You have to have common sense, present yourself well at interview, demonstrate you understand the benefits of what you’re being asked to sell, be able to work on your own, be hungry to progress and keen to learn.
What is your job?
I'm a Deputy Ad Manager at Inspire Digital Solutions.
What does your job involve?
I talk to major brands, such as large car companies, and design innovative sponsored web content that will help them reach the readers of IPC magazines such as Country Life, Decanter, Golf Monthly and Horse & Hound.
How did you get to this point in your career?
While I was at university, I had a really good work experience job with a direct marketing agency called Evans Hunt Scott, and realised I had a strong interest in working in advertising and marketing. I’d also done some consumer advertising work during my second year at university.
After university, I went to work for a publisher designing contract magazines and advertising, then worked for a design agency that produced contract publications. My next move was to work for an entrepreneur , managing an exhibition space in Peterborough.
I moved to London and started working in sales for a variety of consumer magazines within IPC Media. For the last two years, I’ve worked for Inspire Digital Solutions at IPC Media designing creative solutions for brands.
I am also on the board of trustees for a charity called Arts Community Exchange, and do voluntary work for The Media Trust, which puts media volunteers in touch with small charities.
What training did you do and where?
I did A levels, including Art, then studied an Art Foundation at Loughborough College of Art and Design. I followed that with a degree in Fine Art at the University of Central England, specialising in painting.
Which piece of work are you most proud of?
I’m very proud of a piece of work I did for Land Rover in 2007 in combination with the Horse and Hound web site. It was a six month programme that followed Land Rover’s support of the British Eventing Team. It included over 40 browser blogs, forum posts, unique content, daily update news and television feeds, supported by PR and research.
What do you need to succeed in your industry?
You need to be able to understand your potential audience and how they might be about to use your product. Then you have to come up with credible ideas that offer valuable content, and sell those ideas. You have to be able to put together a good quality creative pitch, and get people excited about your work by communicating effectively through all media – in meetings, with phone calls and using written presentations.
Who’s your work hero / heroine?
There are two. My current manager, Nicola Ponting, because she has great clarity of vision and can think strategically and pull out the essence of what we need to communicate. The other person is Dan Chapman, who’s done some brilliant creative solutions for Wallpaper.
What inspired you to do this type of work?
Partially, it’s the money. Also, if you work hard, you can progress really quickly in this environment and grow your skills. It’s entirely merit-based. There are lots of exciting opportunities, particularly given what’s happening online.
What do your friends/family think of the work you do?
My parents are very pleased that I work in an industry that has consistently rewarded me for my efforts and which offers a great career path.
What are your tips for anyone wanting to do your job?
You have to have common sense, present yourself well at interview, demonstrate you understand the benefits of what you’re being asked to sell, be able to work on your own, be hungry to progress and keen to learn. There’s a real shortage of decent candidates with online experience, so there are plenty of opportunities out there. Also, keep up to date with the industry by reading Media Week, Revolution and New Media Age.
Creative inspirations
My environment
It can be city or country side, here or abroad. I’m inspired by colours, shapes, smells and sounds and the vast variety from one place to the next.
Mark Rothko room in Tate Modern
I can sit in this room and it changes my mood. It gives me a sense of calm and then the ability to appreciate detail and subtlety.
The Pixies
The first time I heard this band I realised that I hadn't ever heard music that I really liked before and that I wanted more. They still make me feel that way now.
Future Shock by Alvin Toffler
This book from 1970 completely opened my eyes to the bigger picture and offered a perspective on our society and world in a way that I had never had the mind to consider.
London
Flyers, people, clothes, bars, graffiti - everything about this city is stimulating and ever-changing.
Sonar festival in Barcelona
This sums up exploration to me - art, music, style and a desire to express something individual.
Layers
It’s so much more interesting to consider layers or depth over just the immediate, surface impact.
The internet
Totally unmoulded and unformed, the internet has encouraged more entrepreneurialism than any other medium in my lifetime.
Louise Bourgeois
She talks about her life and aspects of femininity in a beautiful, gentle way and is always intriguing.
Sir Edmund Hillary
He’s quoted as saying – ‘You don't conquer the mountain, you conquer the man.’ Sir Edmund always stressed that he reached the summit of Everest with his Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay.
If you would like advice on creative careers and courses, contact a Creative Way Careers Adviser - either Matt Ball on m.ball@uel.ac.uk / 07889 001764 or Sarah Comerford on s.comerford@uel.ac.uk / 07515 051509.