Young Gun profiles takes a look at the young talent across the Australian advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector. Aiming to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry.
Luke Amasi, client director at iProspect
Time in current role/time at the company:
2 years iPro, very fresh to the role.
How long have you been in the industry?
7 years.
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
I did media at uni and honestly wanted to follow the the radio host career progression. I was volunteering at the uni station until I slept in and missed the start of a shift, so thought nine to five work was better for me. I then got a job at 2GB in sport sales and now agency, each step felt like a natural progression towards something I could make a stronger career out of.
Who is your right-hand person/who guides you day to day?
iProspect has a strong leadership team who care immensely for the growth of their people, the likes of Marcelle Gomez, Jason Smith & Vera Manalac (and others!). This team is so invested and enthusiastic to see you kick goals, it’s really motivating.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
It’s a fun place to be with lots of fun events/experiences, very fast paced, there are highs and lows. There’s a Simon Sinek quote: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it". It’s really the group around me now and clients/media partners I get to work with that keep me in it to win it.
And the biggest challenge?
I think in the next 12-24 months we’ll see the industry recalibrate, we’ve seen rough churn rates and lots of turnover, so the aim is to have stability. Another challenge will come from certain client categories pulling back whilst the economy restabilises in this new cost of living environment. Cynically as clients are pulling back resource, this could be the solution to the vacancy challenge agencies have experienced in the last two years. I hope businesses will be looking to invest in their people to future proof themselves to rebound positively once the economy picks back up.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed leaning more into developing the people management and leadership aspects of my role. More of that in future, if I’m lucky enough I would love to develop into a managing director. Marcelle Gomez sets a standard that’s a perfect marriage between empathic leadership and a desire to succeed, it’s a great example to follow.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
I have a few - Jurgen Klopp (even this season!) and my parents.
My favourite advert is (and why):
An absolute earworm, I was at a Sydney Swans game and they played it on the big screens in the pre-game, it was epic!
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
Being an over sharer this is a tough one, but I’d say in my school musical in year 11 I wasn’t a very good singer so I was the only boy selected to do a dance solo which involved a dirty dancing like lift… nailed it every night except the night they filmed for the DVDs.
In five years' time I'll be:
In five years’ time I’ll be 34. If I’m lucky enough, a father. In terms of career, 5 years is a long time, but I wouldn’t mind settling in and doing a 5 year stint in one agency. That’s not common but I’ve been trying to implement a patient approach to my career as a direct opponent to pushing too hard and becoming burnt out.
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