We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Crompton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am from the UK – near Manchester – where I grew up with my parents and younger brother. My mum and dad were always keen to instil in us a sense of adventure and possibility that we could take on anything – and clearly it had an impact as my brother now runs his own business in Brisbane Australia, and I’m recently in LA, having also previously lived in Mexico, Scotland and Ireland.

Even though we only moved here in March from the UK, I grew up loving LA and always feeling that I’d live here one day. As a kid, we used to have family in Simi Valley so we’d visit over the summer. a I also did an exchange semester at UCLA when I was at university… it was only a matter of time before La La Land beckoned me back! Before I moved here, I was presenting a weekly show on BBC Radio Manchester every Friday, and since I’ve moved I give my old listeners regular updates in a slot called “LA Diaries”.

What should our readers know about your business?
I came to California to open the West Coast office of the leading French PR agency, Hopscotch. I’m basically like Emily in Paris, but in reverse… I like to imagine my show would be called LC in LA.

As well as having a busy HQ in Paris that covers events, PR, digital and social, the agency also offers regional “hub” offices, including Hopscotch Europe in Dublin, where I worked several years ago. The totally unique offering of Hopscotch Europe is that the agency comprises an international multilingual PR team all under one roof, meaning businesses can do European PR with one team in one office, streamlining the whole process. Having “grown up” in PR at Hopscotch Europe, when the chance came to open and lead Hopscotch USA in LA, I jumped at it.

As well as delivering top-notch domestic PR for clients here in the States, we also work with European clients wanting to make some noise in the US, using our specialist knowledge in localization and adaption of communications for different markets. It’s hugely varied and the client roster is growing month on month. We’re small (for now) but mighty and the team here is wonderful!

 

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Even though I haven’t been here very long, I feel like I can excel here because I have a podcast (Straight Outta Crompton) about moving to LA. In every episode, I ask my guests where they’d recommend, and it’s been so much fun to be able to try out their suggestions now I’m here for myself.

A couple of my favorite spots I’ve experienced so far include:

• The Magic Castle: almost the stuff of legend, it’s so surreal to be able to enter through a bookcase and be part of – pardon the cliché – something truly magical and unique

• Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios… if you can get in! The lines are definitely no joke, but it’s so well done once you make it in!

• I’m almost reluctant to share this one, as the neighborhood charm is definitely part of its appeal, but Vivian’s Millennium Café has become my favorite spot for breakfast near my home in Studio City. Not only is the food delicious, every single time I go there, I meet someone fascinating. A real local gem.

I’m also very excited to check out the beach now it’s warm. We went twice in the spring and had to wear coats! We’re planning to hit Malibu next week, and I can’t wait – I hear Paradise Cove is a great place to start.

 

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
As well as my parents (see above!), I’d also highlight:

• My high school Spanish teacher – best teacher ever – for making me fall in love with the language, which ultimately saw me move to Mexico after university.

• My friend and business partner Sofia, who I met in Mexico and with whom I built a relocation company (Anchor Relocation Worldwide) from scratch in our early 20s. We were so fearless and didn’t let small things like age and lack of experience hold us back!

• My son, Devan. I’m a single parent, and have been since he was born. It wasn’t something I had ever imagined for myself and it was a real wake-up call that spurred me to get my life together and super-charge my career so that being a one-parent family didn’t hold us back. Delighted to say he’s as adventurous as his mum, and has embraced our new life in LA so enthusiastically. I’m really proud of him!

 

Website: www.hopscotch.us

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lc_presents

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/laura-crompton-hopscotchusa

Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/straight-outta-crompton/id1662254485

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