September, 19 2011

Work | Things I've said...

G192—Industry People

By Grafik

This month we meet publisher, editor and bookshop supremo Marc Valli, and Phil Jones—mentor, motivator and founder of the design industry's most salubrious set of knees-ups...

 

Tell us what you do in one sentence.
Hiring, developing and motivating great people has been at the heart of the businesses I've built, grown or advised.

What is your background?
I did a five-year apprenticeship as a hot-metal compositor, so anyone who knew me throughout the Seventies and Eighties would associate me with typesetting and typography, which culminated in me founding and then selling APT Photoset and becoming chairman of The Typographic Circle for five years. The people who have known me from the Nineties onwards would associate me with all things digital after I helped build and run Real Time, one of the first digital agencies in the UK. And the Noughties was all about integration, merging Real Time with Evans Hunt Scott in 2000 and Brann in 2002 to form ehs:realtime and EHS Brann. I finally hung up my footie boots in 2004 and formed Real Time Consultancy.

Describe a typical working day.
There hasn't been a "typical" day since I became a consultant in 2004. I really do have the best job in the world. I only choose to work with people I like and every day I go in feeling fresh and energised, something that became increasingly more difficult as vice-chairman of a 350-strong agency. I limit myself to working ten days a month for design, digital, photography and animation agencies in London, Liverpool and Manchester. I organise my own industry events in my spare time.

What prompted you to start the Podge events?
There was a pretty awful recession in 1990 and many of the design agencies I worked with in my APT days struggled to survive. I organised a lunch in 1994 at Quaglino's in the private room for thirty owners of design agencies because I thought it would be great if we all got together and shared war stories and lessons learned. I took charge of the bill, split it between us all, and named our gathering the Podge Council Lunch for fun as people tend to put on a podge if they eat and drink a lot.
I had assumed it was a one-off lunch and asked one of the famous designers present to create an identity for it. Seventeen years later the lunch still has the same format but now has 200 guests. A different agency volunteers for the task each year of creating the Podge identity—this year it's the turn of Futurebrand & Naked Penguin Boy. Ten years ago I started Digital Podge for the owners, MDs and CDs of digital agencies. This year's identity is being created by Precedent. Stodge Podge is the North of England version. Many fruitful collaborations have come out of the annual lunches, not to mention two marriages and three babies. We now have one international Podge each year; Stockholm and Amsterdam are soon to be followed by Florence.

What's the most challenging part of your job?
Instilling confidence in and giving advice to owners who risk everything to build their businesses in these difficult times.

And what's the most enjoyable?
Reminding them how good they are. Sometimes the owners of businesses are so close to everything that they focus too much on the negatives and forget to celebrate success and thank staff. And I LOVE making connections for them, whether it be introductions to clients, finding great staff, talking to editors or introducing inspirational people they can collaborate with.

Has your job changed much over the last few years?
I have always encouraged passing the ball out of defence when building my own businesses but greedy banks and slow- paying clients put pressure on agencies to play the long-ball game.

What do you hope to achieve over the next year?
Now that my namesake Phil Jones has signed for Manchester United I have visions of him scoring the winner in the Champions League final in 2012. Workwise, I aim to help the agencies I work with to become more famous and continue to be successful.

What's your Plan B?
Plan B in my life is BABS. Two Bs in her name (not to mention three As) and thirty-six years married, along with daughter Clare and son PJ, who also work in the creative industries. I love spending all my spare time with my amazing family.