The studying (and drum & bass parties) happened at BA Goldsmiths, University of London where I got a Bachelor of Arts Hons degree in Design (First class honours) — The learning happened working in various in-house roles and agencies in different corners of the world.

The space industry has been up and running for about 70 years and so a lot of assumptions have been established about how a space company should conduct itself.

We all live in our own echo-chambers and it's especially challenging when we're surrounded by like-minded people and businesses to break out and say 'Oi, here’s why we’re different!’

I'm not sure if I am on solid ground here, but I'll throw it out there anyway. The space industry has tried for the longest time to be ultra-serious and (for want of a better word) – boring. This has resulted in a lot of different space companies, even those occupying completely different segments, having remarkably similar characteristics. Those characteristics have lost a lot of what made them interesting because they’ve been imitated to saturation point.

And that’s the thing, customers, investors, employees and fans want to be interested and – dare I say it – entertained.  And I’d argue space is universally entertaining, inspiring and at the very least – compelling.

But, if you wander around a space industry event or flick through various space industry social accounts you’ll feel like you’re watching the same ad over and over.

This isn’t a bug, it’s a feature.

When I started out in the creative industry, the work I was doing couldn’t have been further from what I do now. Working on consumer brands with similar problems to the space sector but with wildly different audiences. That's why I probably know a bit more about infant formula, ice cream and makeup than the average person, a dubious honour to say the least.

But these out-of-sector experiences, combined with the pace and rigour of agency life shaped my mindset as I first ventured into the space industry.

Every space business has a unique story (and an even more remarkable story behind that story), how do we use its brand assets to tell that story that takes people on a bit of an adventure and doesn't leave them bored?

Space is such a capital-intensive industry and no founder wants another job added to the stack. However, I'd argue that every space company is a consumer company by default and that if you want customers, investors, employees and fans, a bit of brand experience goes a long way.

On a daily basis, I pinch myself and say ‘you’re ridiculously fortunate to be working with these legendary people who are moving the space industry forward. Now go and make the client and their audience feel the same way.'

When I was 9 years old, I made a rocket out of a washing-up liquid bottle that, through a series of bizarre coincidences, resulted in an advertising agency sending me and my family to Florida to see the launch of the Cassini-Huygens mission.

Since then I've worked with people in the creative industry who were at that same agency (Greys) when all of this happened and met people in the space industry who worked on the Cassini-Huygens mission and were there on the beach with (the kid version of) me when it launched.

🚀 Experiencing clients' emotions when they have a breakthrough moment.

🎢 Qualitative research interviews. Each one is a whirlwind tour of a different niche of the space sector with the smartest tour guides imaginable and radically unexpected discoveries around every corner.

🔭 Meeting founders and marketers who see beyond tactics.

📷 Wandering around space industry expos and spotting the number of booths that use this (infamous) image: https://images.nasa.gov/details/iss045e028460

🏔️ Gradually covering my hiking pack with mission patches, shout out to Anna Shaposhnik for kindly giving me Orbit Fab's Tenzing patch to get things started.

⛏️ Unearthing provocative stories during site visits. They're always there, you've just got to dig.