Tom Lawrence

Tom goes straight in, not even a kiss on the cheek: “AI is a bit like teen sex: everyone talking about it not so many doing it.” MVPR is doing it and making it pay.

In the near-decade I’ve known Tom he’s always been something of an anomaly. The long leather trench coat was a clue. He asked weird questions that led to unexpected answers.

He’s running a PR agency, but it feels like start-up: he talks about sprints with clients, excitedly sharing a new solution with a developer after a night of tinkering. AI certainly isn’t a bolt-on and AI alone doesn’t do it justice.

We spoke a lot but it’s bang for your AI-curious buck. It wasn’t all geek. There’s a broken violin that stokes sadness and the shock of a TV-less family that weren’t weird enough for a documentary crew. And there were tunes from The Hollies, Crazy P and Leonard Cohen for bathroom breaks and popcorn.