Behind The Future

Are you currently stressing over exams and wondering how to land a high-paying ad tech career with absolutely zero industry experience? If the pressure of school has you feeling completely overwhelmed, take a deep breath. In this super fun episode of Behind the Future, we sit down with Paul Lowery from GumGum to get the absolute truth on how to stand out and bypass the standard job application queue. Paul is here to give you the ultimate behind-the-scenes cheat codes that you can actually use to fast-track your future.
Paul’s own journey kicked off with a major plot twist. During his first week at university, he came down with a bad case of glandular fever and couldn't join the football team. Instead, he decided to join the student radio station because he thought it would require way less effort. Little did he know, standing in front of a microphone chatting to an invisible audience would build his confidence so much that he sailed through his first group interview and landed a job selling cinema ads. This role turned out to be an absolute blast, letting him attend exclusive film premieres and glamorous afterparties in London in his early twenties.
We also dive into the reality of working for a massive US company like GumGum, where "the sun never sets" because you are constantly collaborating with teammates in New York, Tokyo, and Sydney. Paul drops some massive wisdom on how to deal with the rise of artificial intelligence, sharing why you shouldn't panic about robots stealing your future, but why "the person who can use AI better than you probably will". He also reveals how you can use AI tools as an assistant to speed up your workflow, making space for your own human brilliance and creativity.
Finally, Paul spills the ultimate LinkedIn hack for teenagers looking to launch their ad tech career. He reveals that because almost no one actively posts or comments, simply interacting, liking, and sharing industry news puts you in the top 1% of users and makes you completely unmissable to recruiters and employers. Tune in to discover why digital advertising is one of the coolest and most exciting industries on the planet, and how you can confidently build an ad tech career on your own terms!
Behind the Future is a podcast for the next generation of digital talent, offering weekly interviews, real-world insights and career advice. Subscribe for more conversations like this, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram @aspirationdigital.
Hosts: Becky Simms & Finyin Akinleye
Guest: Paul Lowery
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Are you tossing and turning over your exams, wondering if you will ever be able to launch a successful copywriting career? If you are constantly stressing about whether an English degree is actually worth it, or how you can stand out in a world obsessed with AI tools like ChatGPT, this episode of Behind the Future is exactly what you need. We are hanging out with Nicola Joyce, a freelance copywriter who has been crushing it in the fitness industry since 2004, to get the real truth about writing for a living.
Nicola’s story is the ultimate reminder that you don't need a perfectly mapped-out plan at seventeen. Even though she always loved writing stories and poetry at school, and dreamed of being a magazine journalist, she actually started out in London doing conference production, handling tasks she didn't even realise were copywriting! After facing a massive curveball when she was suddenly made redundant, she used that exact moment as the ultimate push to take the plunge into the freelance world. She also shares how her dedication to her personal passions, like training for years to swim the English Channel, gave her the grit and focus to carve out a highly successful niche combining her love for sports and writing.
We dive deep into the massive elephant in the room: artificial intelligence. If you are terrified about robots taking over your future copywriting career, Nicola drops some incredibly reassuring truths. She shares how some businesses tried using AI to write their fitness blogs, only to realise it completely lacked personality and a unique voice, resulting in heavy penalties from Google. They ended up having to hire her back to fix the entire mess! She reveals exactly why authentic, human creativity is completely irreplaceable.
Finally, Nicola spills her ultimate cheat codes for students wanting to break into the freelance world. Spoiler alert: you don't need to be the absolute greatest writer on the planet! She explains why simply being reliable, delivering what you promise, and being a genuinely nice person to work with will instantly put you ahead of the competition. Tune in to find out why making real-life connections, backing your own skills, and bringing your true human self to the table is the ultimate secret to winning in your copywriting career!
Behind the Future is a podcast for the next generation of digital talent, offering weekly interviews, real-world insights and career advice. Subscribe for more conversations like this, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram @aspirationdigital.
Hosts: Becky Simms & Bella Ashlee
Guest: Nicola Joyce
Would you like to see an Aspiration Digital event near you? Let us know by registering your interest here! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV9Rg8QzZdtsauF5B7YURVFpK48wWrKZCIE6uCaeiEBFUZEA/viewform

Are you stressing over your exams and worrying that making the wrong choice now will completely ruin your future tech career? If the thought of mapping out the next ten years of your life makes you want to hide, take a massive sigh of relief. In this incredibly fun episode of Behind the Future, we sit down with Mhairi Harris, a Senior Project Manager and Client Delivery Lead at ZeroLight, to uncover her totally unpredictable journey. Mhairi proves that finding your perfect job is rarely a straight line, and you absolutely do not need to have everything figured out right now.
Mhairi’s story is the ultimate plot twist. Originally, she had her heart set on heading to Oxford to study English and history, but she threw that plan out the window and went to drama school in Edinburgh instead! After three brilliant years of acting, and even going to New York to work with Stephen Sondheim, she realised that consistent acting roles were incredibly rare. She took on a massive mix of part-time jobs, from working in a chocolate shop to pulling pints in local bars, and even answering phones for a nursery software company. Eventually, craving the stability of a standard nine-to-five, she boldly applied for an after-sales role at G-Forces, a massive digital automotive company in her local area.
Despite having absolutely zero background in software or the automotive world, Mhairi hustled to stand out. Before her interview, she tracked down current employees on social media to figure out what the company actually did so she could be fully prepared. She bagged the job, turned up on her first day wearing jeans amongst a sea of corporate suits, and quickly learned the ropes. She started out solving software problems before moving upstairs to client services, eventually discovering that her super-organised nature made her perfect for project management. Today, she uses her skills at ZeroLight, a close-knit company of 55 people that builds mind-blowing 3D visualisation tools for huge car brands like Jaguar Land Rover.
Mhairi drops some brilliant truth bombs about why the communication and room-reading skills she picked up in drama school are secretly her biggest superpowers in her tech career today. She is the living proof that no experience is ever wasted and that making a decision at seventeen is not a "forever decision". Whether you are desperately trying to build an epic tech career or you just want to figure out your next steps after exams, tune in to hear why swapping your path, trying new things, and embracing the unexpected is the absolute best way to grow!
Behind the Future is a podcast for the next generation of digital talent, offering weekly interviews, real-world insights and career advice. Subscribe for more conversations like this, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram @aspirationdigital.
Hosts: Becky Simms & Bella Ashlee
Guest: Mhairi Harris
Would you like to see an Aspiration Digital event near you? Let us know by registering your interest here! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV9Rg8QzZdtsauF5B7YURVFpK48wWrKZCIE6uCaeiEBFUZEA/viewform

Are you feeling completely stuck on what to do after your exams? Kickstarting a successful digital career doesn't mean you have to go to university or sit behind a boring desk all day. In this episode of Behind the Future, we are joined by Josh, an Information Service Engineer in the Royal Corps of Signals, which is the cyber branch of the Army.
If you are feeling unsure about your next steps, Josh's story is incredibly relatable. When he first left school, he had absolutely no interest in technology. He actually started out by doing an apprenticeship to become a personal trainer because he loved fitness. However, he quickly realized that being a constant motivation battery for other people was emotionally draining, and a subsequent office job at a bank left him feeling totally uninspired. Wanting a perfect balance between physical activity and a solid professional path, Josh took a completely unexpected route and joined the Army to launch his digital career.
In this episode, Josh shatters all the traditional movie stereotypes you might have about the military. It is not just about running through the mud and getting yelled at. Instead, he travels the world setting up mission-critical communication networks for high-ranking officials. He explains how the Army is secretly one of the best places to learn and grow, offering an incredible alternative to university debt. Not only do you get a highly competitive starting salary from day one, but they actually pay for a seventeen thousand pound networking apprenticeship, provide elite technical training, and even send you on adventure courses to learn things like mountaineering!
Whether you are already a massive tech fanatic or a complete beginner who has no technical background, Josh proves that you can completely retrain and thrive. Tune in to discover why the Army might just be the ultimate cheat code for building a thrilling, debt-free digital career while exploring the world!
Behind the Future is a podcast for the next generation of digital talent, offering weekly interviews, real-world insights and career advice. Subscribe for more conversations like this, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram @aspirationdigital.
Hosts: Becky Simms & Kiya Lawford
Guest: Josh Jepson
Would you like to see an Aspiration Digital event near you? Let us know by registering your interest here! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV9Rg8QzZdtsauF5B7YURVFpK48wWrKZCIE6uCaeiEBFUZEA/viewform

Are you feeling pressured to fill out your UCAS application and follow the traditional university route to start a successful marketing career? If sitting in a lecture theatre for another three years sounds like your absolute worst nightmare, this episode is exactly what you need to hear. In this episode of Behind the Future, we sit down with Helen Banyard, one half of The Good Stuff group, to talk about her incredibly wiggly path from answering phones to founding her own brand consultancy.
Helen's story is the ultimate proof that you don't need a degree to make it big. In fact, she decided uni just wasn't for her, leaving her girls' grammar school after Year 12 to finish her final year at college, whilst turning her Saturday job at Safeway into a full-time role. When she told her mum she wanted to go into advertising, she was met with doubt, but she didn't let that stop her. She secured a role answering phones and sending faxes at a small radio production office. By acting like a sponge, staying endlessly curious, and simply saying yes to every opportunity, she worked her way up from an account executive all the way to running an entire agency for seventeen years!
We dive deep into the reality of networking, which Helen admits she used to absolutely hate, especially the awkwardness of standing around a table of beige food. She shares a game-changing piece of advice that completely flipped her mindset: stop trying to talk about work, and just focus on making a friend. We also discuss why the soft skills you already have, like making eye contact, holding a conversation, and showing your true personality, are secretly your biggest superpowers when attending interviews or trying to break into the industry.
If you are stressing out about picking the perfect path or feeling lost about your next steps, Helen reminds us that you don't need to have your entire marketing career figured out right now. She didn't even realise she was officially a brand "strategist" until she was in her forties! Whether you want to build a lasting marketing career or just figure out your next move, tune in to discover why bringing your authentic self to the table is the ultimate secret to success, and why every random job you take is secretly building the exact skills you need for your future.
Behind the Future is a podcast for the next generation of digital talent, offering weekly interviews, real-world insights and career advice. Subscribe for more conversations like this, and follow us on TikTok and Instagram @aspirationdigital.
Hosts: Becky Simms & Bella Ashlee
Guest: Helen Banyard
Would you like to see an Aspiration Digital event near you? Let us know by registering your interest here! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV9Rg8QzZdtsauF5B7YURVFpK48wWrKZCIE6uCaeiEBFUZEA/viewform