Oh Captain My Captain!

INTERVIEW WITH LUKE PAOLA

Today we sit down with Luke our proverbial captain of the HALP! Media ship to learn a bit more about him!
Oh Captain My Captain!

INTERVIEW WITH LUKE PAOLA

Today we sit down with Luke our proverbial captain of the HALP! Media ship to learn a bit more about him!
Tell us a bit about Life before HALP! Media? What was the path you took to get to where you are today?
It’s a bit of an interesting path! I started off in Hospitality Management, but other than my forced practical work for varsity, I never worked a day in a hotel! After that, I moved to Shopping Centre Marketing and Management I worked for a company called Lifestyle Communications and I worked in the events department. We worked on National Road shows that went to various malls in various provinces. Some of the international shows that I worked with included Disney’s Lion King Production, this was to launch the DVD release in SA (yes, that long ago!), and we worked with Disney UK and SA it was a really great experience. We also partnered with Fashion TV, and the most intense one I worked on was bringing in Barney The Dinosaur, that was really intricate and interesting!
 
After that, I actually moved into construction…. Opposite worlds, I know. I was an assistant site foreman for an office park development in Pretoria. Construction was great, and I loved that fact that I worked outdoors every day, but I was really more interested in marketing and advertising and when Lifestyle got hold of me for a position at Woodlands Boulevard, I jumped at the opportunity. I was at Woodlands Boulevard for around 5 years and then my boss and mentor at that stage started a new business called Word4Word Marketing. I moved there, and I think I was the first employee of the business. I was appointed National Sales and Advertising Manager and worked on around 40 properties across the country and in Mauritius. I left Word4Word Marketing in 2011 and took a year off to travel. Then as soon as I got back I started work for McCormick Media as their GM, it was a lot of fun but I knew that I wanted to start my own business one day. So in January 2013 I resigned and HALP! Media registered in February 2013 and here we are today!

 

 

 

Tell us a bit about Life before HALP! Media? What was the path you took to get to where you are today?
It’s a bit of an interesting path! I started off in Hospitality Management, but other than my forced practical work for varsity, I never worked a day in a hotel! After that, I moved to Shopping Centre Marketing and Management I worked for a company called Lifestyle Communications and I worked in the events department. We worked on National Road shows that went to various malls in various provinces. Some of the international shows that I worked with included Disney’s Lion King Production, this was to launch the DVD release in SA (yes, that long ago!), and we worked with Disney UK and SA it was a really great experience. We also partnered with Fashion TV, and the most intense one I worked on was bringing in Barney The Dinosaur, that was really intricate and interesting!
 
After that, I actually moved into construction…. Opposite worlds, I know. I was an assistant site foreman for an office park development in Pretoria. Construction was great, and I loved that fact that I worked outdoors every day, but I was really more interested in marketing and advertising and when Lifestyle got hold of me for a position at Woodlands Boulevard, I jumped at the opportunity. I was at Woodlands Boulevard for around 5 years and then my boss and mentor at that stage started a new business called Word4Word Marketing. I moved there, and I think I was the first employee of the business. I was appointed National Sales and Advertising Manager and worked on around 40 properties across the country and in Mauritius. I left Word4Word Marketing in 2011 and took a year off to travel. Then as soon as I got back I started work for McCormick Media as their GM, it was a lot of fun but I knew that I wanted to start my own business one day. So in January 2013 I resigned and HALP! Media registered in February 2013 and here we are today!
How do you measure success?
That is a surprisingly tricky question, I measure success based on what I achieve at work and how that impacts my life at home. It is tough to explain, but basically, running a successful business like HALP! Media where we work on major projects across the country, hasn’t impacted on my life at home, so I get to enjoy the best of both worlds. If I can keep doing that for the rest of my life then to me I am very successful!
How do you measure success?
That is a surprisingly tricky question, I measure success based on what I achieve at work and how that impacts my life at home. It is tough to explain, but basically, running a successful business like HALP! Media where we work on major projects across the country, hasn’t impacted on my life at home, so I get to enjoy the best of both worlds. If I can keep doing that for the rest of my life then to me I am very successful!
What is most important to your organisation – mission, vision, or values?
Definitely values, as I have learnt over the last 8 years with HALP! Media and 20 years in total working, is that the mission and vision of things can change and adapt (we have learnt this the hard way in the last year). Values, on the other hand, are the key to success; without them, you will never be in anything for too long. I think that we have managed to maintain our values in HALP! Media over the last 8 years and the people in the business all share very similar values, which is why we have been successful.
What is most important to your organisation – mission, vision, or values?
Definitely values, as I have learnt over the last 8 years with HALP! Media and 20 years in total working, is that the mission and vision of things can change and adapt (we have learnt this the hard way in the last year). Values, on the other hand, are the key to success; without them, you will never be in anything for too long. I think that we have managed to maintain our values in HALP! Media over the last 8 years and the people in the business all share very similar values, which is why we have been successful.
Who was your mentor, and what is the one thing you took away from the relationship?
My work mentor was Kristi Maree. She was the owner of Lifestyle Communications and Word4Word, and I worked with her for almost 12 years. She threw me into the deep end with meetings and introduced me to some very influential people over the years. She taught me business and how to deal with tough situations and also taught me how to read and understand people, which I think is one of the most valuable assets you can have in business. We worked in a very fast-paced environment with long hours and long weeks but it was never too much and I learnt a lot that I still practice today. So basically what I learnt from her was that no matter how tough or shit the job we were working on was, it was always going to end and then things would get better, so put your head down and get it done.
Who was your mentor, and what is the one thing you took away from the relationship?
My work mentor was Kristi Maree. She was the owner of Lifestyle Communications and Word4Word, and I worked with her for almost 12 years. She threw me into the deep end with meetings and introduced me to some very influential people over the years. She taught me business and how to deal with tough situations and also taught me how to read and understand people, which I think is one of the most valuable assets you can have in business. We worked in a very fast-paced environment with long hours and long weeks but it was never too much and I learnt a lot that I still practice today. So basically what I learnt from her was that no matter how tough or shit the job we were working on was, it was always going to end and then things would get better, so put your head down and get it done.
What is the number 1 aspect that you look for as a trait in all your employees when bringing them onto the team?
I always look for someone that is willing to get stuck into anything. I have never seen the need for a specialist in the industry that we are in. So, if you are willing to get your hands dirty and help out on any task, even if it’s not what you signed on for, then you will fit right in at HALP! Media.
What is the number 1 aspect that you look for as a trait in all your employees when bringing them onto the team?
I always look for someone that is willing to get stuck into anything. I have never seen the need for a specialist in the industry that we are in. So, if you are willing to get your hands dirty and help out on any task, even if it’s not what you signed on for, then you will fit right in at HALP! Media.
What goal do you have for the company?
I would like HALP! Media to be recognised as a top boutique BTL Agency. I would like the company to grow, but not to a size where we can’t give our clients the personal interaction that has been the pillar of growing our business. I believe in the personal touch and if a client can’t get hold of me, then I would like them to be able to get hold of any of the partners to discuss something. All of our clients are important to us and I don’t want that to change.
What goal do you have for the company?
I would like HALP! Media to be recognised as a top boutique BTL Agency. I would like the company to grow, but not to a size where we can’t give our clients the personal interaction that has been the pillar of growing our business. I believe in the personal touch and if a client can’t get hold of me, then I would like them to be able to get hold of any of the partners to discuss something. All of our clients are important to us and I don’t want that to change.
Tell us a bit more about yourself?
Haha, this has to be the hardest question of the lot! I am a routine-based person and I am known to have a few things that I like done a certain way. This does sometimes cause a little unrest at the office….. I am definitely a morning person. I am up at 05:00 and love getting the most of the day I would love it if the sun stayed up much later in Pretoria!
Tell us a bit more about yourself?
Haha, this has to be the hardest question of the lot! I am a routine-based person and I am known to have a few things that I like done a certain way. This does sometimes cause a little unrest at the office….. I am definitely a morning person. I am up at 05:00 and love getting the most of the day I would love it if the sun stayed up much later in Pretoria!
What has been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Juggling work and personal life has always been a challenge for me, I tend to get very involved in work and then I forget about my personal life a bit. I have over the years managed to get better at this and switch off a bit more when I do get home and when I am away from the office but it is still a work in progress. The last year has also been a massive challenge and at times, it has been pretty overwhelming with having to adapt and trying move a company that has been very focused on face-to-face marketing into another space. But there is a great team at HALP! and we have managed to adapt pretty well.
What has been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Juggling work and personal life has always been a challenge for me, I tend to get very involved in work and then I forget about my personal life a bit. I have over the years managed to get better at this and switch off a bit more when I do get home and when I am away from the office but it is still a work in progress. The last year has also been a massive challenge and at times, it has been pretty overwhelming with having to adapt and trying move a company that has been very focused on face-to-face marketing into another space. But there is a great team at HALP! and we have managed to adapt pretty well.
What are your outside interests? 
I love hiking and camping! It is by far the best way to switch off and get immersed in something. I’m lucky to have a great group of guys that go on a big 6 or 7 night self-sufficient hike in Big 5 areas. It is always the highlight holiday of my year. Then working around my house and gardening, I love being at home and keeping busy. We work in an industry that keeps us away from home and often on weekends (not right now, but it will get back there) so when I get the chance to spend a day or weekend at home it is great!
What are your outside interests? 
I love hiking and camping! It is by far the best way to switch off and get immersed in something. I’m lucky to have a great group of guys that go on a big 6 or 7 night self-sufficient hike in Big 5 areas. It is always the highlight holiday of my year. Then working around my house and gardening, I love being at home and keeping busy. We work in an industry that keeps us away from home and often on weekends (not right now, but it will get back there) so when I get the chance to spend a day or weekend at home it is great!