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Every now and then I see an article about the young talents who are involved in the campaigns of some of the world’s leading politicians. Most recent of these was an interesting piece about Michelle Obama’s Head Speechwriter, Sarah Hurwitz.
I can agree with one sentiment that these pieces all seem to share - it is really special to support leaders who inspire so many.
As a professional in the field of political communications, on any given day I could be going from swearing-in ceremonies, press briefings or parliamentary openings to on the ground campaigning, marches and pickets.
It’s a delicate balance between legislation and governance, as well as social movements and field work.
Those of us who work in this field often have just one thing in mind; to share the message and values of their political principals as widely and consistently as possible.
Meeting this goal takes long hours, tenacity and self-talk along the lines of ‘you got this… don’t worry… you got this.’ The job routinely asks of you to deliver unparalleled results against impossible deadlines.
The better you get at it, the more you accomplish. The more you accomplish, the greater the requirements. You have to be willing to go beyond the extra mile and normal working hours.
At one point I found myself running down a street in a Karoo town, hailing a representative off the back of a van to get him before the camera.
With two minutes before a live TV crossing, we ran down the street and ran over talking points, only to hit the mark just in time.
A few weeks later, during a town hall meeting, a sudden drumming began on the roof of the hall in which we were. In a spectacular show of intolerance, it turned out that the roof was being pelted with rocks in an effort to interrupt our meeting.
Luckily no-one was harmed and the meeting wrapped up peacefully.
Dress code? Wearing high heels isn’t always possible, despite a concerted effort on my part. In fact, sneakers often don’t cut it either. During a walk-about in George on a rainy day, I decided to wear my usual all white attire – which includes white takkies.
As the rain fell they went from white to brown. My colleague asked me “Did you not check the weather?” To which I replied “I did, but I need to be true to myself.”
From a social life to the state of my shoes, sacrifices are often necessary. I can honestly say that I have questioned my sanity for choosing this line of work. But, in the words of a professional associate, “we didn’t choose this life, it chose us” and I certainly wouldn’t trade it.”
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