How did I end up here...?

Luke Cadman
Account Executive

When people think of agency life, they usually think it’s all glitz and glamour. The huge awards evenings where everybody is dolled up to the eyeballs trying to look more breathtaking than the rest of the attendees; the long lunches in the trendy restaurants; the über-modern swanky offices that are more about the impression they give than the functionality they provide; and the ultra-stylish people with their opulent attire and neoteric hair styles. Admittedly I was one of these people and I thought it would be a great way to make a living.

I had my first real-life experience of agency life about two years ago while on placement from Uni. I was working for a medium sized healthcare company and we were looking for an agency to handle the UK launch of a new formulation of one of our products and the Product Manager I was working with had met an agency contact at a European pitch. The agency’s name was Medicus London, and the contact’s name was Jenny Plant. And so the PM and I came to a nice little place called Kensington Village to meet with the agency.

So this was my first agency experience, and I liked it. The people I met were interesting, the things I saw around the office looked exciting, and most importantly we did have the long lunch in the trendy restaurant! I decided there and then that this was an industry I wanted to work in. I saw the hard work that went in to producing the work for the clients and it seemed very challenging but also greatly rewarding. First though, all I had to do was finish Uni.
I stayed in contact with Medicus during the rest of my placement and my studies, and they gave me advice and help along the way where they could, which I really appreciated. Eventually the time came for me to finish Uni and find that all important first job. I asked them if they knew of any openings in the agency world that may be suitable for a graduate like me. They offered me an opportunity and I grabbed it with both hands. So here I am, sat at my desk in Publicis Life Brands (formerly Medicus London) HQ telling my story.

So far my 7-week career at PLB has been interesting and very busy. Working in a team with two Account Managers and an Account Director, amongst other things I have been involved in building two brands, which is about as exciting and challenging as agency life gets, and it has been thoroughly enjoyable. Of course, I get to do all the less fun day-to-day admin as well, but...you have got to take the rough with the smooth! I have worked with pretty much every person in the office, from other Account Executives, all the way up to the Senior Directors, which has been great experience. I have been included in training which I have found very interesting and will undoubtedly benefit me as time goes on and my client interaction increases. I have been given the responsibility of solely managing some smaller projects meaning I have got a real feel of how a project works, from beginning to end; and finally being involved in the background research and development of some important pitches to clients. Overall my time so far has been great, and I don’t expect this to change, with new jobs and challenges constantly coming in, there is never a dull moment.

My only qualm would be that these long lunches in trendy restaurants don’t actually happen on a daily basis – shocking!!!