By Alex Miarli:
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.
And yesterday marked the start of my new beginning as content manager at Five Not 10, an agency where I was welcomed with open arms by the whole team. It’s exciting, refreshing and often liberating starting something anew, and a new job at a new company encapsulates this perfectly, along with many other emotions.
But if you’re reading this, whether you’re a client, a colleague or a competitor, you’re probably wondering… why me? Why would they entrust me with a position that requires finesse and comes with so much responsibility?
I don’t know why either.
Jokes aside (obviously), let me briefly explain what I bring to the role and how I’m here to help you, the client – and your content – to excel.
1. Who am I?
First, a little about me.
Without this sounding too much like a dating profile, I’m a creative individual that loves all genres of music – from country to rap – and I try to keep up-to-date with the latest films and TV shows where I can too. I have a ‘dad’ sense of humour, which is fully warranted, now that I have a nine month old baby boy. I also like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain… But this now really does sound like a dating profile.
Ultimately, the most important thing to know about me is that I like to write. In fact, I love it.
2. A snapshot of my experience
I’ve always loved writing.
From creating fantastical stories as a kid at school to drafting award-winning scripts and SEO-focused content in more recent years, I’ve delved into the depths of the written word in almost all forms and have results to show for it.
For me, every new piece of content is a new way to learn and develop, something I’ve been doing since studying journalism at the University of Cardiff over 10 years ago. From there, I’ve developed my skillset, starting at the BBC in the film and TV industry, working on shows like Doctor Who, Class, Casualty and occasionally, Sherlock, before moving to other production companies like ITV, Netflix and Sky.
The skills I learnt working in the industry, specifically working with others in a fast-paced environment, was then utilised in a completely different role as a marketing and communications officer with the education sector. Here, I adapted and refined my writing ability to suit a new audience, working closely with academics to portray their research in an exciting yet digestible way that stayed true to their work. This was exclusively based within the fields of engineering and the physical sciences.
After this, I moved to a digital marketing agency to work on B2B clients from a diverse range of industries. This work included writing digital content in a plethora of different forms that was driven by SEO practices. Content that’s designed to sell. To rank in search engines. To engage the reader.
Now, I’ll be combining all these skills I’ve learnt over the years in my new role at Five Not 10.
3. What I’ll be doing
Aside from writing content, I’ll be writing even more content.
More importantly, I’ll be working closely with our clients to get the best results possible and applying the right form of content to achieve it. I’ll also be supporting with the development of our own website, helping to increase our brand awareness and online presence.
After all, as Ru Paul says: “if you can’t love yourself, how in the hell can you love somebody else?”.
4. Why I joined Five Not 10
There’s an abundance of reasons why, but I’ll just give you the highlights:
The culture
This was a major factor in choosing Five Not 10 – it’s an agency that treats their clients and their people with care and respect, something that’s refreshing and liberating in the high-octane world of digital marketing and PR. A diamond in the rough, as it were.
The support
The whole team support each other, helping to grow, learn and develop all skills necessary to excel at their specific roles. Places that can help you learn or grow like that, especially digital marketing agencies, are hard to come by… but they’re the places you want to be.
The simplicity
Why say something in 10 words when five will do?
5. The fifth thing about me…
I also have a dog named Obi-Wan, named after that Obi-Wan. He’s a Labrador Retriever with an abundance of energy who’s ‘adapting’ slowly to me now working from home.
If you made it this far, I’ll leave you with when I asked my dog, “What's two minus two?”
He said nothing.