25 questions with TESS WOOLCOCK

TESS WOOLCOCK IS ONE OF OUR MOST FAVE PEOPLE.
She’s normally on the ‘other side’ of the story, doing PR for her very-lucky clients, but we decided she needed to be profiled. Everyone needs to know about her – from her inspiring journey in journalism to her success in running POP Publicity. Scroll down to find out about the life and passions of this wonder woman…

ABOUT: Tess Woolcock is a former television journalist with over 15 years of media experience across Australia and New Zealand, now running her own PR agency, POP Publicity. With a career spanning major networks such as TVNZ, Newshub, Network Ten, Nine Network, and Seven Network, Tess has also served as Executive Producer for E! Australia and New Zealand. She’s worked on large-scale red carpets and as part of Hugh Jackman’s Australian PR team. Tess founded POP Publicity in 2020, working with clients across lifestyle, beauty, and fashion in both New Zealand and Australia. She is also a fashion content creator @whattesswore on Instagram and TikTok.

We asked her the bellamumma questions, here’s what she said…

1. Describe yourself in three words.

High-energy, motivated, strong… and fun. (Also unable to stick to the rules.)

2. What or who inspires you the most?

I am inspired by people who have been through hardship or suffered challenges in their lives and rise above it and move on with dignity and respect. Those people who pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and start again. That takes strength and resilience. Also, people who show up and do as they said they will. Both my parents are like this, and I have the utmost respect for them. I can always rely on them, and people like that are gold.

3. What is your current job title?

I am the director and founder of POP Publicity. But really, I am a publicist.

4. What was your very first job?

My first job while still at school was working the door at Kmart. I was very waify thin at that point, so god knows what help I was going to be if someone was shoplifting. I actually studied psychology at university before going into journalism, and my first proper job was doing psychometric testing at a recruitment agency. I found understanding people fascinating but wanted to share their stories, and in the highly confidential world of psychology, journalism was a better fit.

5. What did you dream of becoming when you were little?

I always wanted to be a journalist. A TV reporter. But I loved psychology at university, so pursued that first. However, once I made the realization that’s where my passion really was, I studied post-graduate journalism and got my first job in the media at TVNZ and was on air within a year.

6. How did POP Publicity originate?

I spent 15 years working as a TV journalist in Auckland (TVNZ) and then in Sydney (7, 9, and 10). I also did stints in entertainment PR, working red carpets and with international celebrities. My last big role in TV was as Executive Producer for E! Australia and New Zealand, where I travelled extensively to the US for New York Fashion Week and award seasons. But when I had my daughter, I took 2 years off to be a stay-at-home mum and moved to Noosa. There was not much I could do there, and I really lost my confidence in a huge way. My marriage also broke down, and I came back to New Zealand. It was the worst time of my life.

Here I was, a single mother of a toddler going through a horrific divorce, back in my home country without my closest friends, and I had not worked in 2 years. Thank god for my parents. Fortunately, I got contract work at Newshub (TV3), but the hours were long and didn’t work with childcare, and the pay was terrible. So, I felt I had no choice. I started my own PR agency as I had to take care of myself and my daughter, and it was the only way I could be an active mother and still earn good money. I kept working part-time shifts at TV3 until I had enough clients I could go all-in to the business. And now it’s been 4 years, and I have never looked back. I wish I had done it years ago. PR is such a natural fit for me, and I find it so rewarding, plus I love being my own boss more than anything.

7. Walk us through a typical day in your life…

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I wake up early, before my daughter, get up, make a coffee, and work for a good hour before she gets up. Then it’s making school lunch, school drop-off, and I hit the gym. After that, I come home, shower, and it’s straight into work. The great thing about most of my clients being in Australia is the 2-hour time difference means it’s 9am Sydney time by the time I sit down at my desk for the day. Then it’s Zoom meetings, pitching to media, often taking journalists for lunch, more meetings, and school pick-up. My daughter loves her dance, so I drop her to ballet or jazz and work while she’s there, then supermarket, home, make dinner, housework, and a few more hours of work before bed. I work long hours during the week, but I can still prioritize my daughter and be there for her school activities and fit in my gym, which is important for my mental health. It’s hard work being a solo mother and having to do everything without help, but it is also very satisfying, and I am a brilliant juggler.

8. What brings a smile to your face each day?

My daughter Lola and my dog Archie. I am so grateful for them both. Plus, a good meme. Nothing gets me going more than relatable memes.

9. What are three things you can’t live without?

My family, my friends, and fashion.

10. What are your four favourite songs on your playlist right now?

Look, I am all over the place. I’m a Drake girly through and through. Love Fred Again. But I am also going through a 90s banger revival. Top that off with the fact I listen to high-frequency 888hz music to sleep each night; my Spotify is schizophrenic.

11. What is your favourite getaway destination?

Paris. Lola and I went in 2022, and we are back there in a few weeks.

12. How do you unwind and relax?

I go out with friends and laugh and talk. I am incredibly social and need to be around people and doing things. I also love going out on my friend’s boat over the summer months. I love to travel. Last year I did LA and Tokyo, and this year Europe. So basically, I do things to relax, which seems completely counterintuitive. I am not one of these people who can sit still very long.

13. What is the best piece of life advice you’ve ever received?

You know the answers within yourself. I was always a very pragmatic person, but since becoming spiritual, my life has flourished. Keeping a positive mindset, being kind to yourself (and others), and talking to yourself with respect are the keys to living a happy life.

14. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Well, I am about to launch my second business early next year (a fashion brand). So, hopefully, in 5 years, I will have started my empire. This will be the first of a few ideas I have. Working so closely with brands and startups, I feel like it’s time to do my own. I also want to start a business with Lola when she’s a little bit older.

15. What motivates you to get up every morning?

I enjoy life! I get up to do what I love, surrounded by the people I love, and to set goals I can strive towards.

16. If you could have dinner with any three people, dead or alive, who would they be?

Princess Diana, Oprah, and Kurt Cobain.

17. What is a hobby or interest that people might be surprised to learn about you?

Anyone who knows me knows my obsession with karaoke. I love to sing in front of an audience. I also am one of those people who unwinds by watching serial killer documentaries.

18. How do you stay productive and organised?

I write lists and put things in my diary to remind myself. I am naturally a very organized person.

19. What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Starting my own business without any financial backing and making an amazing life for my daughter, dog, and I all on my own. Also, moving back to New Zealand after 10 years and making an entirely new friend group of the most incredible humans. I am very lucky to have great people in my life.

20. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

Well, I’m about to go to Europe again. Travel and life experiences are the most important things for me, so if I want to go somewhere, I will. We are doing mainly Italy this year. Next year, I may leave Lola behind and do Greece with friends.

21. What book has had the biggest impact on your life?

The Diary of Anne Frank. I was obsessed with understanding the Holocaust as a child, and it is still something that resonates with me on a very spiritual level.

22. What is your favourite quote and why?

“You’ve always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.” – The Wizard of Oz

23. How do you balance your professional and personal life?

I juggle them both, but working for myself and being my own boss are the essential ingredients to making it work as a solo mother. I am also fortunate my ex-husband has my daughter every second weekend.

24. What advice would you give to someone starting in your field?

Well, in my day, I worked for free to get experience. I don’t know if that is legal anymore, but be eager, be proactive. Nothing gets handed to you. It’s hard work, being a nice person and treating people well and with kindness. In my line of work, the people you least expect come around again and in roles of power, so be nice to everyone. Relationships are everything.

25. What are you passionate about outside of your career?

Fashion, fitness, and personal growth. I’m always looking for ways to better myself and my life.

CONNECT
Visit www.poppublicity.co
and follow
instagram.com/pop.publicity/ + instagram.com/whattesswore/