Mark Borkowski
British PR agent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Borkowski (born 1958/1959[1][3] in Stroud, Gloucestershire[2]) is a British public relations (PR) consultant, writer, and the person who started a communications agency in London. He has worked on campaigns that got a lot of media attention in the UK and has been mentioned in articles about how the public relations industry is moving toward strategies that focus on getting attention and media coverage.[4][5]
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Mark Borkowski | |
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| Born | 1958 (age 67–68)[1] |
| Citizenship | British |
| Occupations | Public relations, lecturer, author |
| Known for | Publicity stunts |
| Website | https://borkowski.co.uk/ |
Borkowski has written about public relations and media culture and has written commentary for national publications like The Guardian in addition to his consulting work.[6] People have talked about his work in both good and bad ways when talking about the role of spectacle and news generation in modern communication.[7][8]
Early life and education
Borkowski attended King’s Stanley Junior School and St Peter’s High School in Gloucester.[9] He began working in public relations at the age of nineteen and has cited the influence of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren on his interest in publicity and promotion.[10][11]
His first professional role was as in-house publicist at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon. In 1981, he moved to the Theatre Royal Stratford East, where he worked with Philip Hedley.[12] He later undertook publicity work in London’s West End, including a revival of The Pirates of Penzance.[13]
Career
Public relations
Borkowski began his career as in-house publicist at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon and later worked at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 1981.[12] He founded Borkowski PR in 1987.[14] The agency initially focused on theatre and entertainment publicity before expanding into corporate and brand communications.[11]
Clients reported in trade coverage have included Cirque Du Soleil,[15] Harrods, American Express, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Selfridges, Vodafone, Virgin Mobile, Hasbro and Cadbury.[5][16][17][18][19] Press coverage has also cited high-profile clients including Mikhail Gorbachev,[20] Ian Botham,[12] Jimmy Page, Cameron Mackintosh,[21] Dale Vince,[22] Noel Edmonds, Van Morrison, Michael Flatley,[13] Cliff Richard and Tony Kaye.[23]
In 2007, the agency handled publicity for the relaunch of Cadbury’s Wispa chocolate bar, which won PRWeek’s Campaign of the Year award.[24]
Crisis and reputation management
Borkowski has advised public figures on media strategy during legal proceedings and periods of reputational scrutiny.[25][26] He has written and commented in national media on reputational crises involving public figures, including the Duchess of Sussex,[27] Prince Andrew[28] and Philip Schofield.[29]
The Financial Times reported in 2025 on his involvement in PREEMPT, described as a reputation insurance initiative addressing culture-war related reputational risks.[30]
Celebrity and theatre work
Borkowski has worked directly with Noel Edmonds and Cliff Richard on individual projects. For Edmonds, he advised on media strategy for his 2009 wedding, where photo rights were deliberately withheld from celebrity magazines.[31] For Cliff Richard, he managed publicity campaigns including promoting The Millennium Prayer to the UK singles chart.[23][12]
He also maintains close links with theatre, having publicised shows including Stomp, Mamma Mia!, and Terry Gilliam’s Into the Woods.[32][33][34]
When Borkowski left his eponymous agency, he retained the five staff of the arts and entertainment division and its clients, which included Mamma Mia!, and Womad.[33]
Borkowski is a regular presence in the media and maintains his long-running blog Mark My Words.[35]He has provided commentary on figures including Sydney Sweeney,[36] Drake,[26] and David Beckham.[37]
Notable campaigns and publicity stunts
In 1994, Borkowski handled publicity for the London production of Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom, which attracted press attention and criticism from religious groups.[8]
In 1996, he acted as public relations adviser on the launch of Carlsberg-Tetley’s alcopop brand Thickhead. Contemporary trade coverage described the campaign as controversial amid wider debate about alcopops and their potential appeal to underage drinkers; the product was subsequently withdrawn.[38]
Publicity for the French contemporary circus Archaos in the early 1990s generated tabloid coverage in the United Kingdom focusing on its provocative performance style.[13]
Press reports have also associated him with large-scale publicity stunts and promotional installations.[13]
Media and commentary
Borkowski has written opinion pieces for The Guardian on celebrity culture and reputation management.[6] In interviews and commentary, he has described celebrity as “a Faustian bargain” and argued that social media has intensified scrutiny of public figures.[39]
In 2025, he produced the BBC Radio 4 documentary Outrage Inc., examining the history of political stunts.[40]
Books and publications
Borkowski has written two histories of public relations, focusing in particular on the art of the publicity stunt.
- Borkowski, Mark (2001). Improperganda: The Art of the Publicity Stunt. London: Vision On. ISBN 978-1-903399-00-2.[41]
- Borkowski, Mark (2008). The Fame Formula: How Hollywood’s Fixers, Fakers and Star Makers Shaped the Publicity Industry. London: Sidgwick & Jackson Limited. ISBN 978-0-283-07039-6.[42]
A 2009 Times article questioned the historical existence of one of the book’s figures, Maynard Nottage, a claim Borkowski disputed.[7][43]
Reception and awards
Jeremy Paxman described him as “the proud inheritor of the Barnum tradition of publicity” in profile coverage.[44] PRWeek referred to him as “one of the few PR people whose reputation reaches the outside world.”[11]
He has received awards including:
- Outstanding Achievement, Fringe Report (2006), for creating “a new branch of theatre – theatre of publicity.”[45]
- Campaign of the Year, PRWeek Gold Award, for Cadbury Wispa relaunch (2008).[46]
- Listed as Top Flight Reputation Manager in Spear’s 500 since 2023.[4]