Our Industry Profile takes a look at some of the professionals working across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles and companies across the buzzing industry.
Ryan Ellul: co-founder and business director Sport Design Australia
Time in current role:
Two months officially as business director, nearly two years as a co-founder of Sport Design Australia. My business partners Cassandra Wilkins and Reece Carter have been growing and nurturing the business while I was working at LADbible.
How would you describe what the company does?
Sport Design Australia helps sports organisations win off the field with creative services that engage fans and increase revenue. We’ve positioned ourselves as a resource to businesses to help increase creative output, or add new creative skills to their business. We like to see ourselves as a multi-disciplined extension to sports organisations.
What do you do day to day?
My day to day can be split into three buckets. The first; new business. Speaking to brands, agencies, athletes, teams and leagues to understand how we can help to support their gaps. Secondly, process and product building. Implementing and refining internal processes that assist our delivery of value to clients. Alongside that, improving our product and service offering for current and future clients. Thirdly, I’m looking after our finances. This involves managing our day-to-day as well as our long-term financial strategy.
Define your job in one word:
Dynamic.
I got into my the industry because:
I grew up playing and watching sports. Sport has led me to lifelong friendships, to personal and community connection and an eternal source of entertainment. My dream was always to work for the NRL by the time I was 30, and I was fortunate enough to hit that target five years earlier than I anticipated. I can’t help but be caught up in the theatre, the rollercoaster and vortex of sport. To be able to work in and around sport, with the aim of improving the industry, is the perfect outcome.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?
The age old argument of cost vs value. On the stage of global sport, Australia is always a couple of years or so behind, and that’s reflective of investment as well. Our job is to continue to understand the industry and help to educate leaders of the long-term commercial benefits of investing in content and fostering creativity. Social and content is not just the future of your brand, it’s the now. Failing to invest won’t just mean you lose followers now, it means you’ll be at risk of losing future generations.
What’s the biggest industry wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
There’s a number of challenges in the sporting industry, but it wouldn’t be any fun if there weren’t any! From my perspective, the biggest challenge centres around resourcing. We’re constantly seeing teams and businesses under-resourced in the positions that matter, the positions where the staff are responsible for building relationships with fans. Not only are teams and leagues under-resourced, but the expectations of staff are to be wearing five or six hats, resulting in mediocre work, losing staff to other industries or burnout. I was always told working in sport is a privilege, and I couldn’t agree more. But that shouldn’t come at the cost of personal wellbeing. How can we as an industry better showcase the value of teams that are on the frontline, both in short-term fan engagement but also the long-term commercial success of the business.
Who has been a great mentor to you and why?
I couldn’t go past my parents. Neither work in the same field as me, but they’ve both passed on qualities and behaviours that I’d be lost without. My Dad, a migrant from Malta with his 13 siblings and parents has always been the hardest worker in the room. Never the one who is shouting from the rooftops seeking attention, but the one to just get shit done. My Mum, the eldest of her siblings, has shown me the importance of empathy. Never rushing to judge or react, but treating people with the respect and empathy they deserve. Whilst neither of these are specific to my journey in sport, they’re instrumental to me being in the position I am today.
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Don’t be afraid to step into uncomfortable territory to help yourself grow. Talk to as many people as you can, find opportunities to offer value to those you speak to and say yes to any opportunity that comes your way. People who work in sport want those coming into the industry to be passionate, proactive, dynamic and show a willingness to learn.
If I wasn’t doing this for a living, I'd be:
Trying to play the top 100 golf courses in the world.
My philosophy is:
Progress over perfection. It’s better to move in small steps, than remain stagnant aiming for perfection.
My favourite advert is:
Orange’s advert for the French Women’s Football team ahead of the Women’s World Cup.
Music and TV streaming habits: what do you subscribe to?
Netflix, Kayo, Amazon Prime are the go-to for TV streaming. Kayo definitely gets the biggest workout.
Spotify for music and podcasts. I’ve been loving The Imperfects and New Heights podcasts.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
Up until recently, I thought the dog Chihuahua was pronounced Chi - hooer - hooer (Sound it out).
In five years time I'll be:
Working and travelling the globe with the biggest sporting leagues and teams.
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