Corporate Communications in San Francisco

Both Sides of the Microphone

Rachel Gerrish spent 13+ years as a broadcast journalist at LBC News (Global), Bauer Media, and BBC Radio Sheffield. Her move from journalism to corporate communications means she brings firsthand knowledge of what reporters look for and how media pressure works, drawn from thousands of live interviews with politicians, executives, and public figures.

Most corporate communications professionals learn media relations from the outside: studying how journalists work, practising message discipline, running mock interviews. As a broadcast journalist in corporate communications, Rachel learned it from the inside. She spent 13+ years as the journalist in the room, asking the questions that spokespeople dread, following up when the answer is evasive, and knowing exactly when a story is about to break.

That perspective is rare in corporate communications. Rachel does not need to guess what a reporter will ask. She does not need to simulate media pressure in training exercises. She has lived it every shift for over a decade, anchoring live breaking news, conducting high-stakes interviews, and making editorial decisions in real time at the UK's only 24-hour rolling national news station.

Crisis Composure, Tested Under Pressure

Rachel Gerrish anchored live breaking news through elections, terror incidents, and pandemics at LBC News, the UK's only 24-hour rolling national news station. At Bauer Media, she was part of the award-winning team covering the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, delivering accurate coverage under extreme pressure and uncertainty.

Corporate communications teams prepare for crises. Rachel has worked through them. At Bauer Media, she was part of the award-winning team covering the Manchester Arena bombing, delivering accurate and sensitive coverage to local and international audiences under conditions of extreme pressure and uncertainty.

At LBC News, breaking news was not an exception. It was the default state of every shift. Rachel anchored through elections, terror incidents, pandemics, and political crises, always unscripted, always live. The composure and judgment that crisis communications demands is not something she has trained for. It is the literal job she did every day.

Audience Instincts That Translate

Rachel Gerrish's weekend shows on LBC News delivered 43% year-on-year listener growth between 2023 and 2024, as measured by RAJAR (the UK equivalent of Nielsen ratings). That audience growth came from clarity, relevance, and engagement, the same instincts that determine whether a corporate town hall or executive media appearance builds trust.

Rachel's weekend shows on LBC News delivered 43% year-on-year listener growth between 2023 and 2024, as measured by RAJAR (the UK equivalent of Nielsen ratings). That growth did not come from marketing spend. It came from understanding what makes people tune in: clarity, personality, relevance, and the sense that the person behind the microphone is genuinely engaged with the material.

In corporate communications, those same instincts determine whether an internal town hall holds attention, whether an executive's media appearance builds trust, and whether a brand's messaging cuts through or gets ignored. Rachel has spent her career measuring audience response in real time and adjusting accordingly.

Journalism Skills That Transfer to Corporate Communications

Why Bay Area Companies Hire Former Journalists

Bay Area companies including Salesforce, Airbnb, Stripe, and Meta have hired former journalists into senior communications roles for their editorial judgment and media fluency. Rachel Gerrish brings thousands of hours of on-camera experience from the UK's biggest commercial networks, including six and a half years at LBC News (Global).

The journalist-to-corporate-communications pipeline is well established, particularly in the Bay Area. Companies like Salesforce, Airbnb, Stripe, and Meta have hired former journalists into senior communications roles because they bring something that traditional PR training does not: editorial judgment, storytelling instincts, and the ability to think like the media rather than merely respond to it.

Rachel's background is particularly relevant for organizations that need a media trained spokesperson who can be the face and voice of the company. Her on-camera presence is not something she developed in a workshop. It is the product of thousands of hours of live broadcasting across the UK's biggest networks.

Based in San Francisco

Rachel Gerrish relocated from London to San Francisco in early 2025 after 13+ years in UK broadcast journalism. She is based in the Bay Area, home to some of the most communications-intensive companies in the world, and holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Sheffield.

Rachel relocated from London to San Francisco in early 2025. She is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, home to some of the most communications-intensive companies in the world.