8. How AI Could Force PR to Raise Its Standards with Stephen Waddington

PR has always been full of smart people. The problem is the industry still struggles to take itself seriously. In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant, Josh Wheeler speaks with Stephen Waddington, one of the most influential voices in modern public relations. Stephen has spent 25 years leading agencies, advising senior teams, writing books, and pushing PR to be treated as a real management discipline. He is the founder of Wadds Inc, a professional advisory firm for agencies and comms teams, and a doctoral researcher focused on the relationship between management and public relations. He is also a co-founder of Socially Mobile, a not for profit PR school that creates opportunities for people from underrepresented backgrounds. This conversation is thoughtful, direct, and full of insight for anyone working in PR who wants the industry to be taken seriously. In this episode, you will hear: • Why PR still has a credibility problem • How Stephen went from engineering into public relations • What leadership looks like when pressure hits • Why agencies struggle to hold on to trust and talent • How Socially Mobile is changing access to PR • What the profession needs to do to raise its own standards About Stephen Waddington Founder of Wadds Inc. Doctoral researcher. Author of 10 books. Co-founder of Socially Mobile. Board advisor and non exec director. Follow Stephen Waddington – https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwaddington/ Follow Socially Mobile – https://www.linkedin.com/company/sociallymobile/ Follow Josh Wheeler – https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshwheelerbroadcast/ Follow Be Broadcast – https://www.linkedin.com/company/be-broadcast/ 00:00 Intro 01:30 Falling into PR from engineering 04:10 Why PR is still misunderstood as a career 06:30 Agency life and leadership 10:00 PR and management thinking 14:30 Why credibility matters 18:30 Advising agencies and comms teams 23:00 Socially Mobile and access to the industry 28:00 What PR needs to change 34:00 What makes Stephen accidentally brilliant