Episode 16
Louisa O’Connor
Managing Director and Founder of Seen Presents
ON THIS EPISODE OF ‘JUST ONE THING’:
Our guest on this episode is Louisa O’Connor, Managing Director of Seen Presents, one of the UK’s fastest-growing brand experience agencies.
Louisa’s impressive career spans nearly two decades in experiential marketing, working with major global brands like Netflix, TikTok, Amazon, and Live Nation. Starting as a project assistant, she quickly progressed into senior roles, ultimately founding the new Seen Presents, a dynamic, female-led agency recognised for transforming intangible brand stories into immersive, emotionally engaging experiences. Under Louisa’s leadership, Seen Presents has grown rapidly, securing prestigious awards including The Drum’s Leader of the Year 2023 and Campaign Creative Experience Agency of the Year 2025.
Louisa champions inclusive leadership, innovation, and creativity, continually pushing the boundaries of what brand experiences can achieve. We're thrilled she's joined us today. Welcome to the podcast, Louisa.
Watch Louisa on YouTube or listen to her on Spotify or Apple podcasts
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Hi Louisa aged 21 (2005)
So… I’m sorry to say, 20 years on, you’ll still be feeling like you’re not good enough and killing yourself to please everyone, all the time. I wish you knew it’s not possible, so stop trying!
That worry though, that anxiety, that constant fear of failing - it will actually be the force that drives you, day in and day out. Your work ethic will be your biggest asset. Your ability to outwork everyone, and your flat refusal to let anyone down (ever), is what will help you make a success of the opportunities that come your way.
You’ll help out at the Uni Grad ball soon, and it will leave you hooked on events but before you dive into the world of live experiences, you’ll find yourself in a muddy field, hard hat on, lugging bricks around trying to sell them to a load of Geordie builders. You’ll hate it. But it will teach you how to build gumption and grit and how to talk to almost anyone (and usually, get them on side). It will also teach you how to work on your own and structure your day. Turns out, you’re not a morning person... :)
That passion for events that you discovered at university will never leave you and over time you’ll build that passion into a career. Your love for the industry will take you all over the world and expose you to some of the greatest talents you’ll ever work alongside. They will push you to be better, and one day, you might even think you are as good as them.
You know those people who mock your accent? The ones you have to work extra hard to prove that you know what you’re doing? That you’re not thick? Don’t listen to them. That endearing quality of yours… you might even end up crediting your business’s success to it. Do not underestimate the power of honesty, the ability to make people feel at ease, feel listened to, feel like they can trust you. It will enable you to build real client relationships that will last 20 years. Your accent will also make Americans love you!
You need to know you’re not perfect. I know you are trying really hard to be. Things will happen on projects that will be disastrous… even though you worked so hard to avoid them. But they won’t break you I promise. Those experiences will help you build an armour so strong that you’ll say yes to starting a business from scratch right after Covid - and give you the confidence to know you can do it.
You know not everything is down to you though, right? You’re going to need to let go of some of that responsibility. You’ll be so proud of the feedback you get from friends, family, and colleagues over the years - that you are always there to help, always there to talk to… but be careful, it will end up burning you out if you have nothing left for yourself and that’s no good to man nor beast!
Don’t lose your sense of fun - you’ll have to check yourself on it sometimes. It’s what people are initially drawn to. Building a business is a lot, and it will feel like a huge responsibility. Again, you’ll lapse into “I mustn’t let anyone down…” Stop it. Enjoy it! This will be a common theme – try and train yourself to pause and enjoy the moment. Stop thinking about “what could go wrong?” or “what’s next?” all the time… keep a bit of it though - it will help grow your business quickly.
Keep living by your mantra of saying yes. Go for the bludy drink, stay the extra hour, get the train to that gig, remember karaoke is always a good idea (no, you’re not as good as you think you are!) and make the big call… one of those scary ‘yes’s’ will pave the way to setting up Seen Presents, which will be the greatest thing to ever happen to you.
Lastly, in your 20s you’ll discover something called Night Nurse. Put. The. Bottle. Down.
With much love, you got this
Louisa (2025)
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Max: Our guest on this episode is Louisa O'Connor, Managing Director of Seed Presents, one of the UK's fastest growing brand experience agencies.
Mel: Louise's impressive career spans nearly two decades in experiential marketing, working with major global brands like Netflix, Tiktok, Amazon and Live Nation, starting as a project assistant, she quickly progressed into senior roles, ultimately founding the new Seed Presents. A dynamic female led agency recognized for transforming intangible brand stories into immersive, emotionally engaging experiences. Under Louisa's leadership Seed Presents has grown rapidly, securing prestigious awards, including the Drums Leader of the Year, 2023 and most recently, Campaign Experience Agency of the Year 2025.
Max: Louisa champions inclusive leadership, innovation and creativity, continually pushing the boundaries of what brand experiences can achieve. We're thrilled. She's joined us today and is now going to read a letter to her 21 year old self.
Louisa O’ Connor: Hi, Louisa, age 21 2005, so I'm sorry to say, 20 years on, you're still feeling like you're not good enough, and killing yourself to please everyone all the time. I wish you knew it's not possible. So stop trying. That worry though, that anxiety, that constant fear of failing, it will actually be the force that drives you day in and day out. Your work ethic will be your biggest asset, your ability to outwork everyone, and your flat refusal to let anyone down ever, is what will help you make a success of the opportunities that come your way. You'll help out at the uni grad ball soon, and it will leave you hooked on events, but before you dive into the world of live experiences, you'll find yourself in a muddy field, hard hat on, lugging bricks around trying to sell them to a load of Geordie builders. You'll hate it, but it will teach you how to build gumption and grit and how to talk to almost anyone, and usually get them on side. It will also teach you how to work on your own and structure your day. Turns out, you're not a morning person. That passion for events that you discovered at university will never leave you, and over time, you'll build that passion into a career. Your love for the industry will take you all over the world and expose you to some of the greatest talents you'll ever work alongside. They'll push you to be better, and one day, you might even think you're as good as them. You know those people who mock your accent, the ones that you have to work extra hard to prove that you know what you're doing, that you're not thick. Don't listen to them. That endearing quality are yours. You might even end up crediting your business's success to it. Do not underestimate the power of honesty, the ability to make people feel at ease, feel listened to, feel like they can trust you. It will enable you to build a real client relationship that will last over 20 years. Your accent will also make Americans love you. You'll need to know you're not perfect. I know you're trying really hard to make things happen on projects that will be disastrous, even though you worked so hard to avoid them, but they won't break you. I promise, those experiences will help you build an armour so strong that you'll say yes to starting a business from scratch right after COVID, and give you the confidence to know that you can do it. You know, not everything is down to you, though, right? You're going to need to let go of some of that responsibility. You'll be so proud of the feedback you get from friends, family and colleagues over the years, that you are always there to help, always there to talk to, but be careful. It will end up burning you out if you have nothing left for yourself, and that's no good to man nor beast, don't lose your sense of fun. You'll have to check yourself on it. Sometimes it's what people are initially drawn to. Building a business is a lot, and it will feel like a huge responsibility. Again, you'll lapse into I mustn't let anyone down. Stop it. Enjoy it. This will be a common theme. Try and train yourself to pause and enjoy the moment. Stop thinking about what could go wrong or what's next all the time. Keep a bit of it, though, it'll help you grow your business quickly. Keep living by your mantra, saying, yes, go for the bloody drink, stay the extra hour, get the train to that gig. Remember, karaoke is always a good idea. No, you're not as good as you think you are, though, and make the big call. One of those scary SS will pave the way to setting up Seed Presents, which will be the greatest thing to ever happen to you. Lastly, in your 20s, you'll discover something called Night Nurse. Put the bottle down with much love you got this, Louisa, 2025.
Max: And welcome.
Louisa O’ Connor: Thank you.
Max:There we go. So Louisa, to those that don't know you, and shame on them, they should, introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself as a top level really.
Louisa O’ Connor: So I'm Louisa O'Connor. I am managing director and founder of the new Seed Presents. Seed Presents 2.0 as I like to call it, being in brand experience my whole career, pretty much, and I've been at the helm of Seed Presents for the last three and a bit years. Very tough to be here. Love that. And
Max: Just to kick things off, one thing that people won't know about you that might surprise them, I am a red belt in Taekwondo. Honestly, that celebration on a campaign experience stage soon.
Louisa O’ Connor: I am a red belt in taekwondo who knew still remember all my patterns for my belt
Max: Kicking ass at events and anyone that tries to approach on the street? Yeah, exactly so. How was the welcome to the sofa? How was the process and experience of writing the letter, and to those that this will be their first episode, this whole conversation is based around that letter to your younger self. How was that for you?
Louisa O’ Connor: First of all, it's like, where do you start? I was like, I sat down in my garden, poured myself a massive glass of Chardonnay, took a deep breath and was like, Where do I even start? And then it just flowed out of me. I've, like, never looked back, like, swap, like, 20, 20 years now, and I definitely did cry doing it. And then I felt stupid for crying. I was like, Don't be pathetic. Like you're a managing director of an agency. No, like, you can't get upset. This is ridiculous, and that then I just was like, I enjoyed it, and I found it quite touching to think of old Louisa. And wanted to be like, you know, you got there, you got there. In the end, it'll be okay. So, yeah, I would recommend it to anyone. It's but make sure you're like, in a safe space with a lot of a lot of things to calm me down. Candle, Chardonnay, recommended.
Mel: It's interesting that you had that conversation with yourself. If I'm a managing director, I'm not meant to cry. I'm meant to feel this, but you are still just Louisa O'Connor with a five star, and you've got all of that experience. Why not cry? Why not be proud of it, and why not want to put your arms around her, or whatever else you felt? It's really interesting, because I think people listen to this, especially more junior people, or people coming into the industry, they do look up to managing directors, and you seem to be in a completely different world, and you just move differently, and maybe you don't feel the same, and it's great to see you're still very much the same.
Louisa: Yeah, it made me realize I am exactly the same. You think that, like, 20 years and loads of experience is going to fundamentally change who you are, and it doesn't. I think it builds your armour a little bit, and it gives you loads of experiences to know that you can get through stuff. So some of the stuff that back in the day I would have liked had to go to loo and have a, you know, big panic about. Now I'm like, I've been through this one so I can, I know the way out of it, but like, deep down, the fundamentals of you as a person doesn't, doesn't really change. And I think that's important to know as yourself and of other people you know as you meet people through your career or whatever, like, the bit that they fundamentally are, no matter what shiny title they have, they'll, they'll pretty much be the same.
Max: I really believe and agree with that is that, actually, I think there is a pedestal and to some extent this false sense of reality, and I think it's just whether it's societal or industry or otherwise, is that these individuals in more senior are built of different things, or they are different forms of human entities and things when actually, and the more sincere, genuine ones kind of show you under their armour as to actually, they're still that same person, fun, charismatic, caring, self conscious, right? And actually, it's just the experience that enables them to make decisions better, quicker, more informed, and things like that. So showing people under the armour then, and being quite, I suppose, more, and exposing who is Louisa, what would you kind of say is, is you at the core? And has been then at that kind of 20, or maybe even in your teens, you know what? What made you you, and what makes you
Louisa: I am like 99% worry and anxiety. I was, I was, I was just born that way. I was like, my mom said I was like a worrier child. I would always worry about, you know, like, have I upset anyone? Where are we going? Is this tidy enough? I'm a bit of a perfectionist, but not really for me. For, like, other people. I'm, like, constantly terrified of letting people down and like, what they'll think, and have I done a good enough job, and have I put enough effort in, and have I done my best? So it's like, plagued me my whole life, anxiety and worry. But I've tried to, like, turn it into my secret weapon, and tried to make a positive out of it. Because I worry and overthink, it makes me a bit more prepared. It's like, really draining for me, because, like, my everyone around me is like, can you just, like, see the just enjoy it and like, see the lights. I like, Why are you worrying about what's next all the time? And in my head, I'm like, Well, that makes me better, because I'm like, Okay, I'm prepared for what's next. I'm thinking all the time, but the bit that I wrote in my letter was like, and you have to try and enjoy it a little bit more. Louisa, like, this is what good looks like. This is what fun looks like. So stop worrying all the time that it's not good enough and that it might go away and try and enjoy it, and I think that at the core of me is just crippling anxiety, but I hide it really well.
Mel: Exceptionally, exceptionally well. Yeah, and is that something you've had support for over the years to get to that place of turning it into a positive or figuring out how to use it in a more positive way, or is that something you've learned through doing a little bit of both?
Louisa: I am. I've had medical support along the way, but I think my support has come through my family and my friends, and also just cope, learning coping mechanisms. I write a lot of lists. I write a lot of things down so that when I'm going round and round in my head, if I get it out on paper, I can read it. And then the experience of knowing that that time when I worried for days and days and didn't eat and didn't sleep, it was okay in the end, it was actually okay in the end. And I've done that for 20 years, and usually it's okay in the end. So now it's like you train yourself in a behaviour like, Okay, this is bad. You know what to do. It'll be okay in the end, and you'll get out the other side. And I think you just get used to knowing how to deal with it. But I look at, you know, younger people who potentially suffer with the same thing, and I want to try and transform them, like 10, 15 years to be like you'll learn how to like, deal with this and cope with it, and it'll be okay. But I know right in this moment, you think your world has ended and like it, nothing will ever be okay again, and actually it'll probably be fine.
Mel: And you referenced that in the letter a little bit like some of your early experiences, and some of those, I think you call them disasters, disasters.
Louisa: I was once on a job in my old agency, and we were doing a gig for Ellie Golding, and we had to transport her back climb between one island and another island, and it fell off the back of the boat and went into the sea. That was a pretty dark moment, loads of other things, power failure, all sorts of stuff. When I just literally thought the ground beneath me was just going to give away and like we were never going to recover from this. But it was alright in the end.
Max: And I was just going to say, because that moment makes me laugh. There's a point with an Intel project where, effectively, half the roof fell in half an hour before a meeting, you go into this. I have found I wanted to ask you this moment of the sweat immediately you think, what's the point? Yeah, what's fine. Quit now and things. And then you kind of go into this process mode, and then something connects that gives you some traction, almost like the flywheels are spinning. It suddenly hits a gear, and you go, well, actually, look, we've got to have a go at trying to fix this. And I feel like, almost, that's the event engine piece. Yeah, yeah. How have you found that in those moments? Because, not to be exaggerative, it's quite dramatic. Some of the stuff that you've said, yeah, you've said it, yeah, it makes me feel slightly nervous about it as well.
Louisa: Bad things. I think you go into fight or flight mode, definitely. I think as a founder or a boss or a leader or whatever, the hard thing is thinking, it's all on you. My immediate thing goes, oh my god, how am I going to fix this? How am I going to fix this? Because if I don't fix it, we're going to lose the client, we're going to lose the job, and then I'm gonna have to make people redundant, and they're going to lose the job. I'm gonna have to have this, like, my brain goes, literally, like, six months forward of all the things that are going to happen because of that one thing. So I've had to try and teach myself to just stay in that moment and be like, we're just gonna fix this thing that's happening right now and try and not spiral. And my biggest learning is just the ability to communicate. Well, I think my biggest learning. Throughout my whole career, clients, suppliers, whoever it is, they will usually be okay if you just hit it head on and have a conversation with them and be like, this has happened. It's not ideal, but I'm on it and I'm trying to fix it, and know that I will kill myself trying to fix it, and I've got you. And I think if you approach it in that way. There's not much they can say. Whereas, I think when you're younger, you know that maybe your default is you try and hide from it, or you try and brush it under the carpet, or, you know, you avoid that decision making, or whatever. And I think getting into this founder set up MD mode is like, I have to tackle everything head on. And it may feel terrifying in the moment, but in the end, it makes it better.
Max: Do you think? And that's something I think can only come with experience, right? And confidence of facing the heat head on and doing that, knowing that actually it's better, you know, it's a harsher moment in time. But actually, the aftermath is much better than a prolonged death by 1000 lashes and all the rest of it in that process of you, you know, worrying and developing the ability to kind of have those conversations things, are there things you've are there successes that you feel you've missed out on, either celebrating, acknowledging or otherwise, because either in a state of worry or because it's you're looking six months ahead. I know that we kind of talked about the earlier before this writing the letter forces a level of self reflection. Yeah. And actually, I think the more senior, sometimes or successful, whatever you want to code that to be, the less you do reflect, because it's seen as well you don't have time and or your job is moving forward a pay.
Louisa: Definitely loads, doing Seed Present, I didn't tell anyone for a bit. I didn't want to, you know, tell people I'd worked with before. I thought they might think I was showing off winning, you know, drum leader of the year that I was like, I don't think we should post about it. Like, when people are either going to think she's got really cocky and arrogant, even the recent one winning campaign, like I went mad on the night. I was like, so ecstatic and surprised at winning that I didn't, I didn't think we would, which is bad in itself. I should believe more, and I should believe in the team. And I didn't think and again, like I did a post about on LinkedIn, like, when Sarah said we should enter, I was like, Oh, I don't know. Like, people might think we're a bit deluded, like, we're only three years and we can't enter agency the year. That's ridiculous. And she's like, yes, we can. We're amazing. Like, you're amazing, whatever. And I think that's what I said right in this letter. I'm like, Louisa, you're still the bloody same. Like, can you just, like, enjoy it and believe for a minute, instead of constantly thinking what everyone else is going to think or, like, what might go wrong? Because in my head, I'm like, All right, we're in agency of the year. Well, that means we're up there now, so now we've got to keep it now. We've got to stay up there. And we're not we can't mess up and like, the you know, the higher you rise, the harder you fall. Everyone's gonna be after us. Everyone's gonna want to. And I'm like, my mom's like, Louise, you gotta go and take a shot at night.
Max: I just can't help but feel that I want to shake you and myself, just to realize how good a job you're doing from an external perspective as well, and seeing that, everyone's looking at this kind of rocketing to the moon type scenario. But also, I can't help but ask, is that this constant self doubt, and I don't mean to pry too hard, you know, is there something that happened in your younger years, you know? Or you mentioned, you know, your mum, things like that, family kind of a bit whatever that might look like, that kind of as meant, I know you said you're a warrior, anything happened or a period of time or job, or anything like that, that's kind of amplified it.
Louisa: Yeah, I know exactly what it was. What was it? I was eight years old, and I was playing moms and dads, and I was make believe, and I rang 999 as part of the game, and they answered, and I put it down, and they rang back and said, Did you just ring 999 and I said, No, not you. Did you? You are evil. You might have blocked the line for someone that really needed it. Don't do it again. And it literally changed, changed my life. I believed I was evil. And after that, everything I did was worry, is this going to hurt someone? Is it the right thing that I should do? Who's going to be upset? Who's going to affect it completely? You know, innocently from them. They were, you know, they were trying to teach me a lesson, and you shouldn't, you shouldn't ring nine. But I was eight years old. I was just in this thing, and it completely changed everything. And from that moment, it just made me worry, is this right? And who am I going? To her, or who am I going to affect or what are they going to think because I'm doing it? That was the day, I know mentally, right? Your old Louisa, a hug, I know, playing moms and dads and the RE and they, I said, No. And they was like, we know it's you, because EastEnders was on the telly in the background. And they were like, we can hear the same TV show. Gosh, I know. I'm mad. I don't think people, I don't think they do that now, they probably actually interrogate and be like, are you okay? Do you know? I mean, yeah, but back then
Mel: But it's really funny actually, because I do remember a period where they were doing those things and trying to educate and I remember actually having conversations in school about appropriate use of calling 999, and Childline, actually, that had just opened. I remember that being part of school discussions
Louisa: I shouldn't have done it. I know I don't blame the person, but I don't think they realized the spiral effect that that had. But it was obviously, you know, it was already in my head that I could be that kind of person. But anyway, yes, five of anyone.
Max: I mean, that is just insane, isn't it? And it's the impact and kind of compound effects. Then what about first jobs and kind of going through that because you were saying that you cut you open, you bleed events and stuff. And events isn't for the light hearted, faint hearted, should I say? But what was that kind of journey in it? Well, maybe even before. How did that affect kind of teenage years and going into the jobs market or what you wanted to be and do?
Louisa: It was just this, like in this deep set thing of not letting anyone down. I had to be trying to be perfect all the time. So I was head girl at my grammar school. I got a job when I was 14, like, to earn pocket money. Like I was just trying to be, you know, this perfect, not upsetting anyone all the time. Was like, head of the bullying group at school, because I didn't want people to be upset that way.
Max: And then no pressure, pressure from parents or anything like that.
Louisa: No, no. Like, no, no. They like, they're so supportive, but they're like, salt of the earth Halifax, like, I went to the same school as my mom and dad. They met, they met at the school that I went to, and that was, like, really lovely. But they're, they're not really about, they're definitely about work ethic. They're like, you know, they're definitely about work hard for things, but they're more actually about the person that you are, you know, just like, don't be a dick. Basically, you know, they're like, being, you know, treat people how you want to be treated. And no matter who they are from, you know, whatever, road sweepers to see your Rolls Royce, whatever. Like, you just be the same, exactly the same person that you are sat here, no matter who you sat in front with. That's what my dad, like, instilled in me. But the event thing came at uni, because I was, like, helping with stuff at uni, again, couldn't just do my degree. I had to be, like, chairman of this and heard of that noise.
Max: bloody loves uni. Different groups
Louisa: Apart from sports. I've always been crap at sports, but so like, helped on the AU ball and, like, rag week and the grad ball and all stuff like that. But I worked, which is where my photos were taken. I worked in Durham at the cricket ground, in the corporate boxes, and I had this like, company come in, and they were like, you're you, you're you can sell, like we would literally give you everything, because I don't know, like, just I was pretty normal, and made them feel at home, whatever. And they gave me a job, and straight out of units, like, 18 grand a year, I got a Volvo. I was like, buzzing, and then quickly realized that the job was selling bricks, or selling bricks to building sites all around Newcastle and Tynemouth and stuff.
Max: Known for their wowing demeanor.
Louisa: It was pretty grounding. I've got to say, like I was in, you know, I've always loved my clothes, and I was like, in my little tottery pencil skirt, which was a thing back then, in my little Volvo women, Nokia going going with my briefcase full of brick samples on building sites, just like 200 builders being like, what is happening here with my hard my hard hat on, and hive is and I had to sell, I had to get them to buy their products from me. And I did it for two years, and it nearly bloody killed me, but it gave me my grit and my determination and my ability to get, no matter who you are, like on the side, to make them feel like they were important. I understood them, and I, you know, spent time researching, and I get what your troubles are, and, you know, your pain points and whatever, whatever, whatever. And I think that gave me my work ethic and my and my grit and my ability to just brush it off, because, I tell you, they won't get away with it now, but some of the stuff that happened to me, like fair play, I mean, I was like, stuck out like a sore thumb, but, and then, if. Eventually got into events, like an opportunity, came up with Rebecca from we love this. So she's a family friend, and I started as Project Assistant for her. Yeah, love those two and then never look back.
Mel: One of the things I wanted to pick up on there was the word grit, because I think that's missing quite often when I'm just thinking about some of the younger people we see coming through that expect everything to be easy and simple. I'm a Project Assistant today, and I want to be an account director by November. I'm glad it's, it's not only me that it happens to, it's, but it's, but it's, I love the ambition that people have, but there's a grit that's needed, I think, in any walk of life, but particularly in events that is very demanding, very deadline driven. You have to evolve constantly. You have to meet some really strict deadlines, and you have to constantly push yourself to be better than you were the day before or the event before. So tell us about how that grit has shown up, because that's such an important characteristic, I think in our industry.
Louisa: Yeah, I do think it's me, like, I talk about grit and gumption all the time, like, um, but I think for me, what I quickly realize is this, this grit is what is building my armour and making me better than the next person. And that is what I think is missing, is that this understanding of that, I think, career, isn't about going through the motions. It's about collecting experiences so that you know how to tackle things you know, bosses and agencies aren't promoting you just to be mean or like, you know, just for the whim of it. It's because sometimes you can get promoted into a role that you're not ready for, and it's really hard because you've not built that grit. You've not built that armour. And I think for me, this absolute drive to never give up and to never let anyone down and to battle through has been my curse and my blessing in that it's made me put up with things that I probably shouldn't have put up with. People nowadays don't, and I think that's a good thing, but it has made me progress through my career quite quickly and given me opportunities, because I do think hard work and grit is recognized as a skill. You might not put grit on your CV, but you do have to have it. In our industry, it's relentless. It's absolutely relentless, and agencies are the bottom of the pile. Like I say to our team, we eat shit daily, like we just do. We served it all day, you know, fix this problem. We don't like that. We're shifting the deadline. We've moved the event date. This person's pulled out. We don't like to work with that person. So can you put this person on the account, please? You know what? I mean? It's like you're just dealing with stuff all the time, so you've got to have this impenetrable armour. And if you don't, unfortunately, I don't think the industry is for you. No matter what I do, no matter what I'm trying to build, Seen Presents to make it a little bit better. I think there's only so much I can fix, and unfortunately, you just do have to have grit.
Max: I think, and agree, and we talked about this earlier, that everyone almost has three phases of a career, or three different career shifts or something that, and not everyone has come into the events industry, and a lot of those and people we have on the sofa have come from really interesting or different backgrounds before, and I think the ability to sell, or some of the characteristics and skills you have to hone or develop in order to sell, you had that on steroids. I mean, I don't know many that would find that as a hard sell, as that in terms of bricks to builders as a 20 something year old email. I'm just thinking, then, when did wolf whiff didn't get banned? But I'd imagine you got what would you say if you were to kind of create a, you know, a Top Trumps type card of event professional and taking grit as a soft kind of skill in there, what would you say from your experience of things that has helped all the things that you either wish you had more of then at the earliest stages or otherwise, what would that kind of profile look like, or the kind of skills and talents there that you think have helped you, or that you think perhaps missing that you would like to have had.
Louisa: Yeah, I always talk about the three Ds, okay, detailed, you've got. You've got to be meticulous in your detail to not miss anything. Determined, you gotta be determined, to make a success of it, no matter what. And don't be a dick. That's possibly my favourite. I just because you're dealing with people. I know it's effect, but you're dealing with people all day, suppliers to clients, to people attending your events, and you have to get them all on side. You have to have this endearing quality because that you're all striving to this one date where everything has to be perfect and you have. To make everyone almost like to follow you into battle. And I think to do that, you have to have an element of people believing in you and what you stand for, and that you've got their back. And I think they'll respect you if you're detailed because you're catching things. They'll respect you if you like determined, because you're determined to make it as successful what for everyone involved, and they'll respect you if you just treat them like you want to be treated. That's like my dad always told me when I was little. And our business is such a people business.
Louisa: Yeah, it's all about the people. It's driven by people. All my client relationships are just because of people. You know, don't believe in hard sell. I don't believe in like, you know, new business, cold, cold calling. It's all relationships because it's really hard. We're on site till like, 1am like, on seven floors up, swinging off a crane, like you need to be with someone that you like, trust. Do you know what I mean? You can look in the whites of the eyes and be like, I know she's got my back. I know she is not gonna let me down. She's gonna do everything in her power to make this perfect. And if something goes wrong, she'll come and tell me.
Max: Have you had that journey, in the earliest stages? Then we'll talk a little bit about the kind of, the meaty, kind of element of the career. Have you had, you know, the letter you talked a lot about the self, kind of challenges the self, kind of, I'm not going to say, kind of defamation, because I think obviously, quite hard on yourself, which has helped kind of, elevate, yeah, pun intended, hashtag, elevate. Have you had someone that has helped, kind of, just give you a glimpse of the other side, or, obviously, we're about mentoring and people supporting. But have you had someone that's helped you in that way? Or, have you? You know, how have you sought advice and guidance?
Louisa: I think family, obviously, my family, are massively supportive and always tell me how great I am, even though they've got no idea what I do.
Mel: I feel like there's an event we should already go to for our parents to explain what events actually are and what we do.
Louisa: A massive birthday party, yeah, but no, that was definitely my family, I think lots of people along the way, my old boss, you know, always, you know, all I really respected how he trusted me to just get on with things. And you know, the fact that he trusted me, you know, gave me confidence, the Fed my fellow female MDs like we build each other up. And, you know, I'm very lucky to be surrounded by some great female MDs that, you know, go for it, and I'm just going to throw everything at it. So I had to learn how to think a bit like that, I think a bit bigger, and trust the process. But I never thought it'd go as well as it has been going touch wood.
Mel: So talk us through what that was like then. Because, like you said, there's a lot to think about. Yeah, when you start an agency, and actually, quite unusually, as you said, you started from scratch. You had to find clients. You had to build a team. Most people, when they start agencies, have a client or have some staff already, or have, have, have sort of the bones, if you like, of an agency there to build. But you started it from scratch. So what? What was that like? And you're still three and a half years in, so you're still in the sort of early stages of it, if you like, yeah, um, but tell us that first year, what that was like and how you approached it.
Louisa: Well, part of it was luck in that TikTok came along. TikTok was a new, excessive use of, you know, it was a new app. And they were, they were, you know, because it's again, TikTok isn't that old. And they were looking for agencies, and we got approached to, do you want, due to an old relationship, do you want to try and become, be on the roster? But, you know, it was all like an RFI, so like, what's your culture? What's your values? Give us some experience. And I had to be really honest, it's like some of this experience is mine, not the agency's, but we got on it. They're like they really believed in us and what we were doing. I'll be forever grateful that that happened and that kind of propelled us. You know, for the first year we were predominantly a TikTok agency. So year one was around building that relationship, not messing up, making sure that we could keep that because everyone was knocking on TikTok store, everyone wants to work with them, so making sure that we were their solid agency, and then building out a brand for us. So what was our proposition? And I didn't quite nail that in year one, this intangible, tangible came towards this last half of year two, because I believed we needed a niche. There's so many agencies out there. So like, what is our thing? What is our USP? And our USP is that we bring all those brands that you engage with that you can't touch, those brands that you engage with on screen, into physical worlds. You know, that's our main proposition. So that year one was about that year one was about finding people who also weren't going to mess up. So Year One was I was in my delivery head, which is my background. also think it's why clients like working with us in that I am there I am on site. You can see me. I work hard. And I think it's, I think the team like it as well. They're like, well, you know, she's grafting, then I'll graft too, and then there's no wafting about kind of thing.
Mel: And that goes back to that earlier point of learning your craft and learning your trades. Because I think there's something to be said when you get to a senior level and you understand what goes on on site, and you understand the late nights, and you know how to sweep a floor or put the virus up, or what goes into setting up the rigging or the lighting. And I remember having one of my colleagues once we were on site for the mobile world congress building the stands. And it was two weeks into the build, and they decided they wanted to move a cabinet by, I don't know, 30 centimetres or something, and you're like, No, because you've then got to move the wiring and the rig. And I could have that conversation because I knew that, again, that must make you a really different leader. And I think people must really look up to that, because it shows, again, you kind of can't skip levels because you miss such a chunk of that knowledge.
Louisa: I've literally gone up the exact ladder, which I do think like this. I talk about building armour all the time, but I do think it has built my armour to know what to do in, like most scenarios.
Max: Do you think I feel quite lucky because of the vantage point I have across businesses? Do you think where you're talking about honesty and on the tools and being in there. I don't doubt the trajectory of the business. So let's put it at 60 people. You can't be that person. How, how do you feel with that kind of coming down the line? Or, equally, is that kind of one of those and some of those other it's almost like a 2.0 MD, right? When you hit a certain bit of a certain bit of a certain size, and things like that. But I suppose, what are you most excited about and or conscious of coming down the line? I suppose, yeah, what does the end of that line like?
Louisa: The honest part of me is like, I don't feel great about it.
That is the honest part of me is that I, I, when I got this opportunity, I wanted to build something different to what was out there, and I wanted it. I wanted to know everyone in the business. I wanted that culture, that honesty, to always filter through and even if, even as you tip in 30, I'm clinging on to it by my fingernails, and the thought of being 60 100 I know. I know that there will be people in the business that I would have I won't know. I won't know when their birthday is, or that they've just moved in with their boyfriend or whatever. And there'll be clients that I don't know. And that's my next transition. I've got, I've got to be okay with that. I think the way to be okay with that is to build a really strong leadership team that I really trust and that I know are going to live our values. And that should be the exciting bit, because that's exciting for them. They're there on their next ladder and getting to their next thing. And unless I, you know, shove off, they can't, they can't do that. So I've got to see it as the thing that I, you know, wanted my career in, that, you know, everyone wants to progress. So it's like a bit of a double. It's a bit of a double feeling, really, in that I'm terrified of it all going wrong, but if I step away and I'll lose control of it, that we'll lose the essence of us. And I think that's why sometimes agencies start losing clients. They get too big, and they lose the essence of themselves, and they can't check the quality, and I don't I've got to put everything I can in place to stop that from happening withMax: Two points to that, one of which is that you hit that ceiling, that plateau where you go from a family, yeah, to groups of friends, yep. And to your point. And equally, the dynamic and the type of leadership needed, things like that changes, and some people don't address that, and therefore it remains, and then they'll lose a client, win a client, and they'll just bubble along. And I won't say that monetary amount, but it was, it's within about 2 million quid and within about five people. And it is so consistently across that I've read many books on. It's really interesting, kind of you seeing that, and I suppose then, to your point, then about the excitement and nervousness around it is that, is it a lifestyle business or a growth business? But knowing what we're talking about, it being something that actually there's the ambition to grow it. What does that look like? What? What is your ambition? Just a parking sensor. Personally, personally, what your journey looks like, and where do you? Yeah,
Louisa: So my ambition for the business is I would like to grow enough to make, to keep getting and maintain the exciting projects, because I think you have to be an agency of a certain size to get some of the cool projects out there. So we've just done Netflix's up front that's in New York, which is like one of my top five things to do, you know, the cans of the can of the world. I'd love to do something at Coachella. I'd love to do something around the Super Bowl. And obviously there's a theme there. They're in the US. So I do think some of the most exciting experiential is potentially overseas. So I would like to get to a point where we can be seen as an agency that can deliver that kind of work. And I think we're, I think we're kind of, you know, we're getting some incredible projects. So I'd like to maintain and get it to a size of a business where where we can continue to get unbelievable clients and unbelievable projects that still excite me, because I love, I love our industry, and I love my job, like so much I don't I'm not in retiring mode, like I love it so, but I want to keep it interesting. So that's ideally for the business. But then maybe in like, 10 years time, I'd love to, like, maybe work three days a week. That might be quite nice. Maybe not have to work five to six days a week, which is when you're, like, scaling a business. Essentially you do so maybe long term, that would be quite nice. So have built it in us that it sustains itself. Everyone's happy. Everyone's got progression. They're leading the way. And I can do the bit that I'm good at, which is, like, client relationships, helping with the strategy and the creative, the projects and going on site for the fun ones. Sounds great high fives and handshakes, yeah. I mean, I'll still be able to pull at a sticking on a vinyl.
Mel: You talked about your leadership team there, and what's quite unique about seeing presents is you have a female leadership team, which is unusual in our industry, but absolutely brilliant. So was that a conscious decision, or has that just been around finding the right people?
Louisa: Semi conscious? So we're, we're like 90%. So, like our business is like 80% our feet, our leadership team is 90% female. We do have the amazing Chris who heads up our Sorry Chris, no, no, he's unbelievable. He heads up our studio, but semi Yes, I would say that I still do consciously think about if there is a female out there that fits the business and fits the role. I'd love to talk to them, but I'm not about not hiring someone because of whatever they are. Yeah, if actually someone comes across my desk who is perfect and happens to be male or whatever, then I'll hire that person. But I'm trying to create space for females to progress and to lead, because there's just not that many of us. You know, our industry is powered by women. There's bloody millions of us on the ground. It's like, what we like eight, 7% or something in it, but like, something in it, but like 20% are in a female leadership position. Like even our MD group, there's like four women and like 48 men of like, MDs in the agency world, it's like, it's like tiny, like, you walk into that room like, Okay, I'm like, Cassidy, please come so I've built out it's not your fault, though. There's just not that many of us out there. There's not that many of us out there. So I'd like to create a space where, you know, in X amount of years time, there are more female MDs, so that your group flips the other way of percentage, potentially. So yeah, can you imagine the man going, I know, my God, but it is so important.
Mel: And I think it is so great to see a female founder lift others up. It's just, it's what our industry needs. Because there's that thing, if you can't be what you can't see, and you're very important, and I think it is so great to see a female founder lift others up. It's just, it's what our industry needs. Because there's that thing, if you can't be what you can't see, and you're very much leading the charge around that.
Max: So what would you say then? And it's a perfect segue into that piece, and we'll get onto the one piece of advice, but in terms of how you empower your team and those females in kind of more senior positions, what, what are the common challenges you see them face, and equally, what's that kind of support and or advice that you're giving them in that kind of Upper eche is, really, is that kind of direct? Is that account directors, whereas they've come in from a senior kind of account manager, into account directorship, and there's this tussle, and it kind of happens in this churn, and whether it's then having a family, or then it's the challenge is real there. And I completely see that as well. What do you see as those challenges, and how do you support or how do you think?
Louisa: So I think that if I go with the advice bit first, the bit that unfortunately we still have to do is we have to build our personal brand, internally and externally. We have to work much harder to make ourselves famous and seen. And it's one of the things that I learned when I set up seeing presents is like, you know, as much as it ranks me out, I have to put myself everywhere and do everything together. You have been right, yeah, sorry about that.
Max: No, but it's something that actually, in some of those conversations I've had, separate to people seeing it and going, who's doing that for them? Yeah, you have to talk about yourself. So whether that is coming from you, yeah, support that you've got that you know, that is helping bring that to market.
Louisa: Or so we have got a marketing team. But me, if you ever see me write anything, it's me, it's not AI, it's not an assistant, yeah, it's not a copywriter, it's me. And I'm feel very passionate about that, because this authentic thing isn't I need. It's not pretend. So if I'm going to say I'm authentic and northern and like, oh my god, I'm like, and I have to live by that. So I'm like, I'd write my own stuff. But whether you're building an agency, a brand, but what I'm saying is, as a woman, if you're wanting to progress, and I have a lot of mentees that I talked to about this, it's like, if I go on your LinkedIn, or whatever I'm like, I don't know what who you are, or what you stand for, or what you're about, or what your knowledge is, and I'm really sorry to tell you this, but you're going to have to put some effort in and make yourself famous. Post about the industry, update your profile, attend networking events, do stuff so that you are seen and you are heard, and do it internally in your organization as well. So again, unfortunately, we have to work a bit harder, but volunteer to do that presentation, to speak at that all hands, to head up that culture committee, whatever it is, because you need to lift your head above the, you know, the line, or whatever you call it more than men do, so that, unfortunately, that's it. It feels weird at first, but embrace it, and I swear to God, you'll reap the rewards. And then I think how we can support as an industry in that, you know, men do as well, obviously. But you know, women, if they choose to be a mother, etc. So I've chosen not to be a mother. I don't have kids. I'm not having them. I don't know, even as a woman, I don't know what it feels like, and I also don't know how they do it, because I give every last cent of my energy to seeing presents, like I do it all the time. But the one thing I found is that hiring mums is probably more productive and more efficient than me because they have to step away, they have to leave. And, you know, because someone's waiting for them, a human being is waiting for them, but they, they don't. They never let me down. They don't not do something, something's not half as good. So they prioritize their time better. And I think that's been, you know, my learning in that if I can try and create a space that is flexible to that, that allows them to try and do a bit of both. But I don't want to offend anyone here, but I do think you probably do at some point have to make a choice in that you have to be either all, all in as a parent, or all in that way, because you start, you start to hurt yourself. If you're trying to be 110% in business and 100% 10% at home or a carer or a parent or whatever it is, something will give you're not being kind to yourself. So you have to make a bit of a choice somewhere, and hopefully you'll be in an agency that lets you make that choice and then lets you come back when you're ready to put the extra percentage in.
Mel: So we are coming to the question, but there's a question I want to ask you first, because if anyone has seen you at an awards ceremony, win an award, which I've had the pleasure of doing several times, no one is more excited to win an award than Louisa O'Connor, and it is the best thing to see. And what I really get a sense of is how much not just the award means to you, but the work means to you, and how proud you are of the agency and the people that have won because you're the level of excitement when you win an award is electric. So it's just, does the work still excite you, and are you still proud? And what goes on behind that? Because it isn't just winning the award, is it? It is more than that? Yeah.
Louisa: I mean, some people are awards like, such like, it doesn't mean anything. People pay to win them. I don't pay. I've got, like, a teeny marketing budget. So, like, when we enter an award, we put everything into it, and it's just like this social proof of everything that I know and everything that the team knows of all the work, the hours, the tears, the sweat that goes into building something, getting recognized by the industry and your peers. And I want to. My team knows how much it means, and I want every other person in that room to know how much it means, because it isn't just a thing that we put on a desk. It's like we worked collectively really flipping hard for that. And I want to celebrate. I don't want to just stand there and go, Oh, thanks very much. Like, you know, I'm like, No. Like, this is, excuse me, we're three years old, and we just won agents of the year. Like, are you actually joking? I'm gonna choke on my champagne. Like, this is what men tell me, I FaceTime my mom after she obviously has no idea what it means. But I'm like, this is mad, and I hope I never lose that. Remember you sending me a photo of a shopping basket full of awards from some agency out there? And I'm like, I don't care if we end up with 3000 awards, I will do it every sod in time, because I need everyone to know how much it means. And it's like my team were over the moon, because it's like a medal for them and everything that they've put into doing. It's not just for me, it's them, like they are the agency. And it means such a lot
Mel: It goes back to that point about making yourself famous and putting yourself out there. There are places that perhaps you were saying earlier, even at three years old, might make you uncomfortable, but it's going out there and going, No, we're good enough. Yeah, we're good enough, and we bloody won it,
Max: If you wouldn't mind standing up and giving us a demonstration of said dance.Mel: I want to see your karate moves, Jiu Jitsu, taekwondo, I knew it was one of them. Your taekwondo. That's it. I'm scared to get on the wrong side. Louisa, so we're coming to the question, which is all about the advice you would give your younger self. And we have got two absolutely gorgeous pictures of you Belters, NYC on the shopping spree
Louisa: That was New York for my 21st birthday. It was my mom's 50th and my 21st Wow. And she saved up for a long time for that trip, and it was when the pound on the dollar was mental. It was amazing. And I made every shop assistant, even if I bought like, two pairs of socks, I'd made them, put them in two separate bags, because I really wanted the shot of loads of bags, because it made me think of one. What a loser, yeah? Made me think of cluelessness. I wanted all about you on a sunny canal.
Mel: Yeah? I thought this was abroad, but it's nice
Louisa: in Durham. It was because I was at uni in Newcastle, and we used to go to Durham on a weekend to try and be posh because obviously Durham was the posher uni, and those losses would go and we'd hire our Robin to look for rugby boys being helpless. Oh, help me. I'm in. I'm rowing
Mel: Was that before or after your success in taekwondo?
Louisa: This is during, hence why my arms look a lot better than they look now. But yeah, I remember that day so clearly I owned an hour about what top to wear. I went with my Primark seQuin one. Nailed it. I feel
Max: Talking about it, I said all that was missing was missing was one of those massive, chunky bounces
Mel: hiding in the corner. So looking back at those photos of you at 21, what advice would you give 21 year old Louisa, if you could?
Louisa: I'd give it to myself now as well. But if you're going to worry about it, don't do it. If you've already done it, then don't worry about it. Just take what you can from the experience and use it to build your armor.
Mel: Amazing. Thank you so much. You're welcome.
Louisa: Thanks so much for having me. I've had a blast. So have we, yeah, so
—--------------------------------------------------------Mel: Obviously we both know Louisa really well, and what I loved about that conversation was she came across just as she is, and she talks about it, and her dad's sort of sense of just being who you are in every situation, and she absolutely was. And you can see her passion for the industry, her love for her team, and the desire she has not just for herself to do well, but for her team to do well and to be recognized. Really coming through that conversation, what
Max: I think it will surprise a lot of people, is that because of the speed of which they as a business, have come through, there's an expectation there's a secret source or something, a load of money, investment or otherwise. Yet, what's apparent, because of the genuine and honest conversation, is it's just authenticity and her desire and love, not only for the industry, for the work and things like that, but for the people around her and her understanding of what each of these phases looks like, of growth later on. I think it's just such a lovely warming conversation, right, with some really interesting kinds of surprises and conversation and advice along the way. I thought she delivered that really well.
Mel: And I think there's three bits of advice that come out of there alongside her advice that I really resonated with, that need for grit and to face into things and to be willing to do the hard stuff, the need to make yourself famous and to push yourself out there and out of your comfort zone, and to shout about the things you do, but also the need at. A leader to make space for people behind you. And I thought those things really resonated for me, yeah,
Max: but in doing so, with all of it, she's still figuring it out. Yes, there is still a huge amount that she is worried about. And worry obviously, is a huge thing in terms of this almost self sabotage, but the way in which she's dealing with it, and equally, creating some coping mechanisms, which she alludes to on the conversation, I think, is what's going to help her kind of be that successful leader in this next phase, and why clients and employees want to work with her. So it's a great conversation. I really enjoyed it,
Mel: And we can't not talk about the vulnerability of Louisa, sharing her journey and her experience with anxiety and worry and where it stemmed from. Because I think she was really brave to share it. Two, it clearly impacts and informs a lot of what she does, but how she has learned to work with it and use it to her advantage. And I thought it was really generous of her to share that insight to help others as well that might be feeling that and to go through that, and I thought that took real courage.
Max: I agree, loved it.
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