Meet Brian and Mattie
“If I was to rank what I like about FMD, it would be culture and then development and growth and then knowledge… or learning. SEM is funny. There’s no perfect way to do it. It’s culture, development and technical knowledge to round it all out. We would want someone who’s hungry to grow and develop more than the technical stuff… we can teach them that.”
Corporate volunteering at Fareshare Kitchen with Brian, Mattie and Anne.
For Brian, it’s all about the vibe. He loves all things SEM - client management, bids, strategy, solution innovation, all of it - some would say he breathes paid marketing like most agency big-wigs mainline coffee. However, before making the leap across to FMD, he said he found his work was lacking something.
“I just didn’t feel like the work I was doing was that valuable because I never really dealt with the client. It was off balance.”
And so he took the algorithm by its 404s and made the jump to FMD where he’s now the Head of Paid Search and Solutions.
“FMD offered that opportunity to me. Granted it was only small at the time, but I knew I would have that exposure to dealing with clients and being able to polish a skill.”
While FMD has grown considerably since it’s early days in a Seddon warehouse, it still exudes a small-team feel. It’s perfect for Brian. The closeness means he’s completely across the business, from in-jokes about Matcha tea to business changes and direct feedback from colleagues. Most of all, he’s always in touch with his clients, listening to their goals and talking strategy.
He says that no day is the same. He might be in accounts one day, team management the next before heading into a meeting.
“I have the freedom to tend to wherever I think the team needs the most support and resources. There’s no lines that are being crossed in doing that, if anything it’s encouraged!”
Brian found a sense of value at FMD, but previous co-worker and friend Mattie, found himself facing the exact same challenges at Brian’s old workplace.
“I never got that feeling that if I did a good job, or the results were particularly good, you would actually feel the results were good. It was like the head chef vs the line chef. The line chefs are doing all the work, but the head chef gets the Michelin star.”
Mattie was feeling the bite of doing more of the same-old, same-old. Although he liked his workplace, Brian delivered an offer he couldn't refuse (maybe the dinner and drinks had something to do with it). There was spot available on Brian's team - it only seemed natural Mattie joined FMD to continue the great work of this dynamic duo.
With the two reunited and working together, they found FMD to be completely different. For Mattie, in particular, he grew from a coordinator position to a Senior Search Specialist.
“I wouldn’t have gotten that far without FMD. They’ve allowed me to grow into that role, and honestly have given me the best shot at a job overseas.”
As the two talk about how they feel here compared to other agencies, there isn’t one voice dominating the conversation. One talks about their own experience before inviting the other to add something, asking for their take on the question.
“We’ll give you the opportunity to just go in and say, you’re working on this and we’ll give you this responsibility. We’ll show you how, of course but we’ll give you that chance to get your hands dirty, to swim in the deep end with us as your floaties.”
Mattie nods his head as Brian speaks, before agreeing that you’ll get a lot of opportunity tied with support to help you achieve your goals.
“If there’s a specific goal or skill, or reason why you’re considering FMD, there is a likely chance that you’ll be given the opportunity to pursue it.”
When it comes to their approach to SEM and client management, Brian says that the team will take on board what vendors say but will also apply their own knowledge, expertise and intuition to take things beyond standard practice.
“I think what some agencies do is they take what vendors say and treat it like gospel but that’s not necessarily what’s in the client’s best interest,” he says. “There’s a very trusting relationship between us and our clients.”
When asked to boil it all down about what makes them stay with FMD, both Brian and Mattie agree that despite being a remote workplace: “it’s the vibe”.
“There’s learning, there’s development but honestly I think it’s the vibe. The first thing I noticed was culturally, this is awesome,” Brian says.
Friday night burgers with Mattie, Brian and David at Butcher’s Diner.
And while it’s difficult to build those relationships while working remotely, both highlight that FMD has worked very hard to put systems into place that help bridge that gap.
At first, Mattie didn’t think training of staff could be managed well remotely. But FMD proved him wrong. He points to a lack of barriers in being social with your team as well as training and development.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Mattie laughs. “There’s a really strong relationship among the team - it’s like gaming friends!”
Brian and Mattie both agree that FMD is the perfect fit for anyone that wants to work for an agency that truly values who you are and the work that you do.
“I think you’re always going to find someone who knows the thing you’re trying to figure out and if not, they’re going to try and help you figure it out and solve it,” says Mattie.