Final Boss: Lick PR’s Kat Osman: “If we’d stopped to take in what had happened at the time, I think we’d probably be in some sort of padded room by now.”

Every month an industry leader wraps up MCV/DEVELOP with their unique insight. This month, we talk to Kat Osman, team director at Lick PR.

You’ve PRed more games than most people have even played, how has the job changed over the last 20+ years?

Campaigns are shorter, and more intense at times, especially with the focus now being so much more on online media and influencers. This often means the team has to be constantly reactive and up to date with current trends and who’s hot in the games media landscape.

What campaign/event was the most memorable and why?

Gosh, there have been a few, from taking a purple low rider to Jonathan Ross for Saints Row IV, going to the British GP with Codies, 99 front covers across Europe for Fallout 3, the midnight launch at HMV for The Burning Crusade (where the security guard said the queue was twice as big as the one when Take That made a store appearance), rapping with Tinchy Stryder, Tinie Tempah, Giggs and Ortis from the Gadget Show for Def Jam Rapstar, Devil May Cry 5 European press event at the exclusive Shang hotel in the Shard, getting Goldie to come and try the new range of headsets for Turtle Beach and sniping gel skulls for Sniper Elite 4.

That said, meeting 50 Cent for Bulletproof on a number of occasions with press, and having him say ‘I knew it was international press when I saw you Kat’, at E3 2006, just scrapes the top spot.

What was the greatest single moment of your career to date?

Starting Lick PR is one of the greatest moments of my career to date. My worst moment was when Nuts magazine asked 50 Cent if he thought G Unit spelt out looks a bit like the word cunt.

How do you think the pandemic will change the industry?

As with a lot of industries, working from home is now regarded as more of a norm. Hopefully companies will continue to adapt where WFH is more common even for the development side of things.

I do also think the online side of things will continue to grow. For a lot of people, myself included, playing online with friends has definitely helped me through the pandemic which is something that could be reflected in not only the type of games being developed but potentially how we do events.

From your Warzone highlights, you seem adept at pulling victory from the jaws of defeat. Does this skill extend into real life?

Our company was formed when the last company we were all working for folded in the most horrific and outrageous way. We had no notice, no salaries, no job and we decided to start Lick – which is the initials of the last four at the old company, plus one of my dogs licks a lot.

Sometimes when things are bad, you have no choice but to carry on. If we’d stopped to take in what had happened at the time, I think we’d probably be in some sort of padded room by now. Does just keeping on going count as a skill?

And speaking of jaws, your canine companion certainly seems to know its own mind…

Dolly is a very special dog, who has been through a lot, like some of us at Lick, and her strength and strong will is an inspiration at times.

Who continues to impress you in the industry?

Apart from my team and our clients, I have been blessed to be surrounded by some incredibly strong, smart, funny, supportive and gintastic women in the industry including Lucy Starvis (the L in Lick), Suzanne Panter, Laura Skelly, Lizzie Wilding, Erin Losi, Ruby Rumjen, Hollie Bennett, Keza MacDonald and Louise Blain to name but a few.