Harrogate marketing and communications agency, Big Bamboo, has appointed Matt Reeder as its new PR Director.

An award-winning journalist with more than 30 years’ experience, Matt takes up the new role having worked alongside the 17-strong team as a PR consultant since November 2023.

Dealing directly with the impressive list of Big Bamboo clients, he will provide a wide range of PR support from the writing of content and securing of media coverage, to offering media training and advice.

Matt said: “I am both thrilled and excited to be joining the Big Bamboo Agency on a permanent basis, having thoroughly enjoyed my time working for them on a consultancy basis. “Having already experienced first-hand how extremely talented and dedicated the team of marketing experts are at Big Bamboo, the opportunity to join them was simply too good to turn down.”

Nicola Stamford, the company’s Owner and Founding Director, said: "Matt is a welcome addition to the team, having already demonstrated his PR capability to us since November last year. I have no doubt he will be an asset to us and our clients.”

Having started his career at The Northavon Gazette in 1993, Matt worked at the Derby Evening Telegraph and Swindon Advertiser before switching from news to sport and making his move to Yorkshire, firstly with the Evening Post and then The Yorkshire Post.

After his coverage of Leeds United won him the prestigious NCTJ Sports Journalist of the Year award, he took on the role of Yorkshire Post Sports Editor for ten years before switching to become the title’s Head of Digital.

Matt joined the Harrogate Advertiser as Deputy Editor in 2017, taking over as editor in 2021, before leaving to set up his own freelance PR business last year.