Lee Donnelly is managing director at national out of home (OOH) marketing specialist StickupMedia!
Founded in 1999 by Donnelly and Stef Loukes, the company is based in Manchester and specialises in the music, theatre, and events sector.
Now with a team of around 20 staff, StickupMedia! recently celebrated 25 years in business, and is continuing to expand and provide clients with OOH campaign planning, production and media buying right across the UK.
Whether it’s promoting Run-DMC to advice from Simon Moran from SJM Concerts, Donnelly shares his lucky breaks, failures and all the lessons he’s learnt along the way…
Which single daily habit or practice could you not do without?
It’s pretty straight forward for me but a good cup of coffee is an absolute must. I’m always on the go and I’m an early riser so I need to kick things off with great coffee. Also the process of making a decent cup in the morning gives me time to stop and think about how I’m going to tackle the day.
What’s been your luckiest break?
Meeting Simon Moran, the MD of SJM Concerts. I got to know Simon back in 1997, and he gave me a bit of advice and guidance. This led to us working with SJM and them starting to put a few shows our way when they were too busy. One day he gave us a Fall show to promote and that was our first proper taste of promoting decent sized gigs… which led to us being full-time promoters and then in turn onto what we do today – providing out of home services, specialising in the live industry.
What’s your best failure?
Promoting Run-DMC – it’s fair to say that you can’t always predict what will work and I lost a few quid. It was a good lesson – you need to remember that in this business you do win some and lose some. Taking a loss like that, it’s a reminder that you’re not invincible and it keeps you on your toes.
What is the best investment you’ve ever made, either financial or time?
The time I put into listening to clients. It sounds simple, but from my experience it’s not a given that people will completely engage and listen when they are briefed. For your expertise to be at its most effective, you need to fully understand where the client is coming from – that’s how we select the right OOH campaign every time. No two clients are ever the same, and their goals will never quite be the same either.
Which podcast or book would you recommend others to read/listen to, and why?
I don’t do loads of podcast listening or even reading if I’m totally honest – it’s not how I switch off or learn, but I have recently started listening more to podcasts and really enjoyed Dessert Island Discs. Dead simple – just people sharing their life story through music and I have loved that. The recent Nick Cave episode was fascinating.
What one piece of advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
If I could talk to my 21-year-old self, I’d tell him – just do your best. As long as you’re grafting hard, showing up consistently, learning and being accountable, then you won’t go far wrong.
Who or what has had the single biggest influence on your working life?
In all honesty, it’s hard to pin down one person or thing that has had the biggest impact. I’m always trying to learn from new people and experiences, different projects or clients that come my way. To do well though, you have to have a clear mind and to have that clear mind you must have a good family, friends and people around you. I’m lucky enough to have been in that position for pretty much my whole career.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people.
I’m an avid golfer.
If there was one thing you could change about your career, what would it be and why?
I’d love to have moved into the out-of-home space about ten years earlier. The first chapter for StickUpMedia as a business was as concert promoters. That’s what gives us that great experience of the live industry and true understanding of how to sell tickets, so I’m so glad we did that, but I love what we do now and would definitely take another decade if I could!
What does success look like to you?
For me, success is all about having the ability to maximise your potential – whatever that might look like. Success isn’t about how much money you make – it’s about being the absolute best you can be, I really believe that.