So Patrick how long have you been at TKF and what is your role?
I’ve been at The Kite Factory for almost 4 years now! I joined on a grad scheme straight out of uni where I got the opportunity to rotate around the AV, Data, Business Management/Client & Digital teams. This was a great opportunity to see how the whole agency works for someone who’d never even heard of a ‘Media Agency’ at that point! I finally settled on the digital team where I’ve worked up from Assistant to Planner/Buyer.
Tell us about your typical workday as Digital Planner/Buyer
Show me someone who has a ‘typical’ day in media and I’ll show you a liar! Fresh briefs, client calls, media-owner catch ups, it’s different every day but it’s never boring!
I’ll typically start the day just before 9am, bowl of Shreddies in hand and catch up on emails, organise my calendar for the day and update my to do list (in my notebook, with a pen because I’m old school!). Then I’ll give Harvey a call and (after catching up about whatever TV or movies we’ve watched recently) we’ll discuss our priorities for the day and how we can divvy tasks up between each other.
From there the day can be made up of anything but, as the title suggests, it usually consists of planning and buying media. I’m lucky to work with a lot of great and different clients at TKF which results in a variety of interesting briefs to plan to which let me think of creative ideas and chat to interesting media owners. In between that there’ll be calls with clients to discuss active campaigns and how we can best optimise and build on results. As well as discussing upcoming briefs and what’s next on the horizon for their business. That’s one of the main things I love about this job, I’m always talking to someone! Were it not for all the calls, meetings, trips to the pub, I’d likely just spend my days alone, knee deep in Excel.
I’ll go for lunch at around 1pm. If I’m in the office this’ll be a Pret wrap (halloumi & falafel please) or if I’m feeling decadent, a chicken katsu curry from local TKF institution Jinn’s Kitchen. If working from home this’ll be a much more boring affair of whatever is left over from dinner the night before. Then I’m back online to tackle whatever the rest of the day throws at me until around 6-6:30pm.
What are you looking forward to most when we are finally back in the office?
I think I’ve been one of the keenest people to get back into the office since lockdown started lifting! I love having the separation of my work life and home life and I feel so much more focused in the office! I really get on with all my co-workers as well and it’s so nice to get back all those casual conversations in the office or in the pub that you just can’t replicate over Teams calls. The biscuit selection is also much better than at my flat!
What’s your favourite way to unwind after a busy day?
Since lockdown hit, I’ve got back into gaming for the first time since I was a teenager. After a long day it’s really nice to get lost in a big open world game and forget about the stresses and strains of work!
Now that things are opening up again, I’ll often go for a swim after work. Particularly on a day where things have been really hectic it gives me a nice sense of accomplishment to go swim some lengths and feel like I’ve achieved something that day!
Do you have a hidden talent?
Since lockdown, a new talent I’ve been nurturing is cooking. In absence of being able to visit my favourite restaurants, my bookshelves have now been filled with their cookbooks while my long-suffering boyfriend has had to deal with me turning our tiny kitchen into a bomb site every other evening. The spice rack has grown significantly over the past year and it’s now one of my favourite things in the flat!
Lastly, one item you cannot leave your house without and why?
Headphones. On my commute into the office, on a walk to the shops, any time I’m outside and alone I’ll have my headphone in! Whether it’s audiobooks, podcasts (so glad My Dad Wrote a Porno is back!) or music (currently the Eurovision 2021 album on repeat, don’t judge me!) I’ll always have something playing.
So if you ever spot me in the street and call my name, I’m not ignoring you, I’m just blasting Euro-pop!