Our Young Guns profile takes a weekly look at some of the young talent across the advertising, ad tech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry.
Today we speak to DPR&Co account manager Anya Gully.
How long have you been in the industry?
Four years.
Duration in current role:
10 months.
What were you doing before this job?
I was an account manager at FWRD Agency in south Melbourne. It was the perfect blend of creative and strategic and I developed my skills in both client facing and content development facets of the business. It was a great experience but eventually my wanderlust took me around South and Central America for six months. Once I came back to Melbourne I began looking for a job with an advertising agency that would take my skills to the next level and…BOOM.
Define your job in one word:
Dynamic.
What were your real and cliché expectations of working in the industry?
Cliché: That I would be bending over backwards for a Devil Wears Prada-type director, with little room for self-expression.
Real: At DPR&Co everyone is encouraged to contribute to campaign ideas, new business presentations and team culture. I have a great work/life balance and enjoy coming to work every day.
How does the reality match up?
I’m loving my role as senior account manager. I’m constantly learning and expanding my skillset, I have a really nice portfolio of clients on the go and the company culture is great.
How would you describe what the company does and what does your role involves?
We’re a fully integrated advertising agency with a team of very talented people, each person bringing something special to the table. My role is to manage client relationships, budgets, execute campaigns and oversee social media strategy. I don’t like to pigeon hole my role into any particular category – I’m more of an all-rounder.
Best thing about the industry you work in:
The exposure to business successes and failures. The end goal is to start my own business and I feel that my professional journey has been prepping me for this all the way.
Any major hard learnings in the job so far?
It can be hard to win the trust of clients who are sceptical about the capabilities of a young employee. Sometimes it’s better to spend less time trying to justify yourself and your skillset and just let your work speak for itself.
If you had to switch over to another department, which would it?
Creative. I’d love to improve my skills in videography and create video content part-time or find myself in an art director role. I’m passionate about coming up with new ideas and bringing them to life.
What's exciting you about the industry right now?
The expansion. I feel like the marketing industry is only just taking off….
What concerns you about the industry and its future?
The possibility of bots and online content generators putting people out of jobs.
Who's your right hand person?
One of the agency founders, Domenic Brassachio, or my account director Leanne O’Connor. There’s a lot to learn from them both.
And your almighty mentor that you hope to dethrone?
Jess Hatzis or Bree Johnson – or both. The founders of Frank Body and Willow & Blake. They’ve manage to build an empire while never taking life too seriously.
Career-wise, where do you see yourself in 2020?
Either in a marketing management role or working for national intelligence.
What is the elephant in the room?
How do we remain competitive when so many small and cheap agencies are being established on a daily basis?
Where do you turn for inspiration?
The big dogs. It’s cliché, but companies like Nike, Asos, Adidas know what’s up in the marketing sphere.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
Ahhh I’m such an open book. That’s a hard one. They probably don’t know that my first language was German and not English.
What’s your personal motto?
Never say no to anything (unless it’s unsafe to say no).
I got into advertising because:
I enjoyed my marketing subjects at university more than my journalism subjects. I got an internship in a small but tenacious business which solidified my plan to climb the ranks in the marketing industry.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
Working for national intelligence. That’s part of my long-term goal.
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