Benjy's Story

What do you do now, and what does your current work involve?

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I’m the Communications Lead at GetYourGuide, heading up consumer communications across our key markets, the US, UK, France and Germany. My main focus is growing brand awareness in those markets, and I do that in two big ways.

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First, through PR stories, things like data, travel advice and insights from our internal experts, for example regional managers, as well as the guides who work with GetYourGuide. Their stories and expertise are gold for media.

 

Second, I run integrated, comms-led campaigns, so not just PR, but working across social, SEO, paid media and internal comms too. A great example is our annual consumer trend report, the Hidden Trends List, which highlights the weird, wonderful and slightly quirky trends shaping travel.

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What do you regard as your first career or the path you originally started out in?

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Journalism, absolutely. I started when I was 16, and it began in a pretty cheeky way. I wanted to go to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 60th birthday concert in Hyde Park for free. It was run by the BBC and had loads of big stars performing.

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I used to read Young Performer Magazine from Stagecoach and emailed them saying I’d love to write an article about the concert. They basically said, “We can’t promise we’ll publish it, but write it and we’ll see”. I took that as a commission, called the BBC press office and said I’d been commissioned, very confidently, and it worked.

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I went to the concert with a friend, wrote the piece, and it got published. That kicked off a regular writing stint with the magazine.

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Have there been any other careers, roles or industries you’ve worked in along the way, including any detours, pivots or unexpected chapters in your career journey?

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I’ve always liked public-facing work. For example, at university I did temp work at Selfridges, and I served quite a few celebrities. I still laugh about one moment where Cilla Black was complaining about the Christmas crackers. After my shift, I phoned it in to a national newspaper and I think I made double what I earned on the shift itself.

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Another big detour, I worked in TV for a bit, on Celebrity Big Brother and The Only Way Is Essex, as a runner early in my career. I didn’t stick with it because the hierarchy in TV felt very fixed. In journalism, it felt like anyone, no matter their experience, could land a story that really mattered.

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Looking back across your career so far, what prompted some of those changes in direction?

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With TV, it was curiosity and the “shiny floor” appeal, being closer to the behind-the-scenes truth instead of trying to get access to it as a journalist. But the money wasn’t great, and the progression path felt very rigid.

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Then, after 10 years in journalism, I pivoted into marketing and eventually worked at Instagram, focussing on public figures. That was a huge “chapter two” for me, moving from writing about celebrities and chasing access to actually being inside the machine and negotiating big consumer marketing partnerships. That’s where I truly shifted from journalism into marketing.

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Were there particular moments, opportunities or realisations that encouraged you to try something different?

 

Yes, when I was at The Sun. Strictly season came around again and I just thought, "I don’t care", and if you’re reporting on TV for a major paper, you have to care to stay motivated and do good work.

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So I left, went freelance, and wanted to move more into celebrity producing and behind-the-scenes work. Then COVID-19 happened. Ironically, the freelance work from The Sun really sustained me through that period.

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After that I worked on Rupert Murdoch’s new channel launch for about 10 months, and then later moved into the Instagram role.

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What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when changing path?

 

One big moment was moving from that channel contract, where I’d been booked as a presenter, but the show never launched, so I ended up doing more producing, into a completely different opportunity.

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Someone I’d met back at the royal wedding coverage in 2011 reached out and said they were running talent engagement at Meta in the US. Would I be interested in being the counterpart for Europe, the Middle East and Africa? The role was about connecting Meta’s consumer marketing teams, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, with public figures and influencers for campaigns.

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I’ve always had a can-do attitude, but after Meta I also realised I needed to properly cement my marketing skills. So I invested in learning, doing the Marketing Mini MBA and the Brand Management Mini MBA with Mark Ritson, and that helped me ask better questions in interviews and feel more grounded in marketing.

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What helped you most in navigating those career transitions?

 

Curiosity, always. A willingness to learn, grow and be proved wrong.

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I went into journalism without formal training and into marketing without formal training too, but I was willing to try, mess up, learn and keep going.

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What has surprised you most about where your career has taken you?

 

How unexpected it’s all been, and the level of seniority I’ve reached without 15 years in marketing.

 

I think it comes down to being willing to learn, having a creative mindset and a builder’s mentality. I never imagined I’d work at Instagram, I never thought I’d work in tech, and I definitely never expected to earn what I earn now.

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Back in 2016 when I was at The Sun on £38,000, I couldn’t picture this trajectory. But I’m senior, I still enjoy the work and most days it’s creative and aligned with my values.

 

What practical advice would you give to someone who is considering a career change but isn’t sure where to begin?

 

Talk to people, tap your network and ask for introductions. Have what I call “curious career conversations”.

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Be willing to have a squiggly career. If you change paths, you might need to take a pay cut, but it can be worth it if it aligns better long-term.

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Don’t expect to be amazing immediately. Give it at least six months before you decide whether you made the right choice.

 

Looking back now, what key lessons or reflections would you share with others thinking about changing careers?

 

A big one, you don’t always have to speak. You can listen and still be taken seriously.

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And people won’t always remember exactly what you did, but they’ll remember how you made them feel.

 

Early on, I wasn’t the best writer, and I’m still not, but I kept getting booked by international papers and magazines because I was eager, happy to help, and I was a strong interviewer.

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Now, in my current role, I use communication constantly, especially the skill of making complex things simple, not only for consumers, but also for stakeholders and leaders.

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To follow Benjy’s work, connect with him on LinkedIn