Group Marketing Manager
Individual Restaurant Group
February 2024 – September 2024
One of the largest privately owned restaurant chains in the UK, with brands including Piccolino, Riva Blu, and Restaurant Bar & Grill. Over 30 sites nationwide.
Worked across CRM (Acteol), loyalty schemes, comms strategy, local marketing data, and reporting as part of a small central support team based in Manchester.
Responsible for liaising with outside agencies, overseeing social media calendars, photoshoots, and co-ordinating press campaigns to help achieve covers targets; especially for landmark moments in the calendar.
Digital Marketing Executive
eCall Connect
February 2014 – December 2019
A telecoms company that cared about its clients – with a growth strategy focussed on digital aquisition of new customers – later blossoming into Manchester agency Digital Media Team.
Originally joining the company as a copywriter to provide informative articles aimed both at prospective customers and to the general public with the aim of increasing telephone prefix literacy, my main responsibility was for the creation and growth of the company’s Number Supermarket brand.
My initiatives not only positioned us as authoritative telecommunication informants but also catapulted our website into a high-traffic hub, attracting over 100,000 organic hits monthly and consistently ranking in Google’s top 3 for vital keywords.
My responsibilities included copywriting and editing for eCall’s websites with a focus on SEO, dealing with customer service issues, managing the company’s PPC campaigns with an annual spend of £1m+, and client advisory on any relevant Ofcom regulatory updates.
I helped the company set-up their successful offshoot, Digital Media Team, which employs the same strategies we developed for our own growth to help clients as wide-ranging as FIFA, Aston Martin, Muscle Food, Rebellious, and Budweiser.
Music Blogger, Journalist, Scout, and Manager
Various
June 2008 – February 2014
Specialising in new music, I built my own blog, The Pigeon Post, before going on to write for larger publications, helping with some PR and labels (Melodic/In House Press), some scouting (XL Records) and, later, helping bands start their careers – most notably PINS.
Starting out as a music blogger (The Pigeon Post/Lost Lost Lost) focusing on new bands, my roles included profiling new bands for a variety of different print & online magazines (NME, Q, DIY, Guardian) and online features such as interviews, reviews and news pieces (Best Fit, Clash Music, Drowned In Sound).
During this time I was picked as a Glastonbury Emerging Talent judge for the festival (2011-14), became a BBC Sound of… panellist (2010 – 2013), spoke at industry events (Liverpool Sound City, Leeds Unconference, Norwich Sound & Vision), and was picked as one of the 30 most influential people in music under 30 by Q magazine (2011).
Upper Second Class Honours
English & Creative Writing
August 2006 – May 2009
Reading and writing – who would’ve thought anyone could make it look as difficult as me?
Studying at Manchester Metropolitan University, I forever owe an apology to my tutors who put up with me. They dragged me through, for which I’m forever grateful: if for whatever reason you’re reading this, I’m sorry for the quality of my poetry.
My dissertation was a play – a comedy that some in my family may have deemed too on the nose – and was selected as one of the year’s best pieces, later performed by MMU students to a sold out audience (mainly of my friends if we’re being honest).