Adam Gilsenan, a former chief media buyer for the Daily Mail and now chief media consultant at European mobile advertising company YOC, takes our quick-fire Q&A challenge.

1 – Summarise yourself in three words.   

“Conscientious, Self-motivated, Dad.”

2 – What made you want to pursue a career in media and marketing?

“I have and always will love newspapers. I didn’t really enjoy English at school (although I did get a grade A at A-Level) and didn’t fancy becoming a journalist. So when my best friend Matthew told me that he was being paid by the Liverpool Echo to go out and talk to people about what was great about the newspaper, I decided that it was the job for me. I had always read The Independent and so I picked the phone up and asked if they had any jobs going, after a quick phone interview I was offered a role selling classified advertising.

“Fast forward a few years (ahem) and now at YOC I’m now really enjoying combining the old with the new. News brands have never been consumed on such a wide scale and Mobile is at the forefront of distributing high quality premium content, on a mass scale, wherever and whenever the consumer wants it.”

3 – Describe your ideal client.        

“I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with some brilliant clients over the years, each has brought something different and inspirational. The core values that the best clients have are passion, creativity and an open mind.”

4 – Name your favourite ever campaign.

“’Lego Movie’ by PHD and Warner Bros – cleaned up at many media awards, it was such a simple idea, brilliantly executed and a great example of collaboration.”

5 – Which award win are you most proud of, and why?

“Campaign Sales Team of the Year. It was the first award the Mail had ever won, it was also symbolic of a lot of change we had instigated at the Mail. The team had worked hard to change The Mail’s perception in the market and it was great for them to be recognised for their hard work.”

6 – Who is the best industry speaker you have seen?

“It’s a dead heat between Guy Zitter and Rory Sutherland. Mr Zitter is an amazing raconteur and the shrewdest business person I’ve ever known. Rory is a brain on legs, incredibly inspiring and contempory.”

7 – Which is your favourite social media platform, and why?

“Twitter. As per my earlier point I’ve always had an interest in the news and this amazing rolling newsfeed has changed the way in which we engage with the news.”

8 – Where is your ideal meeting venue?

“We Work. We are moving office in August to a We Work – if you’ve not been in a We Work office check them out or pop by for a coffee, great environment and the future of free flow working.”

9 – What is your favourite restaurant?  

“Il Portico on High Street Kensington. Say hi to James and that Mr Adam sent you…”

10 – What is hot in international media and marketing, and what is not?

“HOT – Wearable tech, VR is especially cool. Digital OOH is showing promise, but they have a lot of work to do.

“NOT – Lack of standardised metrics in the mobile landscape.”

11 – Which industry buzzword would you ban?

“Any acronym, especially in programmatic – we need to use more vowels.”

12 – Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

“CEO of a premium content business.”

13 – Finally, who would play you in a movie of your life?

“Danny Devito. I’m a twin, he’s 6’5 and I am 5’10.”