Secrets to Success in the Media Industry: Your Next Boss Could Be Today's Client — How to Build "Trust" That Works in the Media Industry

Secrets to Success in the Media Industry: Your Next Boss Could Be Today's Client — How to Build "Trust" That Works in the Media Industry

In the world of advertising and media, it's not uncommon for representatives to switch companies, for clients to become colleagues, and for yesterday's competitors to join the same project. This is why, as important as the ability to close the deal at hand, is the ability to build relationships where people think, "I want to work with this person again," which can significantly impact a long career.

An interview conducted by the Australian industry magazine B&T with four female leaders from the outdoor advertising company QMS highlighted more than just networking skills. It emphasized respecting and listening to others, understanding one's strengths, transforming failures and environmental changes into growth, and celebrating the success of those around you. These daily behaviors build trust, which eventually strengthens not only the individual but also the team and the company, presenting a practical career theory.

The interview was published as part of a partnership project related to the Women in Media Awards by B&T and QMS. The featured leaders were Esha Nandhra, Group Business Director; Hannah Pritchard, leading agency sales in New South Wales; Tara O’Keefe, Head of Sales Operations; and Amelia Allan, Head of Agency Sales in South Australia. Notably, Tara won the Project Manager category at the same awards in 2026.


Expanding the Definition of "Success" Beyond Sales

Esha spoke about the attitude of not measuring success solely by numbers. While commercial results are certainly important, what lasts longer are the relationships built through work, the trust earned, and the positive impact made on those around you.

Her pride in the Q-Cares Award within the company is also symbolic. This recognition is linked to efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion, supporting women, aiding indigenous communities, and creating an environment where people are respected. In other words, it evaluates a leader's value not only by "what was achieved" but also by "who was empowered to perform."

This perspective separates relationship-building from calculation. It involves respecting others regardless of their position or status, not just approaching those who might be useful in the future. Sharing knowledge and opportunities without immediate returns, supporting those in need, and not monopolizing credit. These accumulations may not appear in short-term sales metrics but lay the foundation for gaining cooperation in challenging situations.

Furthermore, Esha reflects on her past experience of focusing too much on overcoming weaknesses and realizes that empathy, understanding emotions, and building genuine relationships were her strengths. This does not mean ignoring weaknesses. Instead of aiming for average scores in all areas, it involves finding, honing, and applying one's unique value when necessary. This self-understanding becomes the root of confidence.


Parental Leave is Not a "Gap" in a Career

Hannah's experience sheds light on the conflicts working parents often face. She took two parental leaves over three years and felt guilt and anxiety about losing her previous career momentum upon returning. Returning full-time after having two children was a reality that couldn't be simply described as balancing work and family.

The turning point was being in the same space with successful women and those with similar concerns at the Women in Media event the previous year. There, she redefined the time spent with her children not as a halt in her abilities but as an update. The prioritization honed at home, resilience in dealing with unpredictable events, and empathy in reading others' states were skills used when leading a rapidly changing sales organization.

The key is not to unconditionally turn the experience of becoming a mother into a beautiful story. The burdens and guilt after returning cannot be resolved by personal determination alone. In addition to redefining the meaning of experience, a supportive community, flexible work arrangements, systems that allow returning to responsible work, and understanding from bosses and colleagues are needed. A workplace that does not pit being a mother against having ambition is created not by individual strength but by organizational design.

Hannah's words convey the importance of moving away from the idea of "making up for lost time." A career is not a straight line. The judgment and perspective gained during time away from work also shape leadership upon return. Companies need to recognize these changes not as gaps but as new capabilities.


Curiosity and Listening Build Resilience to Change

Tara reflects on the past 12 months as a period of significant growth and transformation for QMS. Her work included internal initiatives summarizing customer service principles, campaigns related to the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, frameworks for onboarding and developing sales talent, collaboration with the New Zealand team, and integration and activation support with Nine.

What stands out is the focus not only on prominent projects but also on "systems that enable people to deliver results," such as onboarding and capability development. Organizations that rely on the experiential rules of talented individuals become weaker when those individuals move. On the other hand, if learning methods and collaboration standards are shared in a form that can be disseminated, knowledge remains within the organization, and newcomers can demonstrate their abilities early on.

As advice to younger colleagues, Tara emphasized the importance of maintaining curiosity, listening deeply, and believing in oneself. In the fast-paced media industry, it's impossible to have all the answers from day one, and the same holds true even after working for ten years. Confidence is not about pretending to know everything but about trusting oneself to learn, adapt, and move towards solutions even in uncertain situations.

Among these, the attitude of "listening to understand" becomes the core of building trust. It's not about waiting for your turn to reply while preparing a response, but about trying to know what the other person sees, what constraints they face, and what they value. In work involving people with different positions, such as advertisers, agencies, media companies, and production companies, this listening reduces perception gaps and transforms conflict into collaboration.


In a Small Industry, Today's Behavior Becomes Tomorrow's Reputation

Amelia's advice is clear: from the early stages of your career, build good relationships with people at all levels. The Australian media industry sees a lot of movement, meaning current clients and colleagues could become future bosses, subordinates, customers, or collaborators.

This is different from the survival tactic of "being nice to everyone because you never know who will become important." Relationships that don't break even when titles change cannot be built on profit and loss alone. Keeping promises, not leaving responses unattended, not hiding problems, and accurately conveying others' contributions. These seemingly mundane actions build long-term reputations.

Amelia herself worked to enhance QMS's presence both regionally and nationally from the relatively small market of Adelaide, receiving the Performance Plus Award within the company in 2025. She mentions the challenges of working remotely but credits the support of her team for enabling progress. Behind what appears to be individual achievements are people who respond to consultations, share information, and provide opportunities for challenges. Her experience shows that relationships are not just mental support but also practical infrastructure that produces results.


"Deserved Awards" and "Happy to Work Together" on Social Media

Supporting the message, congratulations poured in on LinkedIn after the awards. QMS officially introduced Tara as a central figure in driving sales collaboration and having a significant impact on the entire business. The comments section visible on the public screen was filled with short congratulatory messages like "well-deserved award," "great result," and "superstar."

Her own post did not speak of the award as a personal achievement. Reflecting on her nine years at QMS, she expressed gratitude for being involved in important projects that have transformed the company and for the team she works with daily, who make challenges lighter and milestones valuable, emphasizing that the achievement belongs to the entire team. Her post also received a response from her colleague Amelia, expressing happiness to work together, along with voices stating it was a well-deserved recognition.

Additionally, in a post introducing seven internal finalists before the awards ceremony, QMS received support from colleagues with comments like "honored to work with these people" and "best lineup." Nine also introduced Tara's award alongside Amanda Laing's, showing respect for the women shaping the future of the Australian media industry.

Of course, these are mainly reactions visible within the network of the individual, their workplace, colleagues, and industry stakeholders, and do not represent the evaluation of society as a whole. There is also a corporate PR aspect to the congratulations on social media. Nevertheless, it is interesting that the interview statements about "valuing relationships with people" align with comments touching on "the experience of working together." What surfaced at the moment of recognition was the trust accumulated by the awardees in their previous work.


To Prevent Relationships from Becoming "Closed Networks"

On the other hand, caution is needed when calling relationship-building the key to a career. If jobs and promotions are decided solely through informal connections, it disadvantages those who find it difficult to attend evening meetings due to childcare or caregiving, those working remotely or in regional areas, and those new to the industry without introducers. There is a risk that a culture valuing trust could inadvertently turn into a culture of "choosing only those we know."

Therefore, companies must not only ask individuals to network but also ensure fair access to opportunities. This includes clarifying recruitment and promotion criteria, not biasing access to mentors and sponsors towards certain individuals, supporting planned returns from parental leave, and enabling participation in cross-regional collaboration. The onboarding and capability development frameworks advanced by Tara and the inclusive environment emphasized by Esha can be read as efforts to link trust with systems.

A good organizational culture is not about having a group of people who get along well. It's about being able to talk even when opinions differ, learning without hiding failures, being able to take on important work despite life constraints, and having contributions recognized fairly. Only when relationships and fair systems are in place can diverse people exert their strength over the long term.


What Young People Can Start Doing Tomorrow

If we translate the stories of the four into practice, the first step is not an exaggerated "networking."

First, show interest in the work, not the position, of the other person, ask questions, and listen until the end. Next, articulate your strengths and offer them generously when needed. After the work is done, express gratitude to those who contributed to the results and celebrate their success at milestones. When you fail, take responsibility before making excuses and pass on what you've learned to the next opportunity.

At the same time, it's important not to underestimate yourself. Not knowing something is not proof of incompetence. The period away from work due to childcare or other experiences is not necessarily a blank. Confidence doesn't come from perfection but from giving meaning to experiences and understanding that you can proceed while learning.

You cannot predict who you will work with in the future. However, you can choose how you work with people today. What the four from QMS demonstrated is the strength of keeping small promises daily, listening to others, and enabling those around you to exert their strength, rather than collecting business cards at glamorous networking events.

Titles and company names change. Markets and technologies change. Nevertheless, the memory of overcoming difficult tasks together and the evaluation of "this person can be trusted" remain. This accumulation may be the most enduring career asset in the fast-changing media industry.


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