This week’s Meeting of the Minds sees Sophie Morris and Connor Sprague from Hopeful Monsters 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.
Sophie Morris, Business Director, Hopeful Monsters
Favourite podcast/read – ‘The Book of Joy’ – if you’ve not read it, do yourself a favour and pop it on your 2025 must read list. It won’t teach you how to be a better marketer necessarily, but it does remind you of the all important traits of being a compassionate, mindful leader.
Current streaming binge – Probably the least original answer possible, The White Lotus.
Guilty pleasure content – Bluey. Yep, I’m a Mum and nothing makes me feel more seen than Bluey’s parents. The ever relatable day to day slog of parenting, but also the joy of parenthood too. When you’re trying to balance work and family life, it’s nice to have those reminders. The Stickbird episode gets me every time 🥹
What do you have on repeat – I find it hard to work with my favourite pop ballads blaring in the background (shout out to Chappell Roan). Rather I like some soothing background music, and so one of my more consistently ‘most played artists’ is Howard Shore. So yes, I listen to the LOTR soundtrack way more than I should probably admit.
Best career advice – Always look at a problem as an opportunity. Whether it’s to strengthen a relationship or an idea. Rather than see it as a barrier, see it as a chance to show how amazing you are in a crisis, your resilience, how you can turn ‘a blocker’ into a way to push a project to a new more unexpected place, ultimately leading to a better outcome.
Leadership hero – Hopeful Monster’s compassionate yet daring leader – Katie Barclay! I’ve had the pleasure of having lots of incredible mentors in my life, but Katie is a stand-out. She is incredibly considerate of the team’s wellbeing, but also encourages us to take our ideas to unexpected places, and to push our work to the next level.
Best training course/session – My grad cert in screenwriting at AFTRS. It taught me so much about the importance of connecting with people through story and shared experience. So much of what we do as marketers is about seeking out those insights that people can relate to, and if you want to impact culture, tapping into people’s shared values and beliefs is key.
I wish someone had told me – Not to get so caught up in the day to day and get distracted by things that take you away from what you are actually setting out to do. Remember to make sure you regularly step back and think about the bigger picture, the brand mission and campaign objective.
Favourite place to network – Being Perth based now, I would have to say Fremantle. It’s such a creative, eclectic community. I’ve met some really interesting people, and made some great new connections going to local events, shows and gigs.
Something that surprised you about the industry – There’s something so alluring about creative agencies – the cool, creative people who work in them, the non-conventional office spaces, etc, etc. But after a while I realised, that actually, a lot of the agencies I admired didn’t have a strong point of view. I think that’s what ended up attracting me to Hopeful Monsters. It’s often hard to differentiate between creative agencies and what sets them apart from the pack – I would love to see more agencies be bolder in how they position themselves.
What is your hot take on the industry – It’s nothing ground breaking, but I would still love to see us all place a little less value in metrics like impressions, views, etc. I think the question we need to start asking ourselves is, are people actually going to pay attention? There is so much data out there now that is proving for the most part, they aren’t. I think there’s been a slight shift recently, but there’s still a way to go in placing more emphasis on creativity.
Career goal for 2025 – To deliver incredible campaigns for our clients that other agencies wish they had 😉
Connor Sprague, Account Executive, Hopeful Monsters
Favourite podcast/read – I’m about to finish reading Kyle Chayka’s Filterworld, looking into how algorithms have flattened culture. Although dense with information, it’s been nice to gain context and research on algorithms, as they often seem so foreign and secretive. Can’t recommend it enough.
Current streaming binge – I am obsessed with Taskmaster. With a lot of noise going on in the world right now, it’s so nice to decompress with such a silly show. Season 16 of the UK series is probably my favourite so far, with Australian Comedian Sam Campbell shining through with his absurd comedy and quick wit.
Guilty pleasure content – I’m not a big TV or film guy, often going to YouTube before any streaming services. Recently I have been diving into the Vice archives reliving some of their older documentaries that inspired me as a teenager to be curious about the world around me.
What do you have on repeat – I can’t stop listening to German hip hop, there’s something so fresh and fun about that scene at the moment with artists like makko, Ski Aggu and Zartmann releasing incredible projects that sound so different. The craziest thing is I can’t speak or understand any German.
Best career advice – Stay curious! When I joined Hopeful Monsters it was inspiring to see how much everyone shared across such a vast range of interests and niches. We have access to so much information and by just taking some time to dive into pockets of the internet or local culture, you can learn so much.
Leadership hero – I am lucky to work with an incredible team on the global Converse account at Hopeful Monsters, with so much knowledge and experience around me. My manager Lucy Coulthart has really pushed me to grow, taking the time to make sure I’m constantly learning and improving. The whole team has really boosted my confidence and made me love the work I’m doing.
Best training course/session – Not as much of a training session, but I was sent to SXSW in 2023, as someone quite junior in the team it was something I never expected. I was left truly inspired by many sessions but the one that stood out to me was Derrick Gee talking about internet culture. He was so open and honest, sharing a wealth of information. I still think about it often and that session helped shape a lot of the work I do on social media.
I wish someone had told me – To stop rushing, take a breath and let yourself think. We live in such a fast-paced world and I’ve always felt that being able to make decisions quickly was needed all of the time. However, I’m learning that being able to take your time is such a valuable skill across work and wider life.
Favourite place to network – The beer garden at a gig! Music connects people from all walks of life and you never know who you might meet. I’ve had so many great chats dipping out of a gig for some fresh air and have been able to meet incredible people.
Something that surprised you about the industry – A lack of alternative pathways to the industry, especially on the creative side. There are great initiatives like D&AD Shift to bring in non-traditional hires but I’m surprised that more agencies and brands aren’t looking more at our freelance creatives who are creating incredible work on really tight budgets. You just have to look at people like Slipp and Max Dona who are creating incredible work with brands and artists.
What is your hot take on the industry? – Australian brands and media are dragging behind with our integration of internet culture. Locally, traditional media seems to avoid connecting with online culture and talent, with very few brands or broadcasters taking the risk to work with emerging internet personalities. The UK’s Channel 4.0 is a great example of how working with internet creatives can engage younger people in TV with shows like Worst In Class taking YouTube formats and personalities to traditional media.
Career goal for 2025: This year I want to create more work that I’m really proud of, work that positively impacts culture and feels good. It’s been a good start to the year, but I’m really hoping to stay consistent with strong work.
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Past editions of Meeting of the Minds.
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Top image: Sophie Morris and Connor Sprague