My box of stories

On the top shelf in my home study is an old shoebox, with the word ‘Lanyards’ written in black Sharpie on the side. Inside are around fifty lanyards, attached to which are laminated passes. Each pass tells a story of projects I’ve worked on.

i love rooting through this box. It’s a tangible reminder of all the wonderful - and crazy - things I’ve done over the last 35-odd years. It’s kind of a visual CV. This box is probably a better representation of my career than what would ever appear on paper or for a LinkedIn profile.

So perhaps there’s a bit of irony there for me as someone who posts a lot on LinkedIn. Much of what I’ve done falls outside of neat categories. Much of what I’ve done has followed an unconventional path. And the contents of this box tell so many stories.

It’s important that we tell the stories about our experiences in our career. We’re able to reveal the interesting parts of us that might otherwise stay in the shadows. Because - let’s face it - a role title or job spec will rarely paint an accurate picture of the reality of our work lives.

Here are nine snippets from a life in lanyards & laminates (left to right, top to bottom): a dream first-job as post-production assistant on Channel 4’s weekly music show Friday at The Dome; a TV assignment in Westminster Abbey for Channel 4; project manager on BBC Music Live ‘95; the MTV Europe Music Awards; Party In The Park 2000; Midem music market in Cannes 2004 when I was a director at Open Top Music; a panelist at South by South West 2009; the World Economic Forum’s digital media team 2015; BBC storytelling trainer 2016-2018.

I’m glad I didn’t throw these away!