Today we’d like to introduce you to Bob Hope.
Bob, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started work as an usher for the Atlanta Braves and quickly rose to be the head of public relations and promotions at age 24 and was there for Hank Aaron’s chase to set the all-time home run record. I was a vice president of both the Braves and the Atlanta Hawks before age 30, and then because of the publicist and promoter for Ted Turner when he was launching the Super Station and CNN. I recall Ted and I both being on the list of “78 people who count” in Atlanta Magazine in 1978 and our questioning why others were on the list, feeling we were obvious choices. My next big stop was working for a small PR agency that grew quickly and I rose to a top position with the largest public relations firm in the world in New York. It all seemed so easy… I would climb any ladder quickly. Then, as we started our own PR agency, Hope-Beckham Inc., the real world of business kicked it. There have been grand times and struggling times. Rudyard Kipling’s line that “triumph and disaster” are two “imposters” that should be treated the same is a normal approach when you have your own business. Sometimes things go better than expected and sometimes it seems there is a hole and no way out. In the end, things seem to work out. There are good surprises to go along with the bad.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road is never smooth. When I worked for Ted Turner, the idea of a Super Station on TV was novel but there was no proof it would work. Also, CNN was initially called the “Chicken Noodle Network” by many, not exactly an endorsement of confidence. In our own business, we flourished when the Olympics were in Atlanta, and then the Olympics were gone along with the business associated with them. When the economy went bad in 2008, clients were hurting, and that pain was passed along to us. We have persevered and that perseverance has led to a business that has sustained for a quarter-century and has done great work. If the road hasn’t been smooth, we have ridden the bumps and come out on the other side. I doubt that will change, nor does it change with most businesses.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Hope-Beckham Inc. – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We started in 1994 as an event marketing agency that also did public relations. We had a good bit of Olympic related business for Coca-Cola and other Olympic sponsors. We also had a large project sponsored by Coors Brewing Company, a women’s professional baseball team called the “Colorado Silver Bullets”. Those were heady times and we were off to a roaring start. When the Coors contract ended and the Olympics were over, we lost much of our bread and butter in the area of working on big events, so we moved more into doing traditional public relations. We have worked on many challenges for big clients and smaller ones over a long period of time. Some might say we have seen it all. In any room when a communications issue is being discussed, it can be assumed and is obvious quickly that we have vast experience. Our proudest moments have been when clients call on us to overcome their biggest challenges, which typically mean doing things that take them to a higher level. We do that often and we do it well. Our experience and our expert ability to tell the right stories well combine to give us our edge. Also, no agency has the leadership position in the Southeast or the Atlanta market that we do. We have the trophies and awards to prove it.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our business is driven by the opportunities brought to us by our clients. Our intent is to keep building our skill base and to do important work. Those will keep us relevant and keep the business healthy.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1900 Century Place,
Suite 250
Atlanta, GA 30345 - Website: www.hopebeckham.com
- Phone: 404.636.8200
- Email: info@hopebeckham.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopebeckhampr/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hope.Beckham
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HBIpr
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hope-beckham-inc./
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