• What’s your story? (what did you study, what is your professional background, what were you doing before)
Always loved ideas and creativity. Worked for some of the best global advertising agencies creating marketing campaigns for tech and financial brands. Then became a partner in one of the world’s largest advertising groups. Won countless awards. Filmed 100s of TVCs. And had fun doing it.
• Why did you decide to go into blockchain?
Didn’t. It found me. Knew people into BTC and Eth and the idea behind blockchain seemed pretty interesting and democratizing. Then, when approached by IOHK and saw the passion and disruptive spirit, couldn’t resist.
• What skills were the most helpful for working in blockchain?
Energy. Enthusiasm. Inquisitiveness. Thick skin. Tolerance for pain. They’re the obvious ones. But understanding and appreciating you’re working with tech that has never been built before and therefore your creativity and marketing has to be like nothing before, that is probably most important.
• What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced transitioning into this sector?
Making a deep tech industry understand that in order to accelerate participation and adoption you have to make your narratives easy to understand. Nobody cares about the tech. Only what it does. Musk does this well, “You wouldn’t throw away a plane after every flight. So why a spaceship?”.
• What do you like the most about working in blockchain?
The unknown. The energy. The volatility of positive and negative sentiment. It isn’t boring. What you achieve in a year in blockchain could take you five years in any other industry. That’s a massive upside. Unless you want a dull, steady life.
• What tips would you give to someone interested in going into blockchain?
Never forget, the worst thing anyone can say to a marketeer is, “that’s not creative enough”. Blockchain is the raw bleeding edge of tech and it is challenging the big players. And it won’t succeed by being a wallflower. So download your ideas and insanity every day. Reject nothing. Enjoy everything. Be relentless.
Jerry Della Femina, an original Madison Avenue Mad Man, said, “Marketing is the most fun you can have with your clothes on”. If it isn’t, you’re doing something wrong, imho.
