding to leave her job at FD (now FTI Consulting).
“I think the perspective of a life-changing moment – like having your first child – made me reflect on what I wanted to do,” she says. “So I took a big risk and handed in my notice.”
The early days of business took place from Gemma’s kitchen table. 
“I remember thinking that we’d give it six months and see what happens,” she says. “It was a steep learning curve, but one that I won’t ever regret.”
Agri food PR
Seven years on, Gemma has four full-time staff members and has expanded her service offering. Seventy per cent of her clients are based within the agri-food sector and include the Agricultural Science Association (ASA), Agri Kids, Bord Bia, Certified Irish Angus and Farmers to Market among others.
“We’re covering everything from the farming side right to the consumer end,” she explains. “We will always bring the primary producer into the communications material that we do.”
The crux of Gemma’s work is content in different formats.
“We produce written content like speeches, briefing notes for interviews, press releases and copyrighting for websites,” she explains. “We also need photography, visuals and graphics to support our work.
“Once we have a laptop and a phone, that’s really all we need.”
Bloom
The relationships she established in prior roles were important to the early success of her fledging business. One such client was Bord Bia, whom she describes as an incredible support to her from the beginning. Gemma’s company covers all the media relations 
and copyrighting of press materials for Bord Bia’s Bloom, which runs across 70ac in the Phoenix Park every June Bank Holiday weekend.
Her agency collects background information on participants, show gardens and the food companies involved and creates accessible material for media.
“We are writing short blurbs, interviewing people and identifying the news hooks for Bloom every year,” Gemma explains. “We start planning early and run a steady programme of national and regional media relations to support the event.
“We figure out what we can pitch and what’s different this year,” she continues. “If you have an event which has longevity, you have to keep changing the news hooks that are available to create something new.
“Our work is about trying to extend that news as far and wide as it can possibly go.”
A positive message
Working to represent the agri-food sector on campaigns like AgCredibles Campaign for Agri Aware, Gemma acknowledges the value of understanding the individual farmer.
“Seeing the hard work, meeting real people and understanding the passion that is there in terms of producing food is so important,” she explains. “The fact that we can bring that knowledge into the end product is really nice.”
Gemma also acknowledges the anti-farming sentiment that has been circulating over the last couple of years within the industry.
“We have seen the emergence of ‘Februdairy’ in response to the growing popularity of ‘Veganuary’ which encourages consumers to go vegan for the full month of January,” she says.
“Whichever side of the fence you are on – Veganuary or Februdairy – the reality is that both campaigns can be polarising and have the potential to generate more negative than positive sentiment.”
When asked to advise farmers, Gemma highlights the importance of taking a balanced approach towards any disagreement.
“The first thing I would say is don’t take on every battle, because you can’t. If you start at somebody, they’re going to start back at you. It doesn’t end up anywhere and all the consumer hears is an angry farmer, or an angry vegan.”
She says fact-based information is crucial in supporting claims, but farmers should consider if the argument is worth the time and effort.
Reaching out in a level headed manner, breaking down the facts and explaining why you find fault with a claim is more effective in the long run.
“Try not to make it look like it’s not just reacting for the sake of reacting,” she says.
Dos and don’ts
Gemma says having a functioning website is important, but business owners shouldn’t solely depend on social media for marketing and PR.
“[A good website] could purely be a one pager that gives a little bit of background on your business,” she says. “It’s really important to have something that is your own and you can direct people to, because you can bank a lot of information on a website.”
She also thinks finding employees who are a good cultural fit for your business is vital. 
“You can’t underestimate the importance of good people,” she explains. “I hire based on personality. I think there are a lot of skills you can teach people but you cannot teach them to have a good work ethic, be committed and be enthusiastic in terms of their delivery.”
Seeking an extrinsic opinion and being aware of your own limitations is crucial for any business owner.
“It’s really good to have external viewpoints and a network of people that can mentor you, give you critical feedback and analyse your work,” Gemma says. “You always learn from what other people are telling you. In particular, in what we do in PR, you’re always having to look at what the next trend is and what’s coming down the line.”
She also believes that generosity plays a big role in business and also highlights the importance of trusting your gut.
“If something doesn’t feel right, generally it’s not right.”
Gemma grew up on a small farm in Sligo but no lives in Castleknock, Co Dublin, with her husband and two children. \ Claire Jeanne Nash
Fresh new look
Gemma’s company has recently undergone a rebrand under a new name: &Smyth Communications.
“In the last seven years, things have moved on in terms of the business I have,” she explains. “I think that it’s really important to reposition the company.
“It’s not just about me anymore” she continues, “There’s a really strong team there of other people that need to have their opportunity to shine as well. We will continue to evolve, grow and learn new skills in order to offer the best possible creative communications service.”
Gemma’s social
media tips for
small businesses
Pick one social media platform (Twitter, Instagram or Facebook) to maintain a strong presence and manage it well. Plan your content: use a monthly planner and schedule a certain amount of posts in advance. Consistently provide updates, share content and follow other people to effectively manage your followers and engagement. Be clever in easing your workload by splitting content across different platforms.
Gemma Smyth launched her own PR company seven years ago and hasn’t looked back since.
As we walk around the Phoenix Park discussing life, business and everything in between, Gemma appears to take it all in her stride.
Based in Castleknock, she lives with her husband Ronan and two children – Oisín, seven, and Hannah, five.
Crash course in ag
Although her undergrad was an arts degree and her master’s was in public relations, Gemma describes herself as an “honorary ag student” of the University College Dublin (UCD) School of Agriculture.
“I studied arts but, to be honest, I got more of an education in agriculture than anything else,” she recalls. “I lived with ag science students and worked in the Sports Bar all through college (the hotspot for ag students at the time).”
Gemma grew up by the sea in Strandhill, Co Sligo, and was the youngest of three children. Although her father had a small hobby farm and the Irish Farmers Journal was always in the house growing up, Gemma says that she didn’t fully comprehend the extent of the agriculture industry before working in the sector.
After graduating, she travelled to New Zealand, working in vineyards and on kiwi farms for a year before returning to Ireland and accepting a job in Agri Aware – a job which was “one of the best things to ever happen” to her.
“It gave me a huge grounding in an area that I didn’t know a huge amount about,” she explains. “The importance of networking [which I learned there] has been carried all the way through my career.”
Gemma Smyth Communications
In 2013, Gemma not only welcomed her first baby, but also established her own company after deciding to leave her job at FD (now FTI Consulting).
“I think the perspective of a life-changing moment – like having your first child – made me reflect on what I wanted to do,” she says. “So I took a big risk and handed in my notice.”
The early days of business took place from Gemma’s kitchen table.
“I remember thinking that we’d give it six months and see what happens,” she says. “It was a steep learning curve, but one that I won’t ever regret.”
Agri food PR
Seven years on, Gemma has four full-time staff members and has expanded her service offering. Seventy per cent of her clients are based within the agri-food sector and include the Agricultural Science Association (ASA), Agri Kids, Bord Bia, Certified Irish Angus and Farmers to Market among others.
“We’re covering everything from the farming side right to the consumer end,” she explains. “We will always bring the primary producer into the communications material that we do.”
The crux of Gemma’s work is content in different formats.
“We produce written content like speeches, briefing notes for interviews, press releases and copyrighting for websites,” she explains. “We also need photography, visuals and graphics to support our work.
“Once we have a laptop and a phone, that’s really all we need.”
Bloom
The relationships she established in prior roles were important to the early success of her fledging business. One such client was Bord Bia, whom she describes as an incredible support to her from the beginning. Gemma’s company covers all the media relations
and copyrighting of press materials for Bord Bia’s Bloom, which runs across 70ac in the Phoenix Park every June Bank Holiday weekend.
Her agency collects background information on participants, show gardens and the food companies involved and creates accessible material for media.
“We are writing short blurbs, interviewing people and identifying the news hooks for Bloom every year,” Gemma explains. “We start planning early and run a steady programme of national and regional media relations to support the event.
“We figure out what we can pitch and what’s different this year,” she continues. “If you have an event which has longevity, you have to keep changing the news hooks that are available to create something new.
“Our work is about trying to extend that news as far and wide as it can possibly go.”
A positive message
Working to represent the agri-food sector on campaigns like AgCredibles Campaign for Agri Aware, Gemma acknowledges the value of understanding the individual farmer.
“Seeing the hard work, meeting real people and understanding the passion that is there in terms of producing food is so important,” she explains. “The fact that we can bring that knowledge into the end product is really nice.”
Gemma also acknowledges the anti-farming sentiment that has been circulating over the last couple of years within the industry.
“We have seen the emergence of ‘Februdairy’ in response to the growing popularity of ‘Veganuary’ which encourages consumers to go vegan for the full month of January,” she says.
“Whichever side of the fence you are on – Veganuary or Februdairy – the reality is that both campaigns can be polarising and have the potential to generate more negative than positive sentiment.”
When asked to advise farmers, Gemma highlights the importance of taking a balanced approach towards any disagreement.
“The first thing I would say is don’t take on every battle, because you can’t. If you start at somebody, they’re going to start back at you. It doesn’t end up anywhere and all the consumer hears is an angry farmer, or an angry vegan.”
She says fact-based information is crucial in supporting claims, but farmers should consider if the argument is worth the time and effort.
Reaching out in a level headed manner, breaking down the facts and explaining why you find fault with a claim is more effective in the long run.
“Try not to make it look like it’s not just reacting for the sake of reacting,” she says.
Dos and don’ts
Gemma says having a functioning website is important, but business owners shouldn’t solely depend on social media for marketing and PR.
“[A good website] could purely be a one pager that gives a little bit of background on your business,” she says. “It’s really important to have something that is your own and you can direct people to, because you can bank a lot of information on a website.”
She also thinks finding employees who are a good cultural fit for your business is vital.
“You can’t underestimate the importance of good people,” she explains. “I hire based on personality. I think there are a lot of skills you can teach people but you cannot teach them to have a good work ethic, be committed and be enthusiastic in terms of their delivery.”
Seeking an extrinsic opinion and being aware of your own limitations is crucial for any business owner.
“It’s really good to have external viewpoints and a network of people that can mentor you, give you critical feedback and analyse your work,” Gemma says. “You always learn from what other people are telling you. In particular, in what we do in PR, you’re always having to look at what the next trend is and what’s coming down the line.”
She also believes that generosity plays a big role in business and also highlights the importance of trusting your gut.
“If something doesn’t feel right, generally it’s not right.”
Gemma grew up on a small farm in Sligo but no lives in Castleknock, Co Dublin, with her husband and two children. \ Claire Jeanne Nash
Fresh new look
Gemma’s company has recently undergone a rebrand under a new name: &Smyth Communications.
“In the last seven years, things have moved on in terms of the business I have,” she explains. “I think that it’s really important to reposition the company.
“It’s not just about me anymore” she continues, “There’s a really strong team there of other people that need to have their opportunity to shine as well. We will continue to evolve, grow and learn new skills in order to offer the best possible creative communications service.”
Gemma’s social
media tips for
small businesses
Pick one social media platform (Twitter, Instagram or Facebook) to maintain a strong presence and manage it well. Plan your content: use a monthly planner and schedule a certain amount of posts in advance. Consistently provide updates, share content and follow other people to effectively manage your followers and engagement. Be clever in easing your workload by splitting content across different platforms. 
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