Think about it, as you sit at your pine-veneered desk, bathed in the glare of computer screen and strip lighting, your head ringing with the tippety-tap of computer keyboards and incessant, nagging phones, the tedium relieved only by glances at the chill outside. You could be sipping cocktails with the A-list in LA, perhaps, or Rome, or preparing for tonight's West End premiere.

If you were, you might bump into Penny McDonald. That is if she's not in Johannesburg for the opening of a show, for which she is handling the press coverage, or skipping the premiere for the opening of a nightclub round the corner. Glamorous, 48, in a stylish black mini-dress. Showbusiness publicist for the stars. A smile as wide as the Thames. “I wouldn't change my life for anything in the world.” You can't blame her, really.

Of course, you do not become managing director of the Outside Organisation, one of Europe's leading PR agencies, overnight. Ms McDonald's story began in South London, the youngest of five girls. Her father, an engineer, and mother, a midwife, arrived from Jamaica on the Empire Windrush in the late 1940s. She grew up in Dulwich, was head girl at school and enrolled on a course in media and communications at college.

“To be honest, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life, but then a friend of my mother's heard that the Daily Telegraph were looking for people, so I jumped at the chance,” she says. Having sent off her CV, she was asked to an interview with Bill Deedes, the legendary newspaperman.

“I didn't known anything about their politics, and I had a mouth on me. I told him I thought the paper didn't have anything for young people and the paper's TV coverage was boring.” A couple of days later, she was offered a job. Over the next decade she rose to be television and radio editor of the paper and its Sunday sister.

Next, she was poached to launch Rupert Murdoch's Sky TV listings magazine. After six years she left to become Redwood Publishing's publicity director and then was headhunted by Publicis, the advertising agency, to become its publishing division's editorial director, before joining Outside 18 months ago.

OK, you might be saying, it's public relations, it's easy, anyone can do it. “There's much more to PR than meets the eyes,” she says. “A lot of people jump into it without the slightest understanding of what the business really entails. The secret of successful PR is all about managing a brand and retaining its integrity. We provide creative solutions, an execution map and a strategy - and if an artist or client follows that map, the strategy should deliver. It's also about managing expectations and impressing on the client the need to set realistic objectives. We hate to under-deliver.” Her clients, by the way, range from David Bowie to the Elle style awards.

Pursuing a successful PR strategy also involves the need to “think outside the box . . . A lot of what we do is about creativity, about coming up with something fresh and being able to spin a line to a journalist.”

And while the need for good communication skills is invariably cited in job advertisements, “it really is fundamental to the job of a PR . . . You could have three degrees, but if you're a bad communicator, effectively you are not going to get very far in the business.”

Networking is key, too, as is crisis management. And with clients such as Amy Winehouse, the singer and tabloid goldmine, on Outside's books, Ms McDonald's skills are put to use. She declines to talk about individual clients but observes that crisis management involves needing to “have something to barter with” when you talk to the newspapers - so that “you're able to put the best possible spin on things . . . Of course, negative stories are aways going to appear - courtesy of a disgruntled empoyee or human greed - and often all we can do is try to control the madness.”

Of course, once in a while, the party can be for you. Outside's MD was recently named one of the 100 Most Influential Black People in Britain at a ceremony at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. More champagne, more chatting. Just like being at work.

The lowdown

What it takes The ability to challenge convention, network and get results. To be creative and have exemplary client-handling skills. A readiness to travel at a moment's notice.

Qualifications A degree isn't strictly necessary, but a good command of English is essential. Communication skills are key.

Training The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) diploma is widely regarded. Some agencies such as The Outside Organisation offer in-house training.

Attributes Integrity; the ability to inspire trust; confidence; a work-hard-play-hard attitude; the need to be a team-player; and devotion to the job.

Earnings A first-level position such as press assistant will start on a salary of about £12,000. At the other end of the scale those at director-level can expect to earn between £40,000 and £100,000 a year.

Working life The introduction of the BlackBerry means that this has become a 24/7 job for many in the business.

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