Uncommon’s Nils Leonard: ‘PR should be scared’

Uncommon’s Nils Leonard: ‘PR should be scared’

From Beyond the Noise - the PRWeek podcast by PRWeek

May 28, 2026 · 37 min · Episode 161

About this episode

Nils Leonard and Randy Manicks discuss the launch and performance of Uncommon's PR division and the future of traditional PR agencies.

Nils Leonard, co-founder of renowned ad agency Uncommon, is a guest on this week’s PRWeek Beyond the Noise podcast episode – speaking alongside Randy Manicks, managing partner of the firm’s PR arm. The Uncommon leaders discuss how the firm’s PR, Culture & Influence practice – which launched in February – has performed so far. Leonard discusses how he caused a stir in the PR industry by setting out his ambition to “carve out a new space in a tired category” with the launch of Uncommon’s PR offer. Speaking with PRWeek UK deputy news editor Evie Barrett, he explains how he believes traditional PR agencies could improve their offer, and reveals the types of briefs that Uncommon’s PR division has worked on so far. Meanwhile, Manicks, a former managing director at comms agency John Doe, dissects the difference between working at a traditional PR firm versus a creative agency that has expanded into PR. Elsewhere, the pair argue that more PR agencies should be boosting their own profile with independent projects alongside launching client work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Guests: Nils Leonard, Randy Manicks

Topics covered

  • PR industry
  • creative agencies
  • traditional PR
  • agency culture
  • independent projects

Keywords

  • PR
  • Uncommon
  • Nils Leonard
  • Randy Manicks
  • agency culture
  • creative agency
  • traditional PR
  • independent projects

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Uncommon, PRWeek, John Doe

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