In the event of a client brief...

Thinking of how I landed at bbd, or even how I ended up in Bournemouth, is due to a series of fortunate (and completely by-chance) events, the full details of which will be saved for a future tell-all book. But I’m always happy to make a bullet point list, so below is a roundup of what went down (in a slightly braggy nutshell)… 

Early years

• I’m from Nottingham, which means that bread rolls are called “cobs” and I have enjoyed many wings at what was previously the UK’s only Hooters restaurant - classy! 
• At college I thrived in Photography, Film Studies, and Media Studies - I even won 1st place for my productions of a thriller opening and a music video over both College years.
• I then panicked that I’m unlikely to secure a job in the movies, especially my dream of choosing music or locations for movies. My compromise was to study the creative side of business - Marketing Management, baby. 

Touch down in the Toon

• Unafraid of cold weather or a strong accent, I chose to venture further north to attend Northumbria University in Newcastle.
• Not a naturally academic person, I had been partial to avoiding homework and pulling all-nighters before every deadline, but I was now very aware of the fact I was financially paying for this privilege and could very easily fail - cue the movie montage moment *”Push it to the limit” plays whilst I open books in advance of exams*.
• Turns out I am quite savvy at Marketing, landing high scores across the board and graduating with a First! 
• A degree and an internship at a London Outdoor Advertising agency under my belt, the career world was at my feet. So what better time to run away and to go travelling!
   

Come on you paychecks

• To fund my travels I took a job running the Marketing team at the infamous football club Nottingham Forest FC (provided your football knowledge is focussed on the years 1979-1980). 
• After 1 year of Championship League glamour, I flew the nest to travel across the USA and Bali, before docking in Australia for a year. 

Vegemite and new heights

• Whilst travelling and working through Australia I lived the rural dream: driving tractors at dawn; setting potato-harvesting records; and chopping down banana trees with machetes alone in the middle of the bush. 
• I finished the year in Sydney Harbour, living aboard a tall ship from 1949, working as a deckhand and mast-climb instructor - as you do.
• Fast forward a business admin job and trip to Thailand later, I was then headed on an adventure in New Zealand. An incredible country, I was fortunate to enjoy skydiving over the Bay of Islands, riding horses and digging out hot water beaches in the north island, then cruising under waterfalls, fishing, and learning to snowboard in the south. 

Remind me to check if Pitbull is in my family tree, because I appear to be Miss Worldwide

• By this stage I had way more than just the travel bug, it was an infestation. I simply could not stop exploring yet, because time “later” is not guaranteed. 
• Enter Emirates and the chance to travel for a living. But it wasn’t easy! At that time Emirates recruitment was fiercely competitive, with only 3% of worldwide applicants being successful. Thanks to my varied work experience and international adventures, I got the “golden call” and my ticket to Dubai.
• 8 weeks of rigorous training followed where I learnt the ins and outs of aircrafts, how to fight fires, restrain passengers, initiate emergency evacuations in seconds, and how to make a tiny bloody mary. I only then earned my wings (and the hat)!
• 2 years passed and 42 countries in total reached, I was then ready to leave the desert in the hopes of reigniting my marketing career and fulfilling my creative potential. 
   

No time to waste

• Back on UK soil, I had my sights set on moving to Bristol and secured myself a job at an events company. I became the Group Marketing Manager and gained responsibility for their entire environmental event portfolio, including the UK’s largest recycling and sustainability events. As an avid (and obsessive) recycler, I took to this job like a duck to plastic-free water.
• 2020 dawned, my Bristol rent agreement ended, and it felt like a great time to move-in with my Bournemouth-based other half and to secure my place in an agency where I could relish creative campaigns and strategy full-time. What could go wrong?? *cough cough*
   

That awkward part on Grand Designs when the build approaches March 2020…

• Then came you-know-what. Job options limited during lockdown, I joined the Civil Service to help others find jobs during the employment apocalypse. I managed to find the most creative role within the DWP, planning employer events, helping out with social, and finding fun ways to promote Job Centre activity internally (any chance to make a meme!)
• As the world started getting back to normal, I was recommended to a Boscombe-based creative agency where I oversaw all client accounts and communications; project management of both sides of the Studio (design and digital); agency workflow; and planning. Praised for my “creative eye” and vision, I was fortunate to provide regular creative input and direction, and worked with big-name clients including Molson Coors, Hall & Woodhouse, the NHS, and BCP Council.

Bright blue sky’s the limit

Always looking to progress, I connected with bbd and fell in love with how their employees are celebrated and given every opportunity to advance in their preferred direction (whether the role they want exists yet, or not). 

Modern, fun, and relentlessly hard-working - bbd is a bit of me!