One IAB member. Five questions. Every month.
Starting your own business can sometimes feel like unrequited love. You give it everything – your time, your energy, your heart – and it often feels like a one-way relationship that constantly pushes you to the edge. And yet, for some strange reason, you keep coming back. You nurture it, you want it to love you back. Some days it does, some days it doesn’t.
But the real thing I love? I’m in a hugely privileged position to work alongside people I’ve chosen; people who share the same goals, who drive, challenge, and support each other, and who are helping build our slightly warped version of what a company should be. That’s rare, and I don’t take it for granted.
I’ve never been one to ‘live to work’. Quite the opposite. But, having said that, I’ve been lucky enough to have an absolute blast in my career, meeting some incredible people (and a few less so), and riding my fair share of highs and lows. But my job has one reason, and one reason only: family. After all, there’s only one thing that could make me willingly take on stress levels so high that my once Tom Jones–level mane of hair is slowly thinning year by year.
So if I’m being completely honest, I love that my job gives me value in every sense of the word: money, friendship, and passion. So that I can give back to those who matter most to me.
Depends if you’re asking me personally or professionally.
Personally, anything that makes me laugh is a win. Social media can be a pretty harsh place, so my best advice is to curate (yes, I got the plug in early) your algorithm to serve content that actually makes you feel good. I’m a fan of what the Topjaw team does – they’ve nailed a simple but engaging format: set questions asked to well-known faces, which creates a collection of answers that viewers actually want to hear. In fact, we did the same format for our TMI series launch last year (and yes, it’s coming back).
My feed is a mix of rugby, food, dogs, travelling, anything related to Wales, and boxing. I'm a simple man.
And, professionally, I’d have to say Media Lad. For the wit. The humor. The constant guessing game of who it might be. The low-level fear that you’ve stood next to them in a bar, talking not-so-fondly about the industry… and might wake up in the feed the next day. Keeps me on my toes.
You know what, this question stumped me a little. And that’s not something I like admitting to when I work in advertising (tech). Maybe it’s because we’re all a bit blind to the online ad world – we know too much about what happens behind the curtain. But it got me thinking about the ads that have truly stuck with me over the years.
And, while I now run the risk of becoming a walking stereotype, anything Guinness or Welsh will always tug on my heartstrings. Case in point: the Guinness x Shane Williams TV ad. If you haven’t had the pleasure, please go watch it; it’s a masterclass.
It’s not the shiny online ad answer you might have been expecting, but what this question really made me think about is storytelling. When human stories are told well – whether that be through cinematic brilliance, humor, or heart – they stay with you. And when you consider the incredible technology we have at our fingertips today – from regional insights, behavioral data, contextual intelligence, AI-driven content creation – the opportunity to tell unforgettable stories is bigger than ever. Brands that get that right will live in consumers’ minds no matter which device they consumed it on.
The only other ad that popped straight into my head? That goddamn Pepto-Bismol one. Maybe it’s my ongoing digestive issues, but there’s something about a man singing about diarrhoea with such unflinching enthusiasm that gets me every time.
As cheesy as it sounds, I’d have to say founding @curate with my fellow grumpy adtech nerds. I’ve learnt a huge amount over the years that led me to this point, and while starting a business is no easy feat, it feels like we’ve really tapped into something special.
For context, in 2018, I co-founded another business, RedBud. It was a small but mighty venture designed to help publishers take back control in a world dominated by regulation and consent challenges. We did well: we were acquired within two years, and our product became the foundation of the leading consent management platform, Sourcepoint.
It still remains one of my proudest achievements, but it was tough. The stress was real. And I learned a lot. What to do, what not to do, and how to build something stronger the next time around.
Those lessons have been invaluable in shaping @curate – and the way we do things now is very much the product of both the wins and the battle scars from that first journey.
“You have two ears and one mouth.” I have always had that view from a sales perspective, but it is true in any area. When you listen, you learn more, and as much as you think you might know, you can always learn from other people. You might know your corner of the industry inside out, but there’s always someone who’s seen things from a different angle, and you’ll learn more by listening than by trying to win the room.
Adtech moves at the speed of light. And, somehow also stands still. It’s now wildly uncool to say cookieless in a boardroom (that was so 2020), yet plenty of companies are still clinging to the third-party cookie like Leonardo DiCaprio on the Titanic door. We also love to twist buzzwords to suit our own narrative. Data-driven marketing? Sure, let me stalk you. AI-born tech? It’s just another automated algorithm with a shiny new sticker.
Curation has had a similar fate. Placed on a pedestal before its reign even began, only to be written off when people didn’t take the time to understand it.
So here’s my advice: surround yourself with smart people. Learn from your peers. Ask questions. And continue to educate yourself each and every day.
