John Compton has over 25 years of experience in the business industry on his resume. He has mastered a number of sectors including fashion, marketing and sales & talent management.
Back in the noughties, John put this wealth of experience to good effect when he founded one of Ireland’s foremost modelling agencies. The Compton Model Agency.
This year John joined the team here at Matrix Internet. Although John had previous experience in both marketing & digital media this was a whole new ballgame. Never one to shirk a challenge, John committed himself straight away to learning all he could about the industry. Securing the services of someone of John’s experience and business acumen certainly came as a massive boost to our company.
We sat down with John as he talked about his career experiences to date and his excitement and enthusiasm about joining the team here at Matrix Internet.
“You take the blue pill, and the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”
Sometimes when we start a journey in life, we might encounter situations or circumstances that might lead us to a different path that might shape our future forever.
It’s not even because we don’t know what we want or need, but because life has a funny way of turning things around and presenting us with opportunities we didn’t even know existed.
I started working in the fashion industry when I was 20, as a fashion and commercial model. In those days technology was not as advanced as it is now. We didn’t have the most remote idea that something called ‘Facebook’ would ever exist let alone mobile phones or the internet. I never thought one of my favourite movies would be called ‘The Matrix’. Or that Google would allow me to enter my name and get my face all over a computer screen.
Looking back, all I can see is a world that has tremendously been defined by the rapid way we communicate today. A world with no boundaries when it comes to technology.
When you are in your 20s, naive and inexperienced, and your job is based on the way you look, you might feel you have the world at your feet.
I found it fascinating I could get paid for having a good-looking face, at times I thought I was invincible.
When I gained a bit more experience, I started being flown from Milan to Paris to Barcelona to Dublin for work. I was already based in one of the fashion capitals of the world…London.
I was financially independent & had the freedom to take as many shots and shows as possible because one of the “advantages” of being a model is that you don’t have the usual office working hours
Time passed and I learned a lot from my modelling days. While working, I paid attention to the business side of the industry. I wasn’t paying attention to the beautiful pictures, but to the money. This was my very first realisation that I had a business head – which came from my father.
I set up my own business called Compton Model Agency. I build it up by just having my own picture on the wall and a list of clients who knew me from my modelling days.
When I created the company website, I was fascinated by the work that is behind it. This was my first introduction to the digital world without knowing it.
Even though I hired a company to build the site, I was actively involved not only in the creative ideas but also in the technical aspect of it – which enabled me to learn about the back end of a website.
Then time passed and the advent of social media occurred. Needless to say, my passion for digital kept growing. I joined Facebook purely to interact with friends and acquaintances. From there, I gradually started joining other platforms because of my genuine interest in what was going on in the digital spectrum. It didn’t take me too long to realise that what I was doing for fun on Facebook could also be used for business.
Little did I know then, I was on the path to my, new career. I must confess the transition was challenging, however, I was relatively well equipped with some knowledge and the disposition to learn more and more.
Due to the downturn in the economy, the agency closed which is when I decided to go back to college to upskill by studying Digital Marketing.
As the course developed, I realised that what I was doing in the agency all along was in fact digital marketing. What I didn’t know was the technical terminology associated with it.
While in college I felt I was not only gaining new knowledge, but also I felt I was validating the knowledge I already had.
When I finished college and obtained my diplomas, a great sense of achievement embraced me. I felt that in many ways I was officially re-educated. There were some sidesteps, but eventually, I ended up with the role I was ideally looking for.
When I secured my current position, I knew I was about to enter the right company which matches my career ambitions. I knew I was going to be part of a company that relies on an incredible team which is the vessel of what the company vision is about “helping our clients to flourish”. I think I am fortunate to be part of a team made of specialists in User Experience, Social Media, Web Development, Graphic Design, Programming, E-commerce Strategy and Digital Marketing.
After all the years in business and growing up with digital marketing and now being able to accumulate all my experiences into one role, I feel I am finally putting into practice all the knowledge I had and learnt to date, while still constantly learning the ever-developing world of digital marketing as Account Manager with Matrix Internet!
I took the red pill!
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