At the time, I was still a journalist working for a national newspaper.
I was also moonlighting for an education marketing firm.
The moment I met the young man I was going to interview, I knew he would make a great subject.
At 15, he looked like a young Muhammad Ali, with all the associated charisma.
He was on his way to Eton College via a scholarship that his school had helped him secure.
My job was to generate publicity.
My instincts were spot-on. He was well-read, engaging and passionate about helping his community.
He recognised what an extraordinary opportunity he had been given, but he was not going to forget where he had come from.
We chatted for over an hour, and I wrote up the copy, not as a press release but as though I were still writing for a newspaper.
As this was my first foray into public relations, I was a little nervous. Would it get picked up?
I decided to put it out on the news wires to give it the maximum chance of gaining coverage.
The response was incredible. Virtually every national newspaper in the country covered the story.
Here is the story in The Mirror:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/eton-college-council-estate-kid-3185903
My boss was pleased, the school was pleased, and I was pleased.
However, that is not where the story ends.
The next day, we received calls from most of the weekend newspapers asking to run a feature.
After much deliberation, he decided to go with The Guardian, turning down The Times, The Sunday Times and The Telegraph.
The story can be read here:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/28/through-glass-ceiling-newham-to-eton-ishak-ayiris
The school I helped get into the papers recommended me to other schools.
I went on to secure publicity for two more Eton scholars from the same school, and from there my career in education PR was launched.
You can read one of those stories here:
Over the intervening years, we have placed hundreds of stories for our schools in national newspapers, broadcast media and industry-specific publications such as Schools Week.
If you have a good story to tell — and it does not have to be about a student getting into Eton — then get in touch.
You can email me directly at tom@arthurcomms.co.uk.