Justin Hopper, owner of La Vida Liverpool — a multi-award-winning news, marketing and PR consultancy — has dedicated his platform to spreading only positive news stories and supporting local communities.
Justin’s motivation to focus on uplifting journalism comes from his belief in the power of the media to shape society.
“It can bring people together or divide people and cause chaos. I believe most people are mostly good and that there’s a lot more good than bad in the world, so I decided to focus on that,” he said.
“The mainstream media tends to focus on negative stories because that’s what they believe sells or gets them more clicks — but I’ve proven that good news can be just as powerful and go equally viral.”
He continued: “If I ever report on bad things, it’s with the aim of focusing on the solutions rather than just glorifying the bad thing that’s happened for clicks with no regard for making matters worse and adding fuel to the fire.
“In summary, the media is a powerful tool, and I choose to use the media for good — to become part of the solution and not the problem in the world.”
Over the years, Hopper has worked with some major brands such as Vivienne Westwood, as well as hundreds of independent businesses across the region.
He said: “Working with smaller independent businesses is more special for me as I can see the direct impact it has on them and the business owners and staff. But then again, it is great to show off and say I’ve worked with big brands.
“But whoever I’m working with, I always bring the same passion, insight, strategy and positive energy — always driven by results whoever they are.”
“I don’t charge much for my marketing and PR services and am very good at what I do so am always busy — but the thing I get a real kick from is helping someone. It’s not just their business, it’s their hope, dreams, livelihood.
“So, success to me is knowing I’ve done great things for someone rather than how much money I’ve made — so I guess in that sense every partnership is so very rewarding. But charity ones are particularly special as it helps them do their great work.”
Community impact lies at the heart of Justin’s work. He has supported major fundraising efforts, including helping raise over £1 million for Prenton Rugby Club to turn it into a community hub, and £35,000 for Wallasey Rugby Club post-Covid.
“I also helped raise £20,000 with a Crowdfunder to set up a men’s mental health hub in Liverpool — this included me raising £3,000 alone by cycling around Wales,” he said.
“I helped forgotten Argentine war veterans receive recognition from their government. These are just a few of my proudest achievements.”
His recent work includes providing all the marketing and PR — for free — for the Primal Live charity song contest, where he also served as a judge. He’s been involved with the project from the start, helping it gain both local and national media coverage.
Looking ahead, Justin is preparing to launch a new feature on Reverse Northwest, which he said is ‘a wonderful organisation’ that helps women through domestic violence and abuse.
Justin also works closely with The City of Liverpool College and Liverpool Hope University, aiming to teach and inspire students about the ethical responsibilities of storytelling.
“It is important for me to engage with young people because they are the future,” he said.
“I give talks at schools, careers days, colleges, universities. I do all this free of charge because I am passionate about inspiring these young minds to try to make the world a better place like I try to do. Also, I don’t have any kids so it’s nice to give back to the next generation in this way instead.”
