Guillaume Salmon: Degree Fails, Learning on the Job and Becoming Paris’ #1 Pr & Creative Guy.
A college dropout turned PR superstar. This episode of Pack Heavy, Chase Light dives into the nitty gritty of Parisian Art, Fashion and Culture with Guillaume Salmon.
‘When you fail once, it’s fine. When you fail twice, it’s fine. When you fail three times you should probably quit.’
Quitting doesn’t always have to be a negative. There are some points in life where ‘quitting’ is actually just a realization that the path you’re currently on isn't the best option.
That’s exactly what happened for Guillaume Salmon with the education system. He went to a prestigious school in Paris to study French literature and tried on three occasions to graduate. After failing each year consecutively, he made the decision to call his Father and tell him something wasn’t clicking with him and school.
So, how did he become one of Paris’ leading PRs and creatives with no formal education? Hard graft and never taking no for an answer. While studying, Guillaume worked part-time at the famed Parisian fashion, arts and culture concept store, Colette. After being there for a few years he got wind of their PR lead leaving, so took himself to meet with Colette herself and asked about the job.
She agreed to train him up while he worked the role if he promised to stay with them for at least three years. He agreed and ended up being their PR and events strategist for fifteen years until they closed their doors in 2017. He took this as his cue to start his own agency, Tact, saying it was time to ‘give being an entrepreneur a go’.
The rest? History.
Watch his episode of Pack Heavy, Chase Light now.