E19 | How I Became Live in Cannes! The Key To Rising Up In Your Career | Trevor Johnson
Episode description
Raised in the predominantly white and middle-class area of Pinner, Trevor was one of the few black students in his school. Trevor embraced this difference and saw it as an advantage. He became head boy at school and felt that being ‘different’ meant being unique and he thrived in his school environment and early life.
In 1998, Trevor began his career at Ipsos in the post room, eventually becoming a graduate trainee. After that, he moved to Ernst and Young as a Business and Strategic Analyst, and then to AOL moving up to Head of Consumer Insights.
In 2008, while backpacking up a mountain in Argentina, Trevor received a call from Facebook. He flew back for a 15-minute interview and, shortly after, had to cut his travels short in order to start his new role at Facebook a month later. During this time, Trevor met his mentor Blake, who has since guided him through his career.
In 2012, Trevor experienced a major change when his mentor Blake called to tell him he had a new job role in New York and needed an answer that same day. Trevor returned to his desk and messaged his wife Ali, to which she replied, "I guess we're moving to New York then."
Trevor is now Head of Marketing for Global Business Solutions, EU at TikTok.
Trevor is also an Independent Non-Executive Director on the operational board of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), he is a mentor to the England Rugby Football Union (RFU) team and is on the global advisory board of Soho House Group.
To hear Trevor’s advice on using your difference as an advantage, the best mindset for progressing your career and how to push the industry forward, listen to this episode of ‘How I Became’.
Chapters:
(00:00:00) Embracing Your Voice in Unique Situations
(00:01:07) Embracing New Opportunities
(00:02:18) The Journey to Global Business Solutions Marketing Lead
(00:03:28) Unlocking Opportunities through Uniqueness
(00:04:42) Growing up in a white middle-class area
(00:05:40) A Moment of Realization
(00:06:36) The Experience of Racism
(00:07:30) Using Your Voice as the Only Black Person in the Room
(00:08:31) Using Your Voice Power
(00:09:39) Speaking Up and Using Your Voice
(00:10:49) A Path of Pivots and Learning Experiences
(00:11:53) From AOL to Facebook
(00:12:59) A Job Opportunity from Facebook
(00:13:58) The Importance of Having a Sponsor
(00:15:01) Facebook's Massive User Growth
(00:16:13) A Life-Changing Opportunity in New York
(00:17:08) From Instagram to TikTok: A Career Jump
(00:18:14) Qualifications for the Role
(00:19:13) Leading and Supporting Sales Teams
(00:20:18) Embracing New Opportunities
(00:21:24) Building the Right Thing for Success at TikTok
(00:22:25) Making the Decision to Move on from a Comfortable Job
(00:23:23) The Exciting Opportunity of Articulating Creativity to Brands
(00:24:24) Finding Motivation in Making a Difference
(00:25:23) Motivation and Accountability at TikTok
(00:26:24) Analytical Thinking and Expression
(00:27:26) Picking the Best Leaders
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Unity & Motion - A London based production company specialising in commercials and branded content
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This is a UNIFY Podcast. Produced by Unity & Motion
Credits:
Director: Charles Parkinson
Poet & VO Artist: Ashley Samuels-McKenzie
Editor: Catherine Singh