Life at The Space Between - 10 months in
After 10 months in her role as Account Executive, Alys Cowx looks back at her experience at The Space Between thus far.
By Alys Cowx
Graduating from University is a momentous occasion in any individual’s life, a stepping-stone into gainful employment, where ‘the world is your oyster’… or so I thought.
Graduating late last spring in the middle of a pandemic, with the backdrop of mass redundancies and furloughs, my situation couldn’t have felt further from that age old cliché. After months of countless cover letters, applications, and rejections, I was tagged in a post from Lisa Parfitt about an Account Executive role at The Space Between and ended up as their first new hire.
Starting a job in a pandemic and working remotely (and not meeting some of the team in person until three months in) seemed an incredibly bizarre thing for my colleagues and clients, but to me was simply normal.
Nearly a year into the role it’s quite surreal to take a step back and think about what I’ve done and what I’ve achieved, predominantly without leaving my house. I was client-facing almost instantly, working closely with Mitsubishi Motors and Principality Building Society in the delivery of their Autumn Nations Cup and Guinness Six Nations campaigns. As my time in the agency increased, I built strong personal relationships with clients and associated rightsholders (RFU and the WRU), and the responsibilities I’ve been given, and the trust put in me by my colleagues, has grown.
Just over six months in I was trusted to single-handedly run my first in-person event, a mural unveiling in Liverpool as part of the Purplebricks #HomeSupport campaign. Working closely with their content agency, our talent (Olympic Bronze Medallist Anyika Onuora) and other third parties, my role was to ensure the event ran smoothly and to guarantee we had captured all the relevant assets needed to successfully promote the campaign. After just nine months, I was involved in my first client pitch and tasked with presenting one of the key ideas. Whilst the prospects of running an event solo and being involved in a pitch were daunting, I felt a huge sense of achievement and pride when I ticked off these professional milestones.
One of the many perks of the industry is working incredibly closely with so many well-known athletes and in iconic sporting venues around the country. From pitch access days with Eddie Jones at Twickenham Stadium, to meeting Olympic heroes like Denise Lewis and Helen Richardson-Walsh, the opportunity to work alongside sporting icons becomes an almost regular occurrence in my day-to-day role at The Space Between. On top of this, helping our clients create once-in-a-lifetime sporting experiences is something that makes all the hard work that goes into producing these campaigns worth it.
From day one it was clear life as part of The Space Between team was going to be fast paced, with every day being different from the next and presenting new and exciting challenges. It’s this variety of work, across a wide range of clients, which is one of the things I’ve thoroughly enjoyed during my time with the agency so far. As a smaller team and as a start-up, every team member’s contribution is both valued, essential, and appreciated, and it’s this attitude and outlook that has allowed me to flourish both professionally and personally as I approach a year in the role.
It’s certainly not just all hard work though! During the pandemic, we have been meeting weekly at a pub in Waterloo to work together (and more importantly have lunch together) - giving me the opportunity to get to know my colleagues. Alongside a team trip to the historic opening match of The Hundred and our very much anticipated upcoming 1st birthday celebrations, our hyper-competitive co-founder Tom runs regular quizzes, fantasy leagues and sweepstakes – mainly because he always seems to win. Through lockdown there have been care packages, cocktail deliveries, and even a ‘COVID Cuts’ voucher, with the agency paying for our first post-lockdown haircut.
The Space Between has given me the unique opportunity to work incredibly closely with some unbelievably well-respected figures in the industry in co-founders Tom, Lisa, and Adam and all my colleagues. The depth and breadth of knowledge and experience they have all shared with me and the opportunities they have given me have undoubtedly built my confidence and allowed me to create a really strong foundation as I start out in my career.
Starting your career and being new into an industry is a daunting moment for anyone, but the team at The Space Between have made this process really exciting and rewarding and have started me on what is hopefully a long and successful path in the world of sports marketing.
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The Space Between is currently hiring for a PR and Social Account Manager role. For more information visit https://www.spacebetweenagency.com/blog-summary/we-are-hiring
To apply, please send your CV and covering letter to Hello@spacebetweenagency.com.