We had a fantastic year in 2019 for colleagues submitting stories and personal profiles for The Bubble. We even had the Field Sales Team competing to see who could appear the most times.
We’d like this to keep growing in 2020 and it would be great to see more colleagues taking inspiration from the Field Sales Team. With this in mind and so you know who to send your stories to, this edition we’re profiling Mat, who writes The Bubble.
Name: Mat Croshaw
Job title: Marketing Projects Manager
Tell us a bit about yourself
First and foremost, I’m a family man. Partner to Helen and dad of a bonkers six-year-old called Oscar and a surly but still very nice teenager called Will. We love German Shepherd Dogs and have a beautiful and very athletic five-year-old called Xena, who we adopted through a charity called German Shepherd Dog Rescue, which we support with fundraising.
We love the outdoors, especially long country walks with Xena, and live in a village just outside Hull which has access to lots of great routes. I’ve recently taken up running and have really got the bug; it’s a great de-stresser and very satisfying when you’ve run a decent distance in a good time. Aside from that, I love food and wine, and enjoy cooking for family and friends. I’m also really into craft beer and have recently re-discovered by love for reading.
Describe your job to a five-year-old
I write things about things that other people are doing.
What do you like most about your job?
I like learning new things and have a natural inquisitiveness that I remember doing my primary school teacher’s head in because I asked so many questions. In this role, I talk to different people and learn new things every day. I also like playing a role in ensuring people get recognition for what they do and in helping to promote things that deserve a little publicity.
How did you get here?
I left university without much of a plan but quite quickly got a job as a local newspaper reporter, working for a couple of market town weeklies. I got my professional qualification and went up to a regional daily (the Hull Daily Mail – don’t hate me!). From there, it was a fairly natural progression into local government PR, a broader marketing management role for a local college and then a more senior management role in an NHS trust. I left that role to set up my own business and was lucky enough to secure a part-time maternity role for Ideal Standard which has continued for two and a half years so far and which I really enjoy. I also work for the group company and have a number of smaller clients.
What motivates you?
I really don’t know! I think I simply like the satisfaction of a job well done and, going back to a previous question, the good feeling I get from helping people. I really enjoy writing so it’s not hard to motivate myself at all.
If you could swap jobs with anyone, who would it be?
I love writing and I love food so something like a food blogger, rather than a restaurant critic, would be right up my street.
Your favourite song lyric or line from a film
Something from the sitcom Spaced.
(After Brian has received his party invite)
Tim: So are you going to go?
Brian: I don’t know. I haven’t seen her for ages.
Tim: No. I mean, are you going to go, now?
Brian: Oh, yeah. (He leaves)
Your favourite app?
Youtube Music is great because it has learnt my eclectic taste in music. I just put on “your mixtape” and like the surprises of songs I love but haven’t heard for a while.
Biggest facepalm moment at work?
It’s a close call between two pretty bad ones. This one is shorter…
I had a meeting with someone and walked into reception to ask to be escorted to the room I needed to be in. The receptionist was in her early 20s and wearing a pencil skirt. At this point, it’s important to tell you that it was back in the days when you’d take ages choosing your mobile phone ringtone and text alert. My text alert at the time was the noise a camera shutter makes.
So, the receptionist offers to take me to the meeting room and I’m walking behind her and her pencil skirt, phone in hand, checking an email, when I get a text message and the camera shutter sound goes off. She looks round at me, a man in his mid-30s with my phone pointing towards a certain part of her anatomy and sounding like I’ve just taken a photo, and she gives me this really evil look. I was lost for words and to this day I still don’t know why I didn’t explain it to her.