In this series, AdNews takes a look at some of the professionals working across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. This time it's Half Dome's client lead Sharni Ames.
Time in current role/time at the company:
Eight months in a new role at a new agency for me.
How would you describe what the company does?
We love to bring our challenger mindset to challenger brands in the media industry.
What do you do day-to-day?
Depending on the day of the week, I come in from the Yarra Valley to be in the office with the team to connect and be in person. Other days Half Dome provides the flex for me to work from home and be close to my young family to meet the needs of home life. I love the balance between the two (there is no Uber Eats, gasp I know).
My days balance between being involved in the senior leadership team and heads of departments to drive the Half Dome business forward, and supporting my team in the day to day of client deliverables, along with connecting with clients to discuss bigger challenges and looking for forward-facing opportunities to meet these challenges.
Define your job in one word:
Vibrant.
I got into my industry because:
By accident really. I took a gap year and was looking for something to apply my perfectionist tendencies to. I grew up in the Yarra Valley and saw a careers counsellor at school who suggested that it could be something that was both creative and structured. Media wasn't well known, which is potentially the case when you try to explain your job to people.
This career allowed me to apply my Ukrainian hard-working heritage and my country grit and apply it to business, whilst connecting with great people and making lifelong friends. It took me into the city, and provided a pathway to a life I didn't even know existed.
What's the biggest challenge you face in your role?
Like a lot of the industry and clients alike, we are heading into some challenging times. Seeing and feeling the pressure of the economy hit both professionally and personally, we are feeling it at all levels. So, whilst we work to provide strategic solutions that are balanced with performance results, we also need to remember that as we head into the trenches together, that it's the tough situations that help us form connections and remind ourselves to support one another.
I also truly believe people are still feeling the effects and trauma of the pandemic, emotionally and mentally in all our connections across the industry. The challenge of how this impact shows up for all of us, and the need to build resilience, support one another, continue to work within the demands of the industry and have the time for people to rest and restore is of huge importance.
What's the biggest industry-wide challenge you'd like to see tackled?
Celebration and flexibility for working parents. My media life prior to children was intense, and then adding young children into the dynamic was next level.
The demands and mental load that parents carry, especially working mums, are still heavy. The invisible work and logistics that go into working in this industry to meet the demands of the agencies and clients is something I know a lot of the women I coach feel a lot of the time. Although we have come a long way, we still have a long way to go.
Notable campaigns/initiatives:
My biggest highlight would be when I headed up NAB and we "Broke Up with the other Banks". It was a huge campaign that we turned around in a month, where all my media dreams came true. From booking a helicopter, wrapped trams, street chalking, huge outdoor signs, TV, radio, press - you name it, we did it!
Couple this with launching the Ford Ranger into the Australian market about 20 years ago.
Of late, the last few years have been extremely rewarding in the fact that I built out my very own programme to support people to land in their personal values, along with upskilling as a self-development coach and mentor which supports people to build out a dream vision for their lives, which in an industry where people give so much of themselves, it’s been an honour to give back to people, as they take the time to give back to themselves.
Who has been a great mentor to you?
There have been some incredible women in my early career that really paved the way for me. And 25 years ago, the industry was a very different world.
Sarah Mazur and Gail Skinner were two women who really advocated for me in my early career and pushed me into roles that I didn't believe I was ready for but had worked so hard for.
And then there are the people that you meet along the way who support you in the day-to-day, which turn into years of mentorship and friendship. So many to mention!
Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?
Accept the dynamic fluidity of the industry. Having the right mindset and a high level of curiosity and excitement for the changes is crucial. It will constantly evolve. As well as a reminder that we are in a service-based industry that starts and ends with our clients and their business, so being an extension of their marketing team and caring as deeply as they do about their brands is something that I do feel might have lost its way lately.
The beauty now compared to 20 years ago is that we are treated as partners, given a lot more transparency into their business and treated as the experts in our specialised craft. The word "supplier" is long gone.
If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:
If I had studied psychology in high school, it could have sent me in a different direction. However, my life is long (like really long) and the opportunities the media industry provides me could still mean that it's a passion point that I have the space to explore in the years to come.
My philosophy is:
Design a life that you are living, otherwise your life will live you.
Understanding life isn't always going to go to plan, however, I do truly believe that with a foundation in my personal values and a great 10-year vision in place I am slowly and consistently building a life that is truly my design.
My favourite advert is:
The one ad I still say to this day, and every time I head down to Woolies is "You blokes want somethin' from the shops?".
The great old Four & Twenty ad that even after all these years has a funny legacy that lives on in our household.
Music and TV streaming habits. What do you subscribe to?
Definitely music. My Spotify playlists are constantly being updated.
While building a house and planting a vineyard, I tend to pick a movie over a TV show.
You will find me listening and shuffling between Rich Roll and a Glennon Doyle podcast on the commutes in from the Yarra Valley.
In five years’ time, I'll be:
Sitting on the back deck, overlooking the Toolebewong Mountains, sipping on a pinot.
Continuing my love of being in the industry, supporting clients and people to grow and be great.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
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