Meet the Career Chameleons: Marketing, Comms, Brand
Professionals from BUCK, Dalziel & Pow, amp, and Venables Bell & Partners say winding career paths equipped them with critical skills for telling compelling company stories
Above (left to right): Justin Cone (executive director of communications, BUCK), Becca Peppiatt (marketing director, Dalziel & Pow), Brandy Kennedy (senior brand manager, Venables Bell & Partners), Farah Syed (director, marketing and communications, amp)
“If ADHD wrote a resume, mine would be Exhibit A,” muses Justin Cone, executive director of communications at art, design, and technology company, BUCK. “My career has been anything but linear, including jaunts as a web developer, animator, designer, producer, entrepreneur, and now executive.”
Justin is one of the ‘career chameleons’ LBB has spoken to as part of its series by the same name. So far, ‘secret suit’ creatives, client handlers, strategy and transformation experts, producers, and leaders have all shared their stories of the career ladder less climbed to shed light on evolving skillsets and how fluid job paths might help advertising become more flexible and resilient. Taking the mic for this final instalment are people in comms, marketing, and brand roles – those who package a company culture and present it to the world.
When Justin joined BUCK, the team saw his winding journey as a reflection of the “beautifully chaotic discipline of motion design itself: an optimistic blend of graphic design, filmmaking, animation, sound, and technology.” So when it came to shaping Justin’s role, they leaned into it. As executive director of communications, his ability to speak the language of all kinds of creatives is central to telling BUCK’s stories effectively. A stretch as the editor-in-chief of Motionographer and as a freelance author has also made Justin particularly well-attuned to what excites audiences, and able to bridge the gap between artistic vision and business realities.
It’s the same effect that Becca Peppiatt, marketing director at strategy and design studio, Dalziel & Pow, cites: “Each shift – between delivery, strategy, client management and creative understanding – wasn’t a step back or sideways, it was an additional skill and fluency.”
Initially embarking upon a traditional path with a BSc in marketing and a certification in digital and direct marketing, Becca headed off to undertake focused technical and data-driven work in social media management and paid advertising. “But after two years, I found myself craving deeper human connection and broader strategic input,” she remembers.
A one-year detour to client services and account management ended up being a major turning point – a crash course in the real business of marketing, “not just its output.” Gaining hands-on experience by the day in forecasting, budgeting, stakeholder alignment and client-creative relationships, Becca simultaneously pursued a diploma in graphic design to bridge the gap between strategy and creative execution.
As a direct result, Becca now benefits from a broader, deeper understanding of the full marketing ecosystem. “Suddenly I could move between boardrooms and creative studios with confidence, credibility and clarity.”
The director of marketing and communications at amp, Farah Syed, also notes that the breadth of her experience across industries, disciplines, and roles within entertainment, branding, and advertising has given her a unique edge – only this time in understanding “not just the brand, but how culture should see it.”
Part of that was fine-tuned during her time in brand partnerships at WME, learning to marry creative vision with commercial strategy while working on campaigns for major talent including Quentin Tarantino, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna alongside partners like Samsung, Sonos, and Virgin Mobile; another was forged at Beatport, where she mastered the art of blending cultural insight with brand clarity when launching collaborations with Twitch and Absolut. Each chapter fed into the next, says Farah, and has continued to supplement her expertise at amp, whether she’s creating social strategy or positioning audio branding to resonate culturally.
Brandy Kennedy’s various pit stops, meanwhile, all took place within the same ad agency – Venables Bell & Partners – beginning as a studio coordinator, moving into people and experience, and ending up as senior brand manager.
Learning the ins and outs of advertising via that route has opened up Brandy’s comprehension of internal perspectives, in turn bettering her comprehension of the shape of the brand. Deeply involved in culture-building and purpose-driven initiatives, her DEI background has also equipped her with a “consumer-first lens, helping me think beyond messaging to how different audiences actually experience the work.”
“I believe each role has made me better for the next and ultimately more valuable to our agency and clients,” Brandy concludes. “I’m a big believer that broadening our skillsets and experiences makes us stronger and more fulfilled over the long term.”
