In conversation with Declan Kelly

In this episode of Off the Fence with Purpose Declan Kelly, managing partner at Digital Impact in Dublin chats about his remarkable career in advertising and digital media and the many lessons learned along the way.

He tells Jim and Ellen that he was always drawn to media from a young age and knew early on that this was the world he wanted to be in.

He says that the first lesson he learned was to get your foot in the door. Then kick it open. 

His first break as a Sales Executive in a local radio station, covering for someone on leave, saw his first sales win - finding a sponsor for the for a county final. 

From there it was on to a number of advertising agencies where in one company he wrote ads for radio, even one which was banned from the national broadcaster, RTE for being too racy..

Working in media by day and studying it at night led to him becoming a media manager at 23. He worked on major car brands and learned by osmosis

- the best learning experience possible, from a boss who from day one took him to every client meeting. Then came some more switching. "Sometimes you switch jobs for the car. Sometimes for your sanity.” he says.

Sanity won out and Declan took a four month sabbatical during which went snowboarding. That helped him gain clarity, perspective, and a reminder of what matters.

Back in the real world the entrepreneurial spark ignited and the work-life balance ethos took hold when he joined Core, now Ireland’s largest marketing communications agency. It had 30 people when Declan joined and had grown to 400 when he left 16 years later.

Then post Covid the world changed and he knew that he needed to change also. First he joined a digital agency that became part of BDO and then that agency spun out into Digital Impact where he is now Managing Partner.

Reflecting on his career and what his variety of roles has taught him he says “Get involved, stay open, your side interests shape your creativity and character.

You’re always learning — from the crap jobs to the great ones, from the awkward meetings to the inspirational mentors. In the end, it’s about doing meaningful work and living a fulfilling life outside of it.”

Well worth a listen.

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