What I’d tell my twenty-eight- year-old self
Ahead of One Green Bean’s 10th anniversary in May, founder and executive creative director Kat Thomas reflects on the journey of the agency that became the first Australian PR firm to win a Lion at Cannes.
You’ve got no idea what you’re letting yourself in for. But what you lack in experience you’ll hope to make up for with blind enthusiasm and gut instinct. Turns out these two things will get you by pretty well.
Your founding client is Virgin Atlantic, joined by Virgin Mobile 6 weeks just later. You’ll go from one Bean to two, then three. You’ll be incredulous when there are 15 of you. Almost as shocked as your parents.
You will set the cultural tone early on. You’ll instill rituals that become sacrosanct traditions, like Christmas in July, the Mel-bean Cup and the quarterly Golden Pigeon. You’ll discover these events are best not held in the office, unless you want to pick brussel sprouts out of the carpet or scrub red wine off the ceiling. You’ll learn that company overnighters should come with enforced NDAs and insurance waivers, and some things can never be unseen, like a man in a mankini.
Your 28 year old self might be annoyed at the amount of spoilers and lack of tangible advice or insight.
Normally these types of articles are a chance for introspection not to just list ones achievements. What about meeting AF and him making your agency fly.
Yeah Kat!
Isn’t OGB Hosts PR firm? The early clients were Host clients right??
What an amazing journey! Congrats on a great 10 years, Kat.
@whose agency and @wow: your theories might have a leg to stand on if OGB didn’t far and away supersede the success of Host within 5 years with a client portfolio and work that dominated, while the latter crumbled to an agency of average client roster and output.
Credit where credit is due, guys. Creative agencies are no longer king.
That was a great read and excellent to see a story of success told backwards.
Great read Kat and more importantly congratulations! Was great working with you back in the day and fantastic seeing you to deliver innovative campaigns year after year. The Oz comms market is lucky to have you. Cheers to you! xx
Congats Kat and team on 10 amazing years! What an achievement. @wow & @whoseagency having worked there, the day-to-day was very much Kat with Anthony’s support. I’m not across the ownership structure, but guessing this piece is just a personal reflection from the person we all saw as the agency leader.
Hi Whos Agency & Wow
Anthony & I started One Green Bean together in 2007. Havas became a shareholder in 2011.
We have our separate day jobs – mine as the front woman of this business, his as group CEO of Host and OGB. This was a reflection on the day job rather than the management structure, AF’s been without doubt an outstanding mentor and friend over the years.
All the best
Kat
You don’t owe anyone an explanation Legend.
Amazing Kat, congrats on the last decade
I really enjoyed this read and congratulations on your 10 year anniversary. As someone who has worked in competitive PR agencies for nearly 20 years, OGB really broke the mould at the time it launched and was less about the traditional terminology and approach we were all used to. OGB has done some great work over the years so I give credit where credit it due – well done Kat and team!
Beautifully written. Very funny and true about running your own biz. You sound like a fun person to work with! You guys are just around the corner. Would love to catch up sometime.
Rupert
VnR Creative
Hi Kat, a huge congratulations to you on your amazing success. I loved your piece, a kind talk to your younger self. You have a lot to be proud of. I wish you the best for the next decade, I am sure you will continue to soar.
Mariana