In the world of PR, there are many opportunities that come your way. Some are exciting, some are challenging but all are rewarding. So, when Wrights was asked to help out at Samuel’s wish from Make-A-Wish Australia, we jumped at the chance.

Sam, who had recently turned 18 and has cerebral palsy and low vision, loves all things tool related and his favourite TV show is Better Homes and Gardens. Naturally, his wish was to spend the day with builder Adam and landscaper Jason designing and creating something for his garden. The Better Homes and Gardens team went above and beyond spending three days with Sam transforming his garden and man-cave to make it an exciting space for Sam and his family. There were buzz saws, drills and even an excavator.

Wrights, never afraid of getting messy, jetted out to Brisbane and got stuck into the gardening and painting, with professional supervision of course. The three days were full of laughs, warm feelings and pride as we worked as a team to give Sam the wish he so deserved. The biggest reward was easily seeing the smile and excitement in Sam, that feeling is something you can’t buy. See more of Sam’s wish experience at makeawish.org.au/Samuel.

Traveling for work isn’t easy. Flights, running from one location to another, coordinating projects and trying to stay on top of your emails can have you feeling overwhelmed. Our top tips are to make sure to eat well, stay hydrated and set expectations. Let everyone know where you are, your availability and whether you’ll be contactable or not. Most importantly, use your colleagues and trust that they have your back.

Here is what we did:

Day 1

– Met with the production team to run through the plan for the 3 days

– Filmed the big surprise with Adam and Jason meeting Sam

– Half of the crew split off and went on a shopping spree at Bunnings with Sam

– The other half of the crew stayed at Sam’s house to get the hard work started!

Day 2

– Filmed segments with Jason and Sam on the digger and paving

– Filmed segments with Adam drilling and sawing wood for Sam’s new work bench

Day 3

– Filmed segments with Jason and Sam planting

– Filmed segments with Adam and Jason in his man-cave building storage and finishing off his work bench

– Finally, the big reveal was filmed with a BBQ celebration for all of Sam’s family and the crew