Last year, we welcomed Eden Cuffe to MI Media as a senior account executive. In this Day in the Life, Eden shares his thoughts on how others starting in the industry can build their roles by becoming the person people ask for information, even if you don’t know the answer and why there’s no such thing as a worthless idea.

What led you to a career in media?

I started my career in advertising sales in my local village back home. I didn’t get much exposure to the agency world, but I enjoyed having conversations with different people and trying to secure the best benefits for them. I think media can look like all the work we’re doing is just for a brand, but I see it as also doing the work for the client team. Media is such a people-based industry that, if you get on with the teams you’re working with and do good work for them, you can form great relationships. Media is a small world and if you’re a dick, you’ll get found out, which I appreciate. I’ve also found it to be one of the more progressive sectors out there in terms of things like flexibility, hiring and sick pay.

Having worked in sales, I wanted to get more exposure to planning & implementation. Following a six-month stint at Channel 4, I moved to Manchester, where I went to university, and joined the team at Dentsu. The north has a really strong media landscape offering, you don’t need to be in London to be part of the industry. That being said, I wanted to move back down south to be closer to family and that’s what led me to my role as a senior account executive at MI Media.

What does a typical day look like for you?

It does vary but the main principles stay the same day-to-day. I grab an instant coffee every morning, maybe a bit of toast, then go through and prioritise my to do list for the day. My priorities can be anything from writing a report to interpreting a brief from a client to dissecting a schedule sent over by a media owner. I don’t find my days to be mundane or repetitive. We’re in a reactive industry, so we have to allow headspace for the unknown that might come into your inbox at any given notice. You could have a whole week planned out, but something could come through that will take priority and you have to be able to react well to that.

What mistake have you learnt the most from?

There isn’t such a thing as a fuck up. At the end of the day, what we’re doing isn’t life or death. But when it’s busy, it’s sometimes difficult to remember that. Mistakes are a good thing, it means you’re trying. It goes back to the fact that media is a people industry. If you do something wrong; miss a deadline or don’t present something the way you want to, everyone’s human and you will learn from it.

For me, I didn’t speak up as much as I wanted to when I first started. You might think your ideas are stupid but when you say it, someone responds with an ‘oh, I hadn’t thought of that’ and it’s proven to be useful. So back your own knowledge and don’t be afraid.