What's your job? Julia Wall-Clarke, international sports press manager

 

 

On this particular Sunday evening, Julia Wall-Clarke is standing in a security line at Heathrow Airport, en route to  Australia to meet up with her press team handling the Clipper round the world yacht race.

Our conversation is delayed and interrupted a couple of times due to a backup at airport security, but when we actually connect the 29-year-old elite media handler speaks rapidly and is very succinct. She's clearly used to being and communicating on the go doing media operations at sports events including the English Premier League, big-city marathons such as the London and New York marathons, as well as the Olympics and Wimbledon. 

Her latest adventure is the 11-month yacht race that will take crew to 15 ports on six continents, pushing the idea of telecommuting to a whole new level. One auto reply I received when trying to reach her was this: "I am currently out with the Clipper Race in Sydney, Australia. (GMT +11)" When I requested a photo of her near a yacht, her response was: "Would do now but our boats are not in yet. Gets insanely busy here when the yachts first arrive and looks like may not be getting any sleep tonight due to the arrival times. Saturday/Sunday should be easier."

What started out as a public relations internship at Arsenal F.C. has morphed into a career that many people only dream about. Wall-Clarke characterizes it as a series of unpredictable events that mix sports and inspiration, with people that are adventurers and doing extraordinary things.

How did you get into this?

My first aha moment was I joined this great little PR agency called KTB. It was small in ways, but we had some really great clients including a sponsor for the London marathon. I actually wasn't part of the London marathon team, but being a small company at hot spots we all kind of pitched in. My boss sent me to work in the press office for the marathon. It was a real eye-opener because suddenly I was in the middle of this media hub, which was kind of 24/7.

So basically you're in PR

No. When you're working in PR it's very sales-based in a way. You're trying to get people to attend your event, you're trying to create awareness and demand. I do media operations. You're there to service people who are already attending. You're not doing any messaging. Not on the big events anyway.

What did you love about it?

You get the whole life that goes with it. You're living and breathing the event, you're living and breathing with your team. You become this little mobile family in a way. I just got immediately addicted.

How did that snowball into other jobs?

Very quickly. The second year I was working at the London marathon I just got into random conversation with a lady outside the press rooms. She was head of press for the New York marathon. I said in passing I was moving to Toronto and she said, you should come work at the press offices at the New York marathon. She said I don't have a lot of budget to pay you, but if you want to come over, I have a job for you there.

And what happened?

I actually got a bus from Toronto to New York. It took me 14 hours return journey. Like $50 return. I had a great time, met so many people. If I hadn't done that I never would've worked for the Olympics. That's where I met the lady who referred me to the press team at the Vancouver Olympics.

What's the market like for what you do?

There's huge opportunity for people who realize those jobs are there and want to do it. It's very specialized and it's a very small industry once you get into it. If you think of any major event. Any major event will have a press ops team. Tour de France, Wimbledon, any grand slam, anything you're watching on TV.

What's the nature of the work?

A lot of people are freelancers. There are people that work on it all-year round, but when you get to the actual event  you'll take on a big team just to work for a weekend, or a week or a month around that event. There are many opportunities for short-term, freelance work. I think the biggest thing is you have to know who is hiring and what circles to be in.

Can you give me a sense of the pay?

It's a lot of short term contracts. Sometimes it's a day rate or a weekly rate or a monthly rate. It does range a lot. I can get between lowest about $2,000 a week. The maximum is $4,000.

Your focus is sports. What's your favourite sport?

If I really had to choose, I guess tennis would be my pick. It is the perfect battle of physicality and mental endurance; two people duelling against each other to the death, giving it everything yet never actually touching. The crowd is so quiet, you can hear a pin drop. It's intense.

Can you provide an example of a sketchy moment?

Honestly, I will never forget my first ever Olympic medal event. It was Vancouver 2010 at Whistler Olympic Park and the broadcast team lost the gold medalist– basically your worst nightmare.

So what happened?

She apparently managed to leave through an entrance that was supposed to be supervised. Luckily I had gotten to recognise her coach during training so I found him and used him instead for interviews. It wasn’t ideal but luckily my journalists knew it wasn’t my fault.

It sounds like you're never in one spot for too long. What's the downside?

Well, ever since I started with the events life, I have loved the travel, loved the unpredictability, but it does come at a price. I had a relationship a few years back in Canada but work really just got in the way. My family is incredibly supportive. My sister lives in Argentina so my parents and brother have always been used to us being away but it's my friendships that I have to work the hardest at.

Looking out, what's next if anything?

As a freelancer, you are always planning ahead and keeping an eye out for the next opportunity. Pan Am Games, Rugby World Cup 2015 and Rio 2016 are all things that have been on my radar for a while. The furthest I have thought ahead is Tokyo 2020. Currently, though, I am really enjoying my work with the Clipper race, my first full time role in a few years.

Would you say you're lucky?

I've always said to everyone I'm lucky because I do feel lucky. I realize most people don't have a crazy kind of job like this.

*Interview has been edited and condensed