The role of CEO in a start-up business is demanding, time-consuming and exhausting, but who says it can’t also be stimulating, rewarding, and sometimes just immensely good fun?
A photoshoot in London with a young musician about to explode onto the pop scene was a day I was looking forward to as one of the more relaxed engagements of a busy two days in the capital, and I enjoyed every minute. Posing on the Barbican Centre’s concrete walkways with Mark Race, an impressive young man I used to coach rugby during our shared time at Durham School, was a blast, but one with a serious purpose, both for Mark and for globalbridge.
When I first met Mark, he was a gifted teenager who’d joined Durham School on a music scholarship, but who swiftly proved himself a talented player on the rugby field. Now, he is lead singer in the band Raynes, and stands on the threshold of stardom after signing a publishing deal with Sony Music. More specifically for globalbridge, Mark was involved in beta testing of the platform during a very early stage of development. He says that
creating a profile and appearing on the home page provided a sense of validation for his career as a musician, and a valuable boost to his confidence.
I’d chosen Mark among a handful of his Durham School colleagues as globalbridge was developed, precisely because of the breadth of his talent. While his academic gifts later won him places at Edinburgh University and Durham University, I was keenest to see how uploading rich content - in Mark’s case, video and audio recordings of his performances - could help him showcase all his talents.
Mark has since gone from strength-to-strength and I’m happy to say that so has globalbridge. Our photoshoot in London was part of a busy couple of days for me, that included a visit to the House of Lords presenting how globalbridge could solve a host of issues for the Department for Education and Skills, including the apprenticeships crisis.
For Mark, it was another publicity engagement in the countdown to the release of the band’s first single, Lemon Drop. The photos and video footage we captured with Mark will feature on the dashboard of the new globalbridge platform, providing an inspiring case study for our students, and in return, placing Mark and his band before their key demographic.
Posing with a young rock star might have been a tough gig for a dad-of-three, working round-the-clock to build out a start-up business in the education tech space, but it proved to be enormous fun with a serious purpose.
The shoot was part of our ongoing work around content and strategy with The Poole Agency. The marketing assets derived from the shoot - two short films and bank of high-quality images by photographer Sean Hardy - will fit within a broader strategic framework and align with our values as a business.
We ended the day by bringing to life an idea conceived in the globalbridge office. Our “FutureYou” concept will be one of a number of new features launching live on the student dashboard this term – exciting times!
Anyone in business knows that the pursuit of success, isn’t easy. Long days and sleepless nights come with the territory. But, as I used to say to the boys on a cold, wet, muddy, North East rugby field, success doesn’t come without hard work, it isn’t always comfortable, but the journey can be a lot of fun.
Ben Mason - Founder & CEO, globalbridge