Jackson joins Riot as associate director

Jessica Jackson has been appointed associate director of culture and entertainment agency Riot Communications.

She will take up the post from today (1st August) heading up the campaigns team. She will lead on a number of high-profile clients across the publishing sector, including authors, book prizes and literary estates.

Jackson has held senior management posts at several UK publishing houses and was most recently interim PR director at Harper Non-Fiction. She has also worked at Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House Children’s and Michael Joseph.

As a freelance PR and publishing consultant with more than 15 years’ experience, she has worked with a number of mainstream and independent publishers and has directed campaigns for many writers and bestsellers, including Malorie Blackman, Poorna Bell, Felicity Cloake, Tom Fletcher, Stephen Fry, Philippa Gregory, Jack Monroe, Jamie Oliver, Sue Perkins, Lynda La Plante and Graham Swift.

Previous campaigns include her work with Russell Brand, which saw her play a critical role in his repositioning as an activist for mental health and addiction, and her spearheading the European tour for Bruce Springsteen’s memoir. Her most recent project is the Imagine Anthology, a creative publishing collaboration for World Refugee Day, which featured work from writers including Rupi Kaur, Roger Robinson, Anita Sethi, Edmund de Waal and Gary Younge.

Managing director of Riot Caitlin Allen said: “It feels like such a coup to have the brilliant Jess Jackson join us in the role of associate director. Jess is well-known in the publishing industry, having held senior roles at a number of different houses as well as delivering countless exceptional campaigns in a freelance capacity, and I couldn’t be happier that she has chosen to make Riot her permanent home.

"Riot has always been a values-led company—we believe in the power of culture and entertainment to make the world a better place—and Jess shares our ambitions on that front so it’s an excellent fit. We’re so pleased to welcome her to the company with all the experience, drive, knowledge and skills that she brings with her.”

Jackson’s arrival follows a series of changes at Riot following co-founder Preena Gadher’s departure to join Penguin General as its new managing director. She has been succeeded by Allen, who is supported by fellow director Katy MacMillan-Scott. Riot has also joined The Splendid Collective, an agency network which has acquired a 100% stake in the company.