Tell us a little bit about you.
Hi I'm Steve, I'm from North London and I'm a Senior Sales Manager at Picnic. I joined Picnic in January 2021, virtually! I started my media career in outdoor advertising at JCDecaux before moving into the wonderful world of digital at Immediate Media and then TripleLift.
Before getting into media, I worked at summer camps in the USA between university years and then I spent 3 years working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, running a sports deck which had a ropes course and a rock climbing wall - NOT doing burlesque which my mates still think I did!
What do you like best about your role at Picnic?
I'm part of a sales team that is split in two - one side is for growth and then my side is focussed on developing new business. Working in sales, I have to be passionate about the product that I'm selling. They say "a good salesperson can sell snow to an eskimo" but I think a really good salesperson has to believe in the product they are selling. This belief is infectious and will shine through and resonate with your audience. This is why I love working at Picnic. The offering is simple to understand yet hugely effective and the formats are inspired by those on social media and other apps that we all know and love.
And who am I kidding - the social aspect of working in this industry is pretty fantastic.
What excites you most about the industry?
"The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Invent It" - from banner ads to chatbots, MPUs to AI. What we're seeing in adtech now was unimaginable even just a few short years ago. Every year we will see something new that will change the way we see and interact with ads - I can't wait to be a part of it and to watch it all unfold.
What are your passions outside of work?
I'm a huge Arsenal fan and I've had a season ticket since the year 2001, I was even a ball-boy for the last season at Highbury back in 2006! I also made the most of my free time in lockdown 1.0 by getting into golf. I am now in love with the sport but yes, I'm still terrible.
How have you kept healthy and positive during lockdown?
This year I decided to use lockdown to improve my health and lifestyle. I'm not sure you can 'take up' something you've done for most of your life, but I've taken up walking. In 2021 I've walked a minimum of 10,000 steps every day and it was my new years resolution to do this for all 365 days in the year. My record is 60,000 steps in a single day!
I'm naturally a positive person and these testing times have been a challenge. Getting outside daily and focussing on myself, my fitness and health has been the key. We can now, finally look forward to a summer without restrictions where we can reunite with family, old friends and make some new ones!
Finally, tell us a fun fact about you.
I'd say my most fun fact is working on a cruise ship for 3 years, visiting over 20 countries in that time but I've also met and trained with Mark Wahlberg!