10 questions with... Amanda Follit, managing director of Th_nk Live
In an attempt to showcase the personalities of the people behind the media and marketing sector, The Drum speaks to individuals who are bringing something a little different to the industry and talks to them about what insights and life experience they can offer the rest of us. This week's 10 Questions are put to the Th_nk Live managing director, Amanda Follit.
TH_NK Live's Amanda Follit answers The Drum's 10 questions
What was your first ever job?
I was 15 and worked in the local ice cream parlour on the seafront at weekends and school holidays for £1 an hour.
Which industry buzzword annoys you most?
At the moment it’s “Dev Ops”. Speak to seven different people and you’d probably get seven different answers of what it is.
Who do you find most interesting to follow on social media?
This is so difficult to decide who is most interesting. I tend to have many interests so follow different people for different things.
At the moment it’s probably my friend Dr Veronica Bray @SpaceNerdAtWork on Twitter who is a planetary scentist on the New Horizon project and is currently showing us all the data and imagery coming back from Pluto. Plus, meeting Brian May!
Highlight of your career (so far?)
Winning the Digital Star award at the everywoman in tech awards for my innovative work with data.
What piece of tech can you not live without?
My iPhone. I had an argument with my phone provider about this. When my screen broke they wanted to take my phone from me for five days to fix it. I explained to them that phones are no longer just call devices but they are life managers – invoicing, paying bills, getting business and all sorts happens on this device. Why on earth do they think people can be parted from them for five days?
Who or what did you have posters of on your bedroom wall as a teenager?
I was a big fan of George Michael and a band called Five Star so my walls were covered in posters of them. However, I also had a bit of room for posters of cars and motorbikes because I was a bit of a petrol head as a teenager too.
In advertising, what needs to change soon?
Intrusive adverts on news articles – especially on mobile. I avoid some online publications and blogs because the adverts get in the way of the experience.
What is (in your opinion) the greatest film/album/book of your life?
The greatest film ever for me is Fight Club. Depending on if you ‘know’ or not then it’s a different movie. That very first time you watch it you think that Helena Bonham-Carter’s character Maria is the crazy one, however, the next time you watch it you see why her behaviour is the way it is and she’s not insane at all. To be able to direct a film and achieve a different movie, in essence, dependent on the frequency of viewing is incredible. For anyone who only watched it once, do watch it again!
Which industry event can you not afford to miss each year and why?
BIMA’s Digital Day for me is the big event of the year. It’s not a party but an opportunity to help grow the future of our industry. It’s free and any digital/tech/creative agency or business can take part.
What's the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
I have two: 1. “Only you control your happiness” which was from the iOpener programme, and the other was from entrepreneur Bill Liao (paraphrased to a sentence), “Listen to actually listen, don’t listen for the gap”. Listening, in my opinion, is one of the most powerful things anyone can do, especially if you are a leader.
More installments of 10 Questions With... can be found here.