John-Paul Burke- Programmatic and Video Gaming

The truth is that lots of people, including myself are not given management training. They are good at their job so are promoted into management positions without the tools and training themselves. You have to be passionate about wanting success for your team and ask for the training and study yourself. You will fail at points. God knows I have but as we know when we fail we learn and grow. Encourage your team to be proactive and self learners too. Give them the tools and training because in management we aren't there to dictate how we would do something. We are there to serve them and nurture them so that they are absolute weapons of their trade and make us billionaires 😃. So create the right environment and processes and reap the reward.

I say work them like dogs! Not really. Of course balance is important. Also, sales can be a bit like the tide. Sometimes you are all in and others you can feel a bit out to sea. Stepping back when that happens is important as there is no point getting stressed as it will slow you down further. Go for a walk or a run or something to stimulate the brain then when you get back to it you will feel invigorated. If you don't call me and I'll G you up 😊

When I was at a gaming company that was leading the way in the early days of in-game ads. I would always say you need to respect the player. Lose the player, lose the business. I.e. you don't want to overdo play how many ads are in the game as it will ruin the reason they have come to play. The other thing is timing. Don't show ads too early. You want the player to experience the game play for around 5 mins and then show them and ad. If you can get your clients to invest in Playable ads (I know some people if you need) then great. Playable ads work really well in this context. Players are already in play mode so the transition is natural.

You never know where even better ideas spring from so enjoy asking people how they think it should be solved. I would suggest making it clear however who the final decision lies with. Right or wrong you have to take action. So listen, question and explore then take the necessary action.

To begin the best thing you can hear is "No". It is super helpful. Reason being is that you want a few "nos" to prepare you for the Yeses. The Nos will teach you what isn't working and practice how to respond positively. Not everyone will buy everything. I always recommend to people to line up some calls in the morning that you think will be a No. Get about 4 of these out of the way. It's like a warm up at the gym. Get your muscles working. Your brain and your voice, and look at the change you'll see. Resilience creates that ability to enjoy the benefit a no brings to lead you to bigger yeses. Good luck and enjoy the journey 😊

There are lots of different jobs in the Gaming industry so think broadly if it is your passion. Not only does the industry need developers, it also needs project managers, designers, marketers, advertising sales, PR and much more. So don't think just because you can't code this amazing industry is closed to you. One door may open another. I.e. You may get into sales and then grow you development skills in your spare time and get a role in that department. With the added bonus of understanding where to build in native as formats that work well in the ecosystem and not shoe horned in. So in summary, if it is really something you want to do open your mind to other door ways in. A career is a long time so don't sweat the first few years 😊