Jonny Chambers
Jonny Chambers on managing six jobs
Juggling six jobs probably isn’t most people’s idea of a dream career, but it certainly works for Jonny Chambers. From radio broadcasting and managing theatre shows to running his own creative agency (and more!), Jonny has gained a multitude of skills along the way. The creative entrepreneur spoke to Pattern about his less-than-standard career path and the steps he takes to manage his jam-packed schedule.
Edited by Ruby Guyler Photographs by Christopher Owens
Give me a brief history of your career.
I’ve had a typical freelancer’s career and a very non-linear career path! I almost became an actor and had a place at drama school in London, but I ended up staying in the North East instead. I went down the TV and radio route at uni, teaching myself graphic design and creative marketing at the same time.
Whilst at uni, I managed the Sunderland Empire during its record-breaking run of The Lion King. That was before I landed my own commercial radio show, broadcasting to over 300,000 people on Metro Radio and its national sister brands. Fast forward to today (after a brief foray into tech at Apple and challenger bank Monzo), I now head up marketing and comms for some incredible companies. Running alongside all of this has been Jonarc – my audience-building creative agency that I founded in 2016. It’s ended up winning a number of awards for entrepreneurship along the way! To cut a long and very convoluted story short, I’ve always had a lot of fingers in a lot of pies and I wouldn’t want it any other way!
Tell me about your various roles. What do you attribute to your success?
I currently have six jobs, which I know is entirely ridiculous! First up, I run Jonarc - a creative agency specialising in branding and creative for the arts, culture and live entertainment industry (although I work with all kinds of clients, from law firms to TV channels). I also head up marketing and comms for Generator, the North’s leading creative talent development agency. On top of that, I oversee marketing and design output for Prima Cheese, Britain’s largest pizza cheese manufacturer. A couple of evenings a week, I’m also the Duty Manager for the magnificent Theatre Royal Newcastle (because I can’t let go of my theatrical roots) and I still broadcast daily on Pride Radio and occasionally pop back up on Metro.
For me, success has always been about being the most useful, most creative person in the room. I do that by having as many strings to my bow as possible. It’s no good just being good at one thing, especially in the fast-moving creative industries. As an entrepreneur, you need to be a jack of all trades and a master of many of them too, whilst also recognising when you’re missing a certain string or where your skills run out. Recognising the need for collaboration when creativity demands it is paramount. I’ve picked up so many transferable skills from my various jobs over the years, from managing teams to being able to investigate financial crime. I owe everything to my non-linear career path.
What do you love most about what you do every day?
Every single day is different. I simply could not do the same job all week - I’d be bored stiff! I love that I get to be creative or immersed in creativity every day. Even when I’m not designing something, like when I’m working for the Theatre, I get to be around the magic of live performance.
Have you had to make sacrifices in your chosen career, and have they been worth it?
I do sometimes think that life would’ve been so much easier if I’d just gotten a ‘normal’ 9-5 job! I often work incredibly long hours and I’m usually darting from one thing to another, which means my brain is never switched off. Being a freelancer or running a business is tough; the uncertainty can be crippling, and just keeping the wheels in motion requires so much hard work… that’s before I even fire up Photoshop to do a bit of client work! Trying to maintain a living has also led me to take on part-time jobs that have affected my ability to run the business in the past. I feel my business growth has been somewhat slowed by me not having taken the leap to go full time with Jonarc.
With all that said, I do think that holding so many jobs and continuing them alongside the business has been hugely beneficial. I’ve learned so much from the companies I’ve worked with, which benefits both my business and the other organisations I work for. From soft skills, management and technical know-how to red-carpet customer experience and start-up culture, I’ve been immersed in it all and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
“It’s no good just being good at one thing, especially in the fast-moving creative industries. As an entrepreneur, you need to be a jack of all trades and a master of many of them too.
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What are some of your daily rituals and why are they part of your routine?
My entire life revolves around food, so I always have to have breakfast, dinner and tea! I really love cooking and eating - it’s one of the few moments I get to switch off - so I always make time to eat well. I struggle to meditate as my brain is always going like the clappers, but I’m able to just about switch off when sipping a cup of tea or a nice coffee. I also love a good TV show and watch telly daily, and I listen to music or the radio every day too. I’ve started to actually use my gym membership four times a week when I can (although I still find exercise in general a chore) and I’m now sticking to my skincare routine so that these long days don’t start manifesting as enormous eye bags.
What does work/life balance look like for you?
It may sound like all I do is bloody work – Six-Jobs Jonny over here! - but I’ve been very careful to ensure that all of the jobs I do are flexible and manageable. This has become much easier after the pandemic as companies wake up to the benefits of flexible and hybrid working models. Thanks to this, I tend to start and finish work when I please and when I’m feeling most creative. I jump between tasks for different jobs and intuitively follow my creativity – if I reach a creative roadblock on one task, I’ll have a cup of tea or stretch my legs and then move onto something else. This means I can often get more done in far less time, so I actually do get a life outside of work! I only check my emails a couple of times a day if I can help it. If I’m feeling creative later in the evening, I’ll just get up and work later the following day. I always have time off during the week too and whilst my brain doesn’t switch off, my laptop certainly does.
How do you stay focused and productive in a world of distractions?
I am a gold-star-rated procrastinator and I wish I’d never downloaded TikTok! I get distracted very easily but then get bouts of hyperfocus too, so I tend to make it work with my silly brain. I have found the Pomodoro Technique useful if I’m up against it and need to focus, and I fully rate the power of taking five to grab some water, stretch my legs or have a cuppa – it helps me to reset.
“I’ve always had a lot of fingers in a lot of pies and I wouldn’t want it any other way”
If you had the power to change the world, what would you change?
There is so much unfairness and divide in the world, from a dramatic rise in LGBTQ+ hate crimes to abject poverty and record food bank usage in the UK – a disgrace for what is supposed to be one of the wealthiest and most tolerant countries on the planet. I’d love to be able to usher in a fairer society - one that treats fellow humans as humans, one that lets people live their lives as who they intrinsically are, one that champions creativity, the arts and culture as much as STEM subjects. A society that doesn’t force working people to use food banks, and one that doesn’t continue to line the pockets of billionaires whilst the most vulnerable and hard- working people suffer.
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