Life in Digital

The amount of pirate websites and apps is on the rise and it’s now easier than ever to find and consume content via channels that are engaged in IP crime. It’s estimated that the top pirate web domains earn around $7 million in ad revenue annually. In this week’s episode of the Life in Digital Podcast, Ed chats with Peter Szyszko, CEO and Founder of White Bullet, a software company which sits at the intersection of content protection and brand safety. Whether you work for a brand, publisher, agency or have any involvement with the world of online advertising, this week’s episode promises to provide you with some interesting insight into the murky world of digital piracy, and what companies need to do to protect their IP and ensure their brand is safe online. Peter Szyszko: www.linkedin.com/in/peterszyszko White Bullet: www.white-bullet.com Sphere Digital are specialists in placing marketing, sales, analytics, product ​& creative ​talent globally www.spheredigitalrecruitment.com

Diversity, inclusion, equality… it’s fast making its way to the top of the agenda for most businesses. However, more is still needed to be done to move the topics away from simply a box ticking exercise to one which drive positive change and involves everyone at every level across an organisation. In this week’s episode of the Life in Digital Podcast, Amy spoke with the incredible Jasmine Dotiwala. For those unfamiliar with Jasmine’s experience, she’s currently part of Netflix’s UK Editorial and Publishing team and has built an enviable career in the world of TV and media, holding positions with Viacom, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky. Alongside these roles, in her roles as Head of Youth Engagement, Head of New Talent and now advisor at Media Trust, Jasmine has been instrumental in creating new pathways for talent from all backgrounds to get into the media and creative industries. Jasmine Dotiwala: www.linkedin.com/in/jasminedotiwala Media Trust: mediatrust.org

Creating a diverse, equal, and inclusive company, it’s been a topic on many companies’ agendas for a while now. But where do you start, what journey do you need to go on and what organisational changes do you need to make to drive a culture shift and bring D&I to the forefront? This week, Amy’s joined by Akama Davies, Director of Global Solutions & Innovation at Xaxis and Co-Founder of We are Stripes, a DEI consultancy whose mission is to address the ethnic imbalance in the creative and advertising sectors. In one of our most relevant discussions to date, Akama talks Amy through the work the team at We are Stripes are doing to support companies in their quest to address their approach to delivering robust, genuine D&I talent strategies. The pair also discuss the media and wider societal impacts surrounding race and the Black Lives Matter movement have had on D&I, as well as how us as individuals can drive change and create positive actions within the workplace. For anyone seeking to address their D&I policies in 2021, the actionable takeaways Akama shares throughout the discussion are not to be missed. Akama Davies: www.linkedin.com/in/akama-davies-84537015/ We are Stipes: www.wearestripes.org.uk/ Xaxis: www.xaxis.com/

Our latest guest on this week’s episode of the Life in Digital Podcast, Yaroslav Kholod, Head of Programmatic at Admixer, brings insight into how the ad tech industry in Eastern Europe (CIS) has adapted to standardising their practices. Yaroslav talks about how important it is to have relations with publishers and advertisers when going global and how the SaaS DSP product is helping companies who are looking for a barrier-free entry into the programmatic world. CTV remains a vulnerable ecosystem with plenty more standardisation to take place. Find out more about Admixer and their personal approach to help businesses turn programmatic advertising into a scalable revenue channel by visiting their website: https://admixer.com/ Sphere Digital are specialists in placing marketing, sales, analytics, product & creative talent globally www.spheredigitalrecruitment.com

Our latest guest on this week’s episode of the Life in Digital podcast, Nick Pinks, CEO and Founder of Covatic goes into depth on how personalisation can still be formed whilst prioritising consumer privacy. In this episode, Ed hears from Nick about the work Covatic are doing to tackle the industry shift by combining privacy and personalisation to create the perfect solution, discussing how the industry is making reparations from the impact of Covid, and insight into the future of the Ad Tech industry. Covatic: covatic.com Nick Pinks: www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-pinks/ Sphere Digital are specialists in placing marketing, sales, analytics, product & creative  talent globally www.spheredigitalrecruitment.com

In this week’s episode of the Life in Digital Podcast, Ed caught up with Matthew Newcomb, CEO of Inskin Media, the global leader in delivering unmissable and unforgettable digital advertising campaigns for brands. Throughout this episode, Matthew talks to Ed about how Inskin’s platform generates greater attention online for their clients, the role of creativity in effective brand campaigns and driving sales, as well as the future of advertising experience online for consumers. Matthew Newcomb: www.linkedin.com/in/matthewnewcomb/ Inskin Media: www.inskinmedia.com/

For anyone looking to grow their teams in the coming months and create a hiring process that centers around focusing on the right values and behaviours then this episode isn’t one to be missed. Amy speaks to Kitty Day, Head of Talent at A Million Ads, the personalisation experts who help their clients harness data to create personalised advertising with more context and relevance to better connect with people. Kitty shares her experiences of how to create a culture that’s transparent, inclusive and fun, as well as why A Million Ads concentrate on hiring for culture-add rather than culture-fit. For more information on A Million Ads and how they’re helping their clients leverage the power of proper personalisation to drive their campaigns and create more powerful engagement, make sure to visit their website: https://www.amillionads.com/ Kitty Day: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kitty-day-ba7739b0/

Effectively measuring brand lift, disruption to and by publishers in recent years, the need to deliver the right content to engaged audiences – the list of topics dominating the industry is a diverse one. In our latest episode, Ed’s joined by industry heavyweight Tom Jenen who’s currently working as Brand Metrics’ Chief Revenue Officer, but who’s also an experienced advisor and Director for a multitude of technology and media businesses globally. We’re lucky enough to have Tom breakdown his 20+ years in the industry, as he covers the journey which has taken him to his current role, and the work he and the Brand Metric team are doing. Tom Jenen - www.linkedin.com/in/jenen/ Brand Metrics - www.brandmetrics.com/ WomenPresent - www.linkedin.com/company/womenpresent

As the wants and needs of the consumer change, the role of conversational advertising allows for better engagement, two-way conversations and ultimately puts the user experience front and centre. On this week’s episode of the Life in Digital Podcast, Ed’s joined by Steffen Svartberg, Founder and CEO of Cavai, a conversational advertising platform which allows for more captive and valuable ad experiences on display, mobile and video. For more information on Cavai and the work they’re doing to help brands build their reputation and engagement with consumers through conversational advertising, take a look at their website: https://cavai.com/ Steffen Svartberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steffensvartberg/

Company culture has been impacted significantly over the past 12 months. The best businesses have put their people at the heart of their strategies and have worked hard to maintain a great culture and high levels of engagement. On this week’s episode of the Life in Digital Podcast, Amy’s joined by Matthew Goldhill, Founder and CEO of Picnic, a social display ad marketplace which enables better, more engaging advertising campaigns for brands. We dive into the unique challenges and opportunities that remote working has presented Picnic, when it comes to maintaining a great company culture, and what lies ahead when it comes to creating an engaging work environment that works for everyone. Picnic: https://www.picnic-media.com/ Matthew Goldhill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgoldhill/

In the final episode of this season’s Parenting is a Juggling Act, I’m humbled to be joined by Niki Stoker, mother of Fred and Chief Operating Officer at A Million Ads. Niki endured a rollercoaster of a journey into motherhood, including an ectopic pregnancy that left her feeling that she and her husband would never conceive. Her story is one of hardship, endurance and in the end, hopefulness. If you are struggling with any of the topics mentioned, please reach out to myself (Amy) or Niki (our details are below) Links:  Niki Stoker: www.linkedin.com/in/niki-stoker-9120205/ Amy Wright: amy@spherelondon.co.uk A Million Ads: www.amillionads.com/ Pregnancy Support Hotlines: www.supportline.org.uk/problems/pregnancy-and-infertility-support/

I’m proud to be joined by Claire Leon, mother of 3 and co-founder of Acorn Intelligence – a technology-enabled Amazon sales agency. Claire’s youngest was just 2 years old when she launched the business and since then they have seen huge growth. Claire shared her experience raising a small family whilst at Amazon, her difficulties in pregnancy and childbirth, launching a start-up, juggling a career with a husband in a global role, and the importance of delegating. Links:  Claire Leon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claireleon/ Acorni-i: https://acorn-i.com/ Ross Caveille: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosscaveille/ Watch Tiffany Dufu 'Drop the Ball Instead of Trying to Do It All': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiS11hJKVu8&t=294s Read  Tiffany Dufu 'Drop the Ball': http://tiffanydufu.com/drop-the-ball Listen and watch more of the Life in Digital podcast series via our website: https://www.spheredigitalrecruitment.com/life-in-digital-podcast/life-in-digital-season-2

In our 2nd episode of Parenting is a Juggling Act, we're joined by Marie Wright (Executive Coach, Life Coach, and all-around brilliant human!).  She shares not only her experience of raising a family but how she has helped 100’s of other men and women on their journey back into work and regaining their confidence. Marie Wright: https://www.boldbeancoaching.com/ Blog and Sign Up to Newsletter: https://www.boldbeancoaching.com/blog

“A time to rebuild businesses” is the theme of our final episode of Season 1's Life in Digital podcast and is a quote from our guest, Simone Harvey, Director of The Unmistakables.  The Unmistakables are a diversity and culture agency and Simone was the perfect guest to round off what’s been an incredible couple of months speaking to leaders and shapers of the digital sector. We started this podcast in response to the accelerated changes happening in the digital sector in light of the pandemic and the snowball effect that the Black lives matter movement has had on how we think and talk about diversity in businesses. I hope you will join me in listening to our final episode where we discuss the importance of diversity and building an inclusive team, and how data is vital in holding us accountable to the promises made in 2020. Simone has over 10 years comms experience. She’s worked on campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands and organisations, including The Coca-Cola Company, Diageo and Pladis and has held positions at leading agencies including Hill & Knowlton and Teneo, as well as boutique specialists. Simone’s experience spans corporate, B2B and consumer comms, people development, and culture change. Alongside a career in comms, she’s also a visual artist and member of two arts collectives (for women of colour and artists of African descent). She has hosted and participated in solo and group shows across London and has experience facilitating panels, focus groups and workshops. Simone joined The Unmistakables with a desire to integrate her mix of passions, experience and identity – to embrace and celebrate difference and expand the ‘norm’ within the marcomms industry, organisations and society as a whole. Bringing her whole self to work, creatively, culturally and personally, she delivers a wealth of lived and professional experience to The Unmistakables. Simone Harvey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-harvey-53641534/ The Unmistakables: https://www.theunmistakables.com/ Asad Dhunna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asaddhunna Benjamin Brooks-Dutton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benbrooksdutton/ Being Black in business in the midst of BLM (blog post from Simone Harvey): https://www.theunmistakables.com/blog/2020/6/23/being-black-in-business-in-the-midst-of-blm Sheldon Mills: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldon-mills-3664562/ The Speakeasier with Sheldon Mills: Where are all the Black leaders? (podcast episode): https://www.theunmistakables.com/blog/2020/7/22/the-speakeasier-with-sheldon-mills-where-are-all-the-black-leaders Subscribe to the Speakeasier: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IRYkx2Eb7mj4d00AVtNQ1?si=FybW4egPSXGAHGQrn0OTvw _ A huge thank you to everyone who was involved in our first season of Life in Digital.  If you want to keep up to date with the work that we're doing at Sphere Digital Recruitment, please follow us on Linkedin and Instagram

This week on Life in Digital, we're joined by Lisa Targett, UK General Manager at Tribe. We focused in on the rise of influencer marketing and the need for purpose to be built into brand and creator campaigns. Lisa also shared the ways in which the team at Tribe has been able to stay connected, albeit across multiple time zones and whilst still working remotely. Links Lisa Targett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisatargett/ TRIBE: https://www.tribegroup.co/ Marketers in Pyjamas: https://www.tribegroup.co/marketers-in-pyjamas

Today on Life in Digital I’m speaking to the experts in Gen-Z on why brands should take notice of this audience that hold 4.4 trillion in spending power.    Imagen, one this year’s Techround100 finalists and its founders Jay Richards and Cat Agostinho. Imagen Co-founder and CEO, Jay Richards is the 5th of 6 children from migrant parents. From a rebellious start while at school to now the Founder of Imagen and a Forbes 30under30 entrepreneur, he credits his Business Studies teacher at school for guiding his sense of entrepreneurship in the right direction at the right time and now aims to provide opportunities for Gen Z to shape their future. Cat Agostinho is Co-founder and COO of Imagen. Cat has been a supporter and promoter of talent throughout her career and also founded dawn in 2009 - a community dedicated to inspiring and developing women’s careers both personally & professionally. Cat was listed as an IPA Women of Tomorrow Finalist 2018 and a contributing member to the Conscious Advertising Network (CAN).  Together we dived into the world of Gen Z, tackling everything from activism, the erasure of physical borders to the impact that Covid is having on employment for this generation. Links:  Imagen: https://imageninsights.com/ Jay Richards (Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaykrichards), (Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaykrichards/) Cat Agostinho (Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cat_A), (Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cat-agostinho-227a053/) Techround100 finalists: https://techround.co.uk/?s=imagen Forbes30under30: https://www.forbes.com/profile/jay-richards/#59ada1d58e53 Dawn: https://dawnuk.co.uk/ Conscious Advertising Network (CAN): https://www.consciousadnetwork.com/ Free Resources for upskilling in the digital sector: https://www.spheredigitalrecruitment.com/blog/2020/05/free-resources-to-up-skill-during-furlough Black Lives Matter: https://www.blacklivesmatter.uk/

This week we're joined by the brilliant Darren Thompson, Kiln Associate and Entrepreneur. Join us for an in-depth conversation about the Black Lives Matter movement, why we should avoid using the term BAME, how change comes from within, and what life in digital is like for the Black community. Links Darren Thompson https://www.linkedin.com/company/2744200/admin/ Kiln Radio Episode 'Black Lives Matter' with Ben Williams and Chris Lambert  https://kiln-radio.simplecast.com/ Chris Lambert's 'A Letter To My White Friends' https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a32743745/a-letter-to-my-white-friends-george-floyd/ https://blacklivesmatter.com/ The Unmistakeables https://www.theunmistakables.com/ Imagen https://imageninsights.com/ Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi‎ Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge How to be an antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi‎ Clean Getaway by Nic Stone The Faraway Truth by Janae Marks

We address why trust is at an all-time low for consumers. Speaking with the leading ethical agency, Good Loop, we caught up with Julia Hitchman, Head of Brand and Agency partnerships on purpose-led advertising and which businesses are going to stand the test of time. Show Notes:  Good Loop  B-Corps 

In this episode of Life in Digital, host Ed Steer sits down with Oliver Spark, CEO of Sweet Analytics, to unpack why customer data is the cornerstone of modern retail growth, and how brands can use it to scale smarter and faster.Oliver gives us an inside look at Sweet Analytics and what sets their platform apart in a crowded market. He dives into why customer data is the most critical asset for retailers today, how it directly fuels eCommerce success, and why understanding actual profitability is essential for long-term performance.The discussion explores Sweet Analytics’ five key growth levers for eCommerce and how retailers can prioritise effectively to maximise results. Oliver also shares how Sweet Analytics is leveraging AI to enhance decision-making, sharpen targeting, and give retailers a genuine competitive edge.This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to stay informed on the evolving role of data in retail and how the smartest retailers are using data to drive growth.

In this episode of Life in Digital, host Niall Phelan sits down with Shira Feuer, Chief Marketing Officer at Beauty Pie, to unpack what it takes to build, scale, and sustain a direct-to-consumer brand that customers genuinely love.Shira takes us through her impressive career journey, from shaping global brand strategy at Disney, Burberry, and Trinny London, to helping Beauty Pie redefine what a modern beauty brand can be. She shares how her experience with major global brands informs her approach to growing a challenger business, and how Beauty Pie’s unique membership model has resonated so strongly with consumers.Together, Niall and Shira explore how to balance brand building with performance, where DTC marketing is headed next, and how customer feedback drives everything from product innovation to brand storytelling.From navigating growth challenges to turning customer feedback into brand power, Shira shares invaluable lessons, perfect for marketers and founders alike, make sure to tune in!