It runs in the blood. John O’Brien, Head of Agency Sales – Melbourne, has grown up with 10, with his dad running the News department in Melbourne for over 20 years.
John has now built his own history at 10 with eleven years under his belt at ATV, heading up a sales team and winning Media i Sales Team Of The Year in Melbourne 2020. With the birth of his son, Henry, there may just be a third generation joining the ranks.
Find out what John’s proudest moments have been at 10, what leadership means to him, and his secret talents!
JOB, tell us a bit about how you started at 10, and what your proudest moment is to-date.
I was sold into 10 at a very young age. My Father was the Head of News here in Melbourne for over 20 years.
I vividly remember coming into ATV at a very young age, spending countless days exploring Network 10 and being babysat by the entire News Team.
Having grown up with 10, I was set on pursuing a career in Media. This was all I wanted to achieve.
At first, I was keen on the idea of Journalism, however at the time, it was the party days in the sales world… the fancy cars, big expense accounts, and tickets to everything.
Clearly this was very attractive to me, therefore I chose the big world of television sales.
I was made to earn my stripes at regional Network 10 and after a few years there, I made the jump into the big leagues and became a Sales Executive at ATV Melbourne.
After being a Sales Executive for few years, I then made another jump and became a GSM. Since then, I’ve now had the pleasure of spending over 11 incredible years here at Network 10 and can easily say that I still have the same passion for my job as I did when I first started.
I simply love this brand and the people that make it.
My proudest moment to date would have to be winning the Media i Sales Team Of The Year in 2020. Winning this award, given the crazy year we had with the presence of COVID, I couldn’t be prouder of my team and the achievements they made.
What is your mantra, as a leader?
I’m a big believer that people and culture are the necessities to create a successful sales team. My ethos has always been to invest in people and the business outcomes will then follow.
Melbournians are no strangers to lockdowns, with restrictions easing for you, what are some simple freedoms you’re now enjoying?
My wife and I recently celebrated the birth of our first child, Henry Jack O’Brien who is now 5 months old. Whilst restrictions have eased across the state, in some way life is certainly still in lockdown for us.
In saying that, when we do have the time from the busy life as parents, we love visiting Melbourne’s awesome restaurant scene and spending time with our family and friends over weekends.
We asked JOB for any fun facts and hidden talents, here’s what he gave us…
- I’m new to fatherhood, as I recently had my first baby. Henry Jack O’Brien who is now 5 months old. This means I can finally make Dad jokes and get away with it!
- I’m actually a really great dancer… I can’t believe I just wrote that! I’m terrible…
- I’m completely tone def!
- I’ve recently been informed that, on occasion, I snort when I laugh.
- Lastly, I’m a huge football fan (soccer), my A-League team is Melbourne City. And this is now part of my job. What a win!
As we celebrate MTV this week, what would be the most memorable music video clip for you?
Ok… So I’d say it would have to be California Love by Tupac and Dr Dre.
