00:01:57Nineties Magazine Scene
00:02:38PR Lessons And Story Craft
00:03:20From Promoter To Protagonist
00:03:50Biggest Mistake: Mistaking Adaptability For Focus
00:04:16The Cost: Others’ Brands Over My Own
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
We had Mark Terry-Lush back in episode 94 started his career in the glory days of magazines when Vogue was the size of a phone book and PR was full of big personalities. He worked with some of the most iconic names in the industry and learned how to tell and sell a story. But after 30 years, he realised his biggest mistake: confusing adaptability with focus.
In this episode, Mark shares why chasing every opportunity can leave you feeling lost, what happens when you spend decades building everyone else’s brand instead of your own, and how to find clarity in a noisy world.
Click here to listen to the full episode 94.
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English
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SHOW NOTES 🔗
TRANSCRIPT 🔗
WEBVTT
00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:06.320
Alright, well I I I started my career working in magazines with National Magazine Company and Condo Nas and I worked for their distribution company.
00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:08.480
This is way, way back in the beginning of the nineties.
00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:15.839
And it was at a time when magazines ruled the earth and you know you could get a copy of Vogue, and it was like the size of a telephone book.
00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:29.600
And and I used to market everything from Vogue and House and Garden to Viz and all the Paul Raymond pornography titles and Bob Gucci's penthouse and good knows what else.
00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:31.519
So I had one of the most popular desks in the office.
00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:36.479
It's the sort of thing that you wouldn't get away with now, and these offices would clearly be raided now, and so they should be.
00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:40.799
So I was always into the media after I left university.
00:00:41.039 --> 00:01:06.640
I went into PR very, very early on, after doing some editing and some journalism, worked in B2B, working for a lot of media companies in in PR terms, went on to work in consumer PR and ended up working um with some of the luminaries in the PR industry, some of whom are in have been in prison and are now dead, some of whom have just sort of retired but you know inspired things like absolutely fabulous.
00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:17.040
So I had quite a grounding in the 90s of working with some quite iconic PR people who taught me a lot about you know how to tell and sell a story.
00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:23.200
And I think the that actually turned me into the person who didn't want to just do PR and just do marketing.
00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:40.879
I actually sort of wanted to be the story at times, and that led me uh probably to my cost to end up sort of where I've ended up today, as a sort of combination of trying to use my career and use my job to further my own narcissistic endeavours.
00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:45.040
Narcissistic endeavours.
00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:46.959
What you should do is launch a podcast, Mark.
00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:48.159
That's what you need to do in your announcement.
00:01:50.719 --> 00:01:53.280
That brings us sort of round to what my biggest mistake is.
00:01:53.359 --> 00:02:05.040
And in thinking about this show and what is my biggest mistake, it actually is over the last 30 years, it's probably about confusing adaptability with focus and direction.
00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:13.439
I've spent years trying to sort of keep up with myself, being versatile and throwing myself into wild situations and new skills and new cultures.
00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:18.960
Um, but ultimately, adaptability just means you don't focus on anything whatsoever.
00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:21.520
And I think it's a glorious lesson for people.
00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:29.759
You can have a lot of fun on the way, but one day you wake up three years, three, three decades into your career, and you're like, hmm, what what have I got to show for it?
00:02:29.840 --> 00:02:35.199
I've been building everybody else's brand for the past 30 years, and I've sort of forgotten about my own.
00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:06.320
Alright, well I I I started my career working in magazines with National Magazine Company and Condo Nas and I worked for their distribution company.
00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:08.480
This is way, way back in the beginning of the nineties.
00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:15.839
And it was at a time when magazines ruled the earth and you know you could get a copy of Vogue, and it was like the size of a telephone book.
00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:29.600
And and I used to market everything from Vogue and House and Garden to Viz and all the Paul Raymond pornography titles and Bob Gucci's penthouse and good knows what else.
00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:31.519
So I had one of the most popular desks in the office.
00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:36.479
It's the sort of thing that you wouldn't get away with now, and these offices would clearly be raided now, and so they should be.
00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:40.799
So I was always into the media after I left university.
00:00:41.039 --> 00:01:06.640
I went into PR very, very early on, after doing some editing and some journalism, worked in B2B, working for a lot of media companies in in PR terms, went on to work in consumer PR and ended up working um with some of the luminaries in the PR industry, some of whom are in have been in prison and are now dead, some of whom have just sort of retired but you know inspired things like absolutely fabulous.
00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:17.040
So I had quite a grounding in the 90s of working with some quite iconic PR people who taught me a lot about you know how to tell and sell a story.
00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:23.200
And I think the that actually turned me into the person who didn't want to just do PR and just do marketing.
00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:40.879
I actually sort of wanted to be the story at times, and that led me uh probably to my cost to end up sort of where I've ended up today, as a sort of combination of trying to use my career and use my job to further my own narcissistic endeavours.
00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:45.040
Narcissistic endeavours.
00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:46.959
What you should do is launch a podcast, Mark.
00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:48.159
That's what you need to do in your announcement.
00:01:50.719 --> 00:01:53.280
That brings us sort of round to what my biggest mistake is.
00:01:53.359 --> 00:02:05.040
And in thinking about this show and what is my biggest mistake, it actually is over the last 30 years, it's probably about confusing adaptability with focus and direction.
00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:13.439
I've spent years trying to sort of keep up with myself, being versatile and throwing myself into wild situations and new skills and new cultures.
00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:18.960
Um, but ultimately, adaptability just means you don't focus on anything whatsoever.
00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:21.520
And I think it's a glorious lesson for people.
00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:29.759
You can have a lot of fun on the way, but one day you wake up three years, three, three decades into your career, and you're like, hmm, what what have I got to show for it?
00:02:29.840 --> 00:02:35.199
I've been building everybody else's brand for the past 30 years, and I've sort of forgotten about my own.
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