Matt, who joined us as a Project Manager in March, has quickly become an integral member of the team, helping to deliver projects across all of our services.

Here, Matt talks a bit about his Blue Stag journey so far, and why he loves to hate running.

Tell us a bit about your career before Blue Stag…

After studying film and television production in London, I moved into Sports Broadcasting as a camera operator before working across the Premier League and Women’s Tennis Association as an assistant producer which included a sabbatical to Sydney.

After moving back to Wales to start a family, I moved into commercial video production working on anything from mini docs, animations and TV ads. Clients included Tesla, Amazon, Transport for Wales and S4C.

What are some highlights and why?

I managed a project creating content for Tesla Energy*, which was an amazing experience. I’m super interested in green technology, and getting to tell the stories of customers and local authorities pioneering the use of home batteries was both interesting and rewarding.

*This was before Elon… Eloned

My time working in sports broadcasting was also really inspiring. I was able to meet some of the world’s top athletes at the biggest events in sport, conducting interviews with rugby stars like Sonny Bill Williams, and tennis legend Serena Williams.

How are you finding it at Blue Stag so far?

It’s wonderful “joining the herd” at Blue Stag. It’s such a lovely team who are super talented, but also advocate for good by pursuing causes that have a positive impact on our world.

I’ve been throwing myself into learning about all the unique challenges our clients face whether it’s promoting what they do effectively, or having enough time and resources to make their campaign a success. Getting a clear understanding of their needs has been key to helping bring out the best version of their project.

The role we play in their mission has been really exciting, and I’ve found it rewarding to learn about what they all do, whether that’s launching a new website or promoting a new three-year strategy.

What draws you to project management?

Project management tickles both sides of my brain, the pragmatist and the creative.

I like to organise information and work alongside people, and MAYBE I’m a control freak deep down, but I do get a kick out of helping others succeed and strut their stuff.

As a project manager, you’re constantly in contact with the whole team, and you get opportunities to build great relationships. I also make sure that I support the team with what they need rather than being a time cop who kicks down doors and asks, “When’s this getting done?”.

I’ve only had to do that, like, two times so far, which is good going. *Winks at the camera.*

What draws you to working with Blue Stag?

The thing that drew me the most to Blue Stag was how their work solves genuine problems.

If someone needs access to an important service, but the website is unusable or difficult to navigate, that has a real-world impact.

I love how clients come to Blue Stag and say, “We have this problem.” Then, they trust Blue Stag won’t just put their finger in the air and guess, but that we will go away, do the research, and gain the insights that will lead to a genuinely useful solution.

Solving a problem that has a real-world benefit is a huge motivator in the post-COVID era, when we’re all searching for a bit more meaning in what we do.

What do you like to get up to outside of work?

Outside of work, you’ll find me running, hiking and pretending I know what I’m doing at the gym.

I balance all that by also owning a collection of 50 board games, which gives my brain a workout too.

My favourite game is Brass: Birmingham, set in the Midlands and about industrial manufacturing in the 19th century. And they say board games aren’t cool!

I hear you’ve been smashing out some 10k races around South Wales recently. What draws you to running?

I actually HATE running! Sort of.

The act of running can be hard, uncomfortable and make you question your life choices.

But the feeling you get when you STOP running is pretty awesome. So, maybe it’s that I like to stop running. Either way, I’m forever chasing that high.

Plus, it costs nothing other than a good pair of trainers (though I have spent over £100 and counting this year on race entries, so…)