Meeting of the Minds brings together two different points of view from an industry rookie and an experienced expert.
The Mediaweek series aims to showcase their diverse perspectives, thoughts and opinions.
This month’s Meeting of the Minds sees Es Chandra and Kelly Lyons from Glide reveal their leadership heroes, current streaming binge and career goals for 2023.
Es Chandra – CEO and Founder
Es Chandra
Best career advice:
1. Try different areas in marketing to figure out which one is the best fit for you from a skills, values, and strengths perspective. However, if you already have a passion for a specific area of expertise, it’s recommended to specialise in it.
2. Avoid being in a unicorn role in marketing because it can be demanding and you may end up stretched too thin, trying to do a bit of everything. Instead, specialising in a particular area of marketing can help you increase your value, contribution, and pay packet.
3. Specialising in a role with a long-term approach is important in marketing because it allows you to build on your expertise and strategic knowledge, which is crucial with the growing interest in automation and AI in the industry. This will take you from opportunity to opportunity and lead you to better progress your career faster, to step up and take on a senior or leadership role.
4. Learn from mentors or people in senior positions when specialising in marketing. This will help catapult your learning and often lead you to better opportunities to step up and take on a senior or leadership role. People move often in marketing, so there is always something that will come up and will allow you to challenge and grow further.
My favourite podcast/read: The Diary of a CEO – Features interviews with successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. The podcast offers insights into their personal journeys, challenges, and successes, providing listeners with valuable lessons and inspiration. Additionally, the host of the podcast, Niral Patel, is known for his engaging and conversational style, making it easy for listeners to connect with the guests and the content.
Current streaming binge: The Mandalorian – besides my love for sci-fi, the show also explores themes of loyalty, family, and sacrifice, and also represents the struggle of marginalised groups to maintain their culture and identity in the face of oppression and assimilation.
Leadership hero: Gary Vaynerchuk, commonly known as Gary Vee, because of his success as an entrepreneur, his motivational speaking, and his emphasis on hard work, determination, and innovation.
I wish someone had told me: To save as much as you can at an early age, and to invest and hold your investments for the long-term.
Guilty content pleasure: Sometimes caught scrolling on IG or TikTok!
Best training course/session: Anything to do with personal development, or learning about leadership. It adds so much value to your self-awareness.
Your mentor: Gregory Gerhardt – Chairman of Amazee Group, Zurich.
Hot medium or show: Breaking Bad
Favourite media event: I would say the World Cup as it attracts millions of viewers from around the world and shows that camaraderie can be built with nations whilst putting aside their differences.
Wish I’d done that: Worked for a few more agencies first to gain more industry experience, before going out to start my own agency.
Career goal for 2023: Develop my leadership skills further, build upon my professional network, including championing industry events, involvement with professional organisations, and connecting with colleagues on LinkedIn.
Also to enhance my skills in sales and business development to stay competitive in our field, with more public speaking opportunities.
Kelly Lyons – Senior Designer
Kelly Lyons
Best career advice: The best career advice I have ever got is to always do something you are passionate about. Passion will mean that opportunities will just fall into place because you are doing something you genuinely love.
My favourite podcast/read: My favourite podcast is ‘A Diary of a CEO’. I love listening to inspiring entrepreneurs talking about their lives and everything that happens behind the scenes. I think when you see these amazing businesses it is really easy to forget that there are real people with real emotions and feelings behind them.
Current streaming binge: I love ‘Blow Away’ – The art of glassblowing is truly amazing and awe inspiring!
Leadership hero: I am inspired by so many different people in my life. I have had the pleasure of being surrounded by and working with some incredibly creative people. My family, my friends, my colleagues in London and my fiancé inspire me every day and give me the drive to wake up every single day wanting to be a better leader and a better human.
I wish someone had told me: That it was okay to think, act and have a different journey to the status quo. I have always struggled with the normal 9-5 life as my mind and brain work very differently. I thrive now that I am in a very flexible workplace. I would love others out there to know that if you feel a bit different or struggle with fitting into a normal work schedule, it is okay and it doesn’t make you lazy or a bad worker.
Guilty content pleasure: Like many, I am a huge fan of MAFS. Much to the Glide office’s dismay, you can usually find me with two screens: one binging MAFS and the other doing my work (I promise I am still doing work!)
Best training course/session: If anyone is wanting to start out a career in design, there are so many amazing YouTube and TikTok tutorials. I suggest, rather than just learning the basics of the programs, find a tutorial of something that inspires you. I am constantly learning even though I have been a designer for years.
Your mentor: The first ever mentor I had was my art teacher in high school as she believed in me, which allowed me to thrive and be the creative I am today. I then had some incredible mentors in London: creatives sitting above me, teaching me so much about the industry and how to expand my mind. I would say now that my work colleagues are my mentors, teaching me and helping me grow every single day.
Hot medium or show: I am a huge lover of TikTok – I could spend hours scrolling through my ‘For You’ page.
Favourite media event: The Fringe Festival. There is something magical about seeing creative people thrive. Be that be through performance, design or music, I love seeing creative people come together. Even the audience at Fringe events are inspiring people!
Wish I’d done that: I wish I had taken more risks earlier on in my life, to travel more, to appreciate the people around me more and to take more opportunities early on in my life. Although I am a firm believer that timing is everything, it is never too late to start building and experiencing a life you want.
Career goal for 2023: I would love to produce some content that I am truly proud and passionate about and develop personal relationships with the clients I work with. I want to provide local Perth businesses and Australian startups with value so that they can thrive, and to see the direct success that creatives can have. I would say by the end of 2023 I would like to grow into the role of creative director at Glide so watch this space!
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Top image: Es Chandra and Kelly Lyons