Case Studies

NRC Communications
Natalie Cameron

‘I saw the opportunity and grabbed it.’
If you made a film about Natalie Cameron, it would run something like this: after being made redundant from her job at a Perth cinema, Natalie realises there’s an opportunity for a PR company to publicise and market films for distributors based in the Eastern States. Three years on, she’s the central character in her own business - NRC Communications — that also covers music, festivals and special events. She’s only 24.

"I realised there was a niche in the market and I decided to go for it.

"I’d made a lot of contacts through Lumiere Cinemas.

"Talking to some of the film distributors, I realised they needed someone on the ground, to freelance for them.

"I saw the opportunity and grabbed it.

"Probably the best thing about being in business for yourself is being able to make your own decisions.

"I like the flexibility of being able to choose my own hours, even though that means I don’t get sick days and I don’t get holidays, things like that. I just like being my own boss.

"I tried to do it all from scratch, I didn’t get any business loans.

"I started off with my own PC and worked from home.

"My sister’s in PR and she helped me out with some advice.

"My advice to young people is just stick with it, basically.

"I was born in Perth, educated in Karratha and did marketing at Curtin University.

"I’ve been in business for three years now. The first two years were probably the hardest I’ve had to deal with - working really late, not having sleep, then not much financial reward either. And you just think ‘Why am I bothering?’

"But it will come, it will happen.

"The best thing is when people congratulate you, and you know that people know you’re doing a good job.

"In some ways, being made redundant from the cinema was best thing that ever happened to me. I think so now, a sort of blessing in disguise.

"I guess my thing is that I enjoy what I do so much, it’s not really like work to me. Even when I’m working really, really hard, I’m still enjoying what I’m doing."