“It elevated my want and need to network and connect with people all over the world and dream up a huge range of concepts in the real and virtual world. I also spent the time really knuckling down on my abilities on the financial side of things. There’s definitely something to be said about being pushed out of your comfort zone and lockdown certainly did that.” Throughout the pandemic NorthHouse dug deep and created a show which became a masterpiece in augmented reality, a success that showed their innovation could take them anywhere. Tom said: “We came out of the first lockdown with an incredible augmented reality awards show we designed - The Green Carpet Fashion Awards - that was truly revolutionary. I couldn’t be prouder of what we achieved and what my team created. This cemented itself as a flagship project for how we progressed from then on.” By 2022 NorthHouse were turning away four projects for every project they took on and when they finished projection-mapping onto Buckingham Palace for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee’ Party at the Palace’, Tom had reached the limit of the work he could take on, hitting burnout like never before. Burnout is common in the industry and according to PCMA.org, work/life balance is the biggest source of burnout for planners and suppliers in the industry alike. Tom feels the pressure of a work/life balance but is a grounded, down-toearth family man who strives to create equilibrium not just to benefit himself and his own young family but for his team as well as making NorthHouse a positive and comfortable work environment. He also looks to support and encourage those coming into the industry too, feeling strongly that sharing business insight and helping others is a big part of who he is and what NorthHouse stands for. Tom is an Ambassador for Media at Big Creative Education College, London, working to create industry-standard briefs and help students succeed in the industry. Tom adds: “I’m enjoying taking this outside of NorthHouse, giving talks at schools and universities, mentoring and coaching, helping students to find a place and lifestyle within the creative world.” Tom continued: “Although I hit peak burnout more than ever before, I was incredibly proud of what we had achieved. It came with the realisation that our full-time team had to grow to continue at this level. We were dealing with an even higher volume of requests for big projects all over the world that we simply could not keep up with. I had to act fast but in a very calculated manner and gradually doubled the team with a combination of Director and Manager levels down to Junior.” “Going forwards, we’re focused on creating the best experiences and always pushing the boundaries on every show and installation we do.” www.ceotodaymagazine.com 22
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