Behind the Headlines with Lexis’ Dominic Shales
Lexis MD Dominic Shales on his first pitch to a journalist, what marks a good campaign out and why it really is “good to talk”.
Before I reach the office in the morning, I’ve already…
Managed two different breakfast sittings for different aged children, with the Today programme in the background, squashed on the tube while trying to read Metro and then read emails while walking from London Bridge to the office. Pretty prosaic really!
You’ll mostly find emails about…in my inbox.
A real mix of emails relating to client campaigns, new business, agency management stuff and lots of different media feeds.
I know I’ve had a good day if…
I hear we have exceeded a client’s expectations in some way! All good things in agency life stem from having happy clients.
My first job was…
A courier in the City for a large law firm in the summer before university. In the days when documents had to be delivered by hand, my job was to walk around the City all day carrying packages wrapped in pink ribbon. A great way to get to know London at least.
I can tell a campaign is succeeding when…
A friend or family member tells me about it spontaneously.
I eat…when nobody is watching.
Well, there’s just something about pork pies….
The first time I pitched to a journalist…
I was lucky enough to have a really good story – the prize fund for that year’s Wimbledon Tennis Championships (the All England Club was the client).
The worst thing anyone has said to me is…
Not to be repeated. I’ve buried it deep.
The last book I read was…
The Steve Jobs biography.
I’ve never really understood why…
So many people seem to prefer emailing rather than just picking up the phone. At the risk of sounding like the BT ad, it’s good to talk.
If I could go back and talk to my 10-year-old self, I’d say…
Carry on playing the piano, learn a really good party trick, work hard, travel far, have fun and be prepared to take some risks in your career. And give your parents a break sometimes!
This time next year, I’ll be…
Proud of a cracking agency team doing great work.
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