This week’s Meeting of the Minds sees Aaron Jansen and Laura Joye from Bench Media reveal their leadership heroes, current streaming binge, and career goals.
The Mediaweek series showcases diverse perspectives, thoughts and opinions by bringing together two different points of view from an industry rookie and an experienced expert.
Aaron Jansen, Head of Performance, Bench Media
Favourite podcast/read – The ‘Diary of a CEO’ podcast has been a go-to. It’s insightful, thought provoking, and feels like learning without the textbooks, packed with real world business wisdom and practical takeaways.
Current streaming binge – I’m currently finishing the new season of Black Mirror. It’s interesting to think about how technology will change daily life in different ways, and it’s been an eye opener to consider that some of the scenes could be a reality in our lifetime.
Guilty pleasure content – I love watching geo guessing competitions. It’s surprisingly addictive to see how well people can identify locations based on minimal clues, and I enjoy trying to guess along with them!
What do you have on repeat – Binaural beats is my go-to background audio for deep focus. They use subtle frequency differences to help shift the brain into a more concentrated state. A simple but powerful way to get into flow.
Best career advice – The best career advice I’ve received: ‘Have a clear goal, then reverse engineer the steps to get there.’ It’s how I approach my work, personal growth, and support my team. Focus first on where you’re going, then build momentum through daily actions.
Leadership hero – James Clear is a leadership hero of mine. Atomic Habits reshaped my approach to productivity, focusing on consistency over time, which aligns with how I pursue long-term goals.
Best training course/session – Communication Strategies for Becoming an Inspiring Leader short course at Sydney University. It helped me be more intentional in how I communicate, motivate others, and show up as a leader day to day.
I wish someone had told me – No one really knows what they’re doing at the start. You just take the next step and trust that your future self will figure it out!
Favourite place to network – The opportunities in this industry often bring us out to experience new activities, try exciting restaurants, and explore unique experiences. It’s a great way to network in a relaxed and enjoyable setting.
Something that surprised you about the industry – The only constant is change. If you don’t adapt, you’re not in the game. It’s like playing musical chairs, but the music never stops.
What is your hot take on the industry – AI is reshaping how we plan, execute, and analyse campaigns, but its true potential lies in how it integrates with real world creativity and the human touch. The most successful early adopters will be those who blend the power of AI with human insights, to create more impactful and personalised experiences.
Career goal for 2025/26 – Continue developing my skills, take on new challenges, and build on my leadership skills to create a greater impact and continue growing in an evolving industry.
Laura Joye, Digital Strategy Executive, Bench Media
Favourite podcast/read – I caught the Fourth Wing bug and I’m not mad about it! I’ve just started on the second book of the series Iron Flame and I’m loving it. In terms of podcasts, I love Shameless. It’s so digestible and I love hearing their opinions on everything pop culture!
Current streaming binge – I’m a little late to the party but I’ve just binged the first series of The Last of Us. I might have timed it perfectly with the second season having just come out. I watched the second episode of the second season and those who have seen it will know- my jaw hit the floor. Every episode feels like a movie, I’m hooked.
Guilty pleasure content – I don’t know what it is about watching cleaning videos but my whole FYP is CleanTok. You’d think watching copious amounts of videos of people cleaning their houses would motivate me to deep clean mine everyday but watching them enjoy their clean houses seems to be enough to satisfy my need for that.
What do you have on repeat – I’m not sure if it’s by choice or my algorithm but all I’m hearing lately is theLet Them Theory by Mel Robbins. I’ve started putting it into practice and I have definitely noticed a difference in my attitude about the things we can’t control.
Best career advice – “You’ll never know everything”- I think there’s a lot of comfort in that. It’s easy to feel like everyone around you knows more than you do but in reality no one knows everything and everyone is just figuring it out.
Leadership hero – I have always been a big Grace Beverly fan. I love her becoming story and how she’s taken her followers along with her on her journey from the start. The difference she wants to make in fashion sustainability is really inspiring but I love how she always remains relatable and not only shows her highlights but also how challenging things can get while starting a business. It’s interesting to watch her navigate life.
Best training course/session – I did a Time Management course last year and found it really useful. I learnt a lot about prioritisation and time blocking. I still use a lot of the things I learnt from it in my day to day.
I wish someone had told me – Everything falls into place- slow down and trust the process.
Favourite place to network – I love networking over coffee or a few drinks, something casual that feels more personal.
Something that’s surprised you about the industry – I think being new enough to the industry I automatically thought that Social Media was the best and only form of marketing but you quickly learn how many capabilities there are especially when it comes to targeting. It’s interesting to see just how niche and granular you can get with targeting- almost a little terrifying!
What is your hot take on the industry – TV streaming is moving backwards- from the consumer’s perspective. The whole point of streaming was to have an ad free environment but we’re heading right back to the traditional model we thought we left behind. Although the opportunity for advertising is positive, it will take some time to iron out the edges and make the ads feel more seamlessly integrated into streaming content.
Career goal for 2025/26 – To just keep learning. There’s so much to learn in this industry and it’s ever changing.
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Past editions of Meeting of the Minds.
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Top image: Aaron Jansen and Laura Joye