Peter Smith was chosen due to a series of talks with my tutor Dylan. How it occurred was that in discussion about who could appear on the show and who would be right for it Dylan suggested that Peter would be a perfect fit since he has 50 years of experince in the industry of PR. Dylan also suggested the perfect sub-story for his episode that being his place within the histroy of events.
When I first met with Peter I know that I had made the right choice since I met him straight from his weekly radio show for one, and also he was bursting full of energy and was telling great stories about meeting queen and working with some amazing people.
Below is the information about Peter taken from (http://staff.lincoln.ac.uk/pajsmith) :
Peter Smith is PR practitioner turned lecturer who brings more than four decades of press and public relations experience to teaching journalism, PR and political communications. After an extensive career in private sector PR – including a spell as PRO to Fullers Brewery and running a one-man PR agency he joined the Government Information Service and retired in 2006 having spent 25 years in Government departments and agencies, latterly as regional director of the COI in the East Midlands. He moved to lecturing that same year and takes delight in joining up the occasionally dysfunctional disciplines of journalism and public relations. Peter helped developed the recently re-validated PR single degree at Lincoln and is currently engaged in the validation of an MA in Public Relations that is scheduled to start in Autumn 2013.
Department Responsibilities
Programme leader for modules within PR single / PR-Journalism joint / Journalism modules at undergraduate level; lecturer in political communications at MA level for journalists. Also does some lecture spots on sport journalism as it relates to the political and business spheres.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13890059
Mr Smith’s working life began 50 years ago on August 10, 1964, as dispatch boy for a London advertising agency.
He ventured into public relations and helped to set up an office of the COI in Nottingham, later becoming the first East Midlands regional director.
After early retirement in 2006, he accepted an offer to do “a little bit of teaching” in Lincoln, which turned into a senior post and his own university radio show.
To support his fundraising efforts, go to www.justgiving.com/Peter-Smith50/