How a journo became an addy

The newsroom is a lot like an ad agency. Phones ring, people curse, stress runs high and writers, designers and managers scurry as if the world is about to end.

And the burn-out is real.

After five or so years of being in a newsroom until 12 a.m., for usually more than five days a week, my burn-out came in 2016. It was a rough year for the news — grisly reports from around the world made their way to my desk each night, while one of the most fraught presidential elections took hold of my country. It was during this storm of negativity that I realized I needed to change paths.

I’m the type of person who thrives on tight deadlines and gets the most enjoyment out of making something new every day. But I needed to make a difference with positivity.

This is why I chose to go in-to advertising. It’s an industry that’s just as crazy, hectic and energizing — but produces work that can introduce positivity into people’s lives.

That, and I really like dogs — particularly in the office.