FIPP Rising Star Andy Greening: “Every time I open up my audio editing software it always hits me that everything I have done wasn’t for nothing”

The FIPP Rising Stars in Media Awards 2019, kindly supported by UPM – The Biofore Company, recognise outstanding work in the global media industry. Winners will be announced at the FIPP World Media Congress Opening Reception taking place in Las Vegas on 12 November 2019. Deadline has been extended! Entries are open now and the new deadline is Friday 4 October 2019.

 

23 questions for FIPP Rising Star Andy Greening

 

1. What’s your current role?

Digital Manager at The River Group.

 

2. How did you get there? 

I started my career with the ambition of working in a music studio as a producer, I studied Creative Music Technology at university and even done a couple of placements at a top UK music studio.

Living in Bournemouth at the time, I couldn’t afford to move to London straight away so I needed to find work. I was fortunate enough in 2011 to get a couple weeks temping job at Aylseworth Fleming (now part of Oliver Marketing) helping out with some admin tasks on a big project they had on. I was then offered a full-time role as an assistant project manager for the digital team.

Fast forward a few years, and through various promotions and finally moving to London, but this time as a digital project manager, I finally arrived at my current employer, The River Group in March 2014.

With my eye for creative and being a hands-on worker, I slowly moved into helping with digital design, video production. Taking in consideration my previous life as an audio engineer, I was super keen to introduce podcasting as a service at River, especially as it’s a trend that has been taking off in the last couple years.

Now in 2019 The River Group has launched River Sounds, their in-house podcasting solution, becoming a nominee at the Mind Media awards for our Healthy For Men podcast, followed by a British Podcast Award Nomination and of course my FIPP Rising Star Award for all the aforementioned.

 

3. What are your passions?

Music and podcast production, live and breathing my own hobby at work makes my job very enjoyable.

 

4. Where is home?

Originally from Bournemouth but now residing in South East London for 6+ years with my wife and our newborn son.

 

5. What do you like most about your city?

Bournemouth has a huge marketing agency scene which I was very fortunate to be part of and get myself where I am today, and London because it’s full of history and amazing food.

 

6. What did you want to do when you grew up?

Be a rockstar. And as wild as that sounds, I’m not even joking, I used to play in bands non-stop, most of my youth I had a guitar in my hand.

 

7. How’s your typical work day?

My job ranges from managing digital editorial campaigns, editing video, recording and editing podcasts. Everyday can be vastly different.

 

8. An overrated slang word or term in the media industry…

Close/end of play – I don’t like. Sounds like forced fun.

 

9. How did it feel and what did it mean to be a Rising Stars in Media winner?

I’ve always felt very much in the background when I was just doing project management. Being able to introduce podcasting to River and to achieve in the space of a year, a couple of award nominations and then also winning the FIPP Rising Star award made feel truly a part of an industry.

 

10. How has this recognition helped you in the past year?

It has helped add a lot of weight when presenting our podcast services to clients and also given me vast more confidence in my profession.

 

11. What advice would you give to other young people in the industry?

We’re all human, everyone started somewhere, and nothing is unobtainable. Even when someone is working at a c-suite level, they too worked at a junior level and faced the same insecurities that you may be facing currently.

 

12. What areas of the industry excite you going forward?

Might be bias, but definitely podcasting. It’s constantly growing and companies such as Acast, Spotify and the BBC have been investing millions of pounds into it.

 

13. What are the attributes that you feel benefitted you in winning this award, that you can pass on to others?

Confidence to know you’re on track and doing the right thing.

 

14. What’s been the most memorable thing you’ve taken from your job in the past 12 months?

Recent award nominations sitting alongside some of the top podcasts in the UK, and all because I took a chance and offered it as a solution at River to my colleagues and they took a chance on me to deliver it.

 

15. What’s the most recent professional skill that you have acquired?

Video and motion graphics. Had the opportunity to help work on some motion graphics campaigns at work and lucky enough to work around some great people who have without doubt fast tracked my knowledge.

 

16. Who do you look up to in the industry?

In the podcast world, I’ve got a lot of respect for Scroobius Pip, originally known just as a hip-hop artist, is now owner of the Distraction Pieces podcast Network. His output is always very authentic and I love that he will only work with people who represent what he believes in, be that guests on his own podcast, other podcasters on his network or even advertisers the network works with.

 

17. What’s the best bit about your job?

Being able to edit audio. Every time I open up my audio editing software it always hits me that everything I have done wasn’t for nothing, especially at a low point when I knew I couldn’t get into music production due to location/financial reasons and had to find a new career path.

 

18. How do you unwind when work is stressing you a lot?

I’m actually a massive professional wrestling nerd in-between obsessing with music and audio production. Very much into following the rising British independent wrestling scene and can be often found at shows around London. But more lately, it’s been spending time with my son and opportunity to get out of the house with him.

 

19. A song that pumps you for work.

Every Time I Die – The Big Dirty (Whole album start to finish). It’s angry, fun and keeps my pace up.

 

20. What would you tell your 16 year old self?

Keep following your passion. Take things in small steps but always keep moving forward.

 

21. In another life, what would you have been?

A cartoon artist as I use to love art until I picked up the guitar when I was 13 or alternatively, I would have worked in construction following my dad’s line of work as I’ve always taken an interest in that too.

 

22. What’s next in your career?

Pushing forward with podcasting, there is still a massive opportunity for brands to work with podcasters and I want to be in the middle of that boom when it happens.

 

23. Why should young people in the industry apply for the FIPP Rising Stars in Media?

The Awards help redefine their career and give them confidence to become the person they want to be. 

The FIPP Rising Stars in Media Awards 2019, kindly supported by UPM – The Biofore Company, recognise outstanding work in the global media industry. Winners will be announced at the FIPP World Media Congress Opening Reception taking place in Las Vegas on 12 November 2019. Deadline has been extended! Entries are open now and the new deadline is Friday 4 October 2019. 

 

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