Our Young Gun profile takes a 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 Seven West Media social media strategist Michelle Tran.
Time in current role/time at the company:
In current role for one year, at Seven West Media for three years.
How long have you been in the industry?
About five years.
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
I was lucky enough to be given a chance as a social media manager at Samsung while still in university, and it ignited my passion for creating innovative social media campaigns that truly add value to a brand’s sponsorship. I managed to build an amazing network, which led me to Seven! I knew I always wanted to be part of media and advertising, but I had no idea it was going to take me to such a dynamic job that challenges me to be creative yet commercially-minded everyday.
Who is your right hand person/who guides you day to day?
I lean on my head of commercial product, Shani Kugenthiran, everyday. She guides me through managing internal and external stakeholder relationships, and pushes me to think differently and beyond my ways of working.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
Content and social media go hand in hand, and both are constantly changing in terms of what resonates with audiences. Finding new cool ways to make an impact in an attention-deficit economy gets me up in the morning every day!
And the biggest challenge?
I might love the constant change, but it’s hard to keep up with everything all the time!
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
I would love to head up a commercial content division in an internationally renowned publisher. Making beautiful content and using social media to deliver it in meaningful ways, both for the client and the consumer, is my dream job.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
Twitter for what’s happening around the world, and Instagram for what’s happening in the world of beautiful people.
My favourite advert is:
The Nike “Dream Crazier” ad with Serena Williams. It showed how far we have come in this world as women, and how far we still have to go. It really hit home as a young woman in this industry.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I’m a huge fan of SPAM...as in the tinned mystery pork meat!
In five years' time I'll be:
Leading a team of people who love content and social media more than I do, and coming up with world-class content partnerships!
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