Julia Edwards, Director of Programmatic Sales, Nine
Two decades in the media industry feels like a monumental journey, yet still a fleeting moment. In my career, I have witnessed a profound transformation from an analog-adjacent world to the instantaneous, digital, global landscape we work in today.
As a bridge between the Baby Boomer and digital-native generations, my experience began at a time when print and TV were gold. When I started in digital media in 2005 at The Guardian in London, digital was a small add-on fee for print ads.
What a contrast that is to Nine now, where our digital assets across the SMH, AFR, 9Now, Stan and HBO Max are the premium crown jewels our business is built around, and where our future product roadmaps focus on protecting them.
As Director of Programmatic Sales, my key focus is on developing automated buying solutions. These solutions enable advertisers to access our premium assets using some of the most sophisticated digital and data capabilities available worldwide.
To ensure that I could keep up with the rapid digital evolution of our industry across these two
decades and be successful in my various roles, I have had to understand these core lessons.
1. Learn to read a board report and know the basics of EBITDA
For those entering the industry, my first essential lesson is about due diligence and financial literacy. Being able to “follow the money” by reviewing a company’s board reports will help you discern a legitimate business from one that is smoke and mirrors. This knowledge is crucial for job hunting and also for understanding the focus and investment priorities of your current
business.
2. Always keep learning and asking questions
The media industry is in a state of perpetual transformation, driven by technological innovation, shifting consumer habits, and evolving business models. To remain relevant and effective, you must adopt a mindset of continuous learning.
This means actively seeking out knowledge about new platforms, data analytics techniques, emerging content formats, and the economic forces that shape the industry. Just as crucial as learning is the habit of asking profound, challenging questions.
Don’t simply accept the status quo or rely on outdated assumptions. Ask why a particular strategy is working (or failing), how new technology can genuinely serve the audience or your client, and what enduring human truths underpin the latest viral trend.
A willingness to question – your own methods, your team’s approach, and the prevailing wisdom of the market – fosters true innovation and ensures that your career does not stagnate alongside yesterday’s headlines.
3. There is never one way to do things
The media landscape, like any complex professional environment, is rarely governed by a single, optimal solution. A foundational truth I have learned is that rigid adherence to a this-is-how-we-do-it philosophy is the quickest path to stagnation.
True innovation and successful problem-solving stem from a deep appreciation for diverse perspectives.
Making sure you actively try to understand everyone’s point of view and seeing issues from all sides is not merely a soft skill, it is a critical strategy for achieving
superior outcomes.
4. Technology moves fast – keep up with the overall trend
While it is impossible and unrealistic to expect yourself to be a deep, technical expert in every single emerging technology, you must strive for a comprehensive awareness of the major shifts.
Seek out and listen to a wide range of experts on all trends relevant to your industry, whether those are developments in AI and machine learning, changes in content distribution models (from streaming to micro-platforms), new approaches to data analytics and audience measurement, or foundational shifts in infrastructure like cloud computing.
The goal is not to master the code, but to understand the strategic implication: How will this technology change how we create, distribute, and monetise content?
5. The value of disconnecting.
While the internet was initially imagined as a space for positive connection, growth and learning, it can often feel overwhelming, excessively fast and distracting: a source of what some call “brain rot” that encourages time-wasting.
Genuine digital innovation and solutions won’t emerge from constant engagement with technology.
Taking time away is essential; this distance allows for broader, clearer thinking, enabling you
to return with fresh perspectives to develop effective digital solutions.
The single most profound lesson I have absorbed from years in a dynamic industry is this: Nothing ever stays the same. This is not a cliché. It is the fundamental, immutable law governing innovation, career progression, and life itself.
Your perspective will change, shaped by new experiences, new mentors, and new failures. The
rigid beliefs you hold today will soften or be entirely replaced by more nuanced understandings
tomorrow.
The technology you use will change at a dizzying pace. WAP sites for me in 2007 meant
a very different thing to WAP today. The tools, platforms, programming languages, and interfaces that define your workflow today are destined to become legacy systems. Furthermore, your team will change.
Colleagues will move on, organisational structures will be reformed, and new talent will be
introduced, bringing with them fresh ideas and different ways of operating.
You must actively find ways to embrace this change. This means cultivating a growth mindset,
building resilience against temporary setbacks, and viewing every disruption not as a threat, but as an opportunity for reinvention.