In the Hot Seat: Jo
What have you been up to?
With my experience growing up around tech, I’ve taken on a lot of the responsibility of the IT department from upgrading the office wi-fi from consumer-grade gear to an enterprise-grade network, to creating security policies for the company. Lately I’ve set my self the task of revamping our data storage and backup architecture. You’d be surprised how many 100s of terabytes the creative arm of our agency generates!
Did you face any challenges during this project?
Absolutely! There are a million ways to do the same thing in the tech world. We could spend a million dollars for an off-the-shelf solution and achieve the same result as a system built using a few scripts and open-source software. Understanding scope and what’s possible has been the biggest challenge.
What has been your favourite project while at HG?
I’d have to say working on Matt Hearn’s upcoming feature film Cape Tribulation. We spent a lot of nights perfecting documents to present to key investors and I learned a good lesson about proof-reading! As my design background is in screen (Photoshop), I had to train myself up in InDesign for print and brochures – a massively rewarding experience.
What is the biggest mistake that businesses make when they post on social media?
Trying to communicate too many messages in a single post. I like to explain it this way: every extra letter in a sentence will be read by 100 less people. It’s a skill to be able distil a message down to its most important components, rank them in terms of importance, and then present them in a concise sentence or two. It’s the just in time logistics concept applied to communication – e.g. someone looking to buy a car doesn’t need to know the air-pressure of the front tyres before they buy the car!
What change do you want to see in the media industry?
A bigger emphasis on translating numbers into a story. What does a million impressions mean and why does it matter to the brand? Numbers are meaningless without context.
What is your favourite thing to do on the weekend?
I love finding new music to listen to! Wherever that is, that’s where I’ll be on the weekend. Bars, music festivals, gigs or just on the couch with my hi-fi loud.
NOW FOR SOME HOT FIRE QUESTIONS…
Who in the office is most likely to eat snacks set aside for Friday earlier in the week?
That’s gotta be Lewis.
What would you rather: buy lunch every day or a round of drinks on a Friday night?
Am I buying lunch for myself? Then I’d buy lunch for myself!
Who in the office is most likely to have a dangerous daily amount of coffee?
That’s Lucas—100%. Has everyone said Lucas?