“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” - Albert Einstein
When Julian Douglas became president of the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) that was the quote he chose to open his first speech with, and it was no mistake. You could say Julian has built his career off meeting challenges head on, and in doing so has built up quite the resume.

In addition to being president of the IPA, Julian is also currently:
- International CEO & Vice-Chairman of VCCP
- Founder of private karaoke company, Lucky Voice
- Chair of the Advisory Board at BRiM (Black Representation in Marketing)
- A member of Meta’s UK Client Council 
And if you’re not familiar with VCCP, you might know them as the company that developed the infamous Compare the Meerkat campaign in 2009.  To hear Julian tell the story of this incredible career, learn from his years of industry experience and discover his go-to karaoke song, listen to this episode of How I Became.  

Topics discussed: 
- Growing up in a multicultural home with Jamaican and Irish influences, and finding identity in your community 
- Attending Oxford University and the value of education 
- The culture shock of transitioning to life at a traditional Oxbridge college 
- Exploring the contrast between the worlds of trading and advertising 
- Why it is essential to make contacts and provide them with positive experiences 
- The career benefits of asking questions
- Getting into the karaoke business, and expanding into a chain with five locations 
- Working with Gary Lace - An insightful tutorial on how not to pitch to clients 
- Avoiding burnout while doing what you love 
- Finding positives in losing your job 
- Confronting institutional racism and creating BRiM to increase black representation in marketing 
- Running the O2 advertising account, and introducing O2 priority tickets 
- How to create a culture that draws in talent and an environment that makes them stay. 
- How to manage seven offices around the world as an international CEO 
- Why generating open channels of communication is the most important thing to do as a CEO 
- The advantages to being a generalist   

Watch on YouTube

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Episode Sponsor:
Gray Matters - A straight-talking business development consultancy that empowers agencies to position, market and sell themselves for new business success

Unity & Motion - A London based production company specialising in commercials and branded content

Email: info@weunify.co.uk

This is a UNIFY Podcast. Produced by Unity & Motion

Credits:
Director: Charles Parkinson
Poet & VO Artist: Ashley Samuels-McKenzie
Sound Recordist: Paolo Neri
Editor: Paolo Neri