Tell us a bit about your role! Is there a “typical” day?
Is it cliche to respond by saying that no two days are the same, because that’s true. No two days are the same.
Since taking the helm of creative at PHA, the role is and will continue to be three-fold; determining the overall vision and ambition for the division as it’s established and grows, getting to know the teams and existing clients, learning where and how I can add value to the great work they are already doing, and finally tackling all the new business briefs I can get my hands on.
There is variety in this, endless opportunities and a team who is hungry to push and explore new ways of doing things.
What was the biggest challenge in getting to your current position?
Transitioning from an integral part of a brand team and working as an account handler (many years ago) to having the freedom it takes to be a creative or think creatively. This has been the biggest challenge I have faced.
The association to what has gone before, and the great work I had been part of, meant people had a set perception of where I could or should fit. They categorised me as a brand person who leant into creative, rather than, a creative who led strategy and ideation.
I had to over-emphasise my process, be firm on what I would be willing to do and not do to encourage a mind shift. Though hard at first, this eventually gave me the space to breathe and think.
What is your personal background and what role did it play in your career?
I come from a very humble background. I attended a no frills state school and college, progressed to uni and later took on a masters, and though being thoroughly ‘educated’ helped for sure, the foundations for a creative career started much earlier.
It was my parents who put me in good stead. Never restrictive, rarely saying no and with the mentality that it was very much about me making and learning from mistakes (of which there were many). They fuelled curiosity, often agreeing to take me to places at a drop of hat; to shows, exhibitions, talks… with no real persuasion needed.
They did have hopes for me to follow in my grandad’s footsteps as an architect. Instead they wholeheartedly supported me as I hustled for various internship gigs, experienced London over excitedly in my early 20s, and studied marketing and fashion, eventually landing a job as AE at BJL Group (now Dentsu). And for that I’m grateful.
What is your biggest career-related win? What is your biggest loss?
I was part of a huge team who grappled with Primark’s sustainability campaign. This was their first creative campaign in nearly 30 years. Initially I was hugely skeptical, like most consumers were or maybe still are.
After being fully immersed in their business it was evident they had been putting things in place for over a decade and now was just the right time to talk about it. Their story and goals were solid, with a clear roadmap to report back on, and the creative, youthful and inclusive.
A more personal career-related ‘win’ was securing my new role as CD at The PHA Group. In the past I have often grown frustrated at not having the total freedom to really own the direction of a team or division. Though terrifying and exciting in equal parts, I can’t wait to look back in 6-12 months to see how far we have come.
In terms of losses, there was an amazing opportunity to work alongside Alnwick Castle and the Duchess of Northumberland on their latest venture, the world’s biggest children’s play area, Lilidorei.
It was in the very early throws, even before construction had started, but sadly the stars did not align and the opportunity passed. The project has huge potential and with such strong storytelling at its heart, it will be much more than just a local attraction in the North.
Which individuals and/or agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
Inspiration can come from anywhere and anyone.
For off the wall, the American art collective, MSCHF, and their drop legacy is worth getting into. They have successfully managed to crossover from the absurd into mainstream - just take the Gobstomper Jimmy Fallon edition.
Screenshot, Woo and The Face deliver on cultural tit bits, research sound bites and interesting points of view, often from or about the so-called generation we cannot reach. Daniel Arsham is also fascinating; shifting from ‘Hypebeast’ collabs to the dizzying heights of showing at Paris Fashion Week.
In terms of industry heroes, it tends to be a bit closer to home, smart and fiercely tenacious people who I’ve come into contact with during my years in the industry, but I do follow and admire the careers of Andrew Bloch and Stephen Bartlett.
If you could go back to your teenage years, would you have done things differently? Do you have any regrets?
I say never regret and never go back. Things happen, good and bad, that move you to where you need to be and when. Just trust in it…though I wish I travelled more.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
Well it could be said that I have tried and tested a lot - both before and then running alongside my early days as a publicist.
I’ve managed a small influencer ‘agency’, sold designer inspired furniture and blogged (what millennial hasn’t)… but unfortunately as nothing stuck, my mind has wandered to if I wasn’t doing ‘this’ now? I had always fancied pitching concepts for tv shows - explaining the unexplained story of Evelyn Francis, just imagine.
What’s your one big dream for the future of the industry?
The rate at which technology has been introduced, integrated and then accepted into our everyday lives has been expedited (mainly because of the pandemic). This feels exciting as a future prospect, not just for the tech industry itself, but for those who can understand and then apply it to different experiences, events or content.
As a creative it opens up a whole new way of doing things. We can deliver the different or unexpected - this drives a point of difference to concepts and hopefully some light relief and entertainment.
Take Deep Fake technology for an example - a frightening concept when you think about it - but hugely entertaining when it means you can create a content series where Adele, Ariana, Idris and Kim are at war on an estate.
What are your top tips for aspiring creative professionals?
Read and explore. Don’t be afraid to fail. Collaborate. Explore new, but wary of what’s a fad.
What are your top tips for other creative leaders?
Let your team have time to read and explore. Let them fail but support them when they do. Build a collaborative culture and give them the means to explore the new; new technologies, platforms and experiences.
When you think about your team, what is the thing that matters to you the most?
A month in, my relationship with my team is fresh, but what I can say is that they are open to change, have a real passion for what they do and are brave enough to try things differently. This comes off in how they craft and bring ideas to life. I know whatever we build and put out there in the future will feel authentic to that.
Do you have any websites, books or resources you would recommend?
Staring at screens all day, I like having a book to read. Something physical I turn the page down on, scribble across and then return to.
Two books that make you think differently about how you talk about and maybe approach your creative process are; It’s not how you are, It’s how good you want to by Paul Arden and Hegarty on Creativity: There are no rules.
