Tenita Campton
Partnerships Manager, The Squiz
I’m Tenita, an ex Byron Bay hippy kid who somehow found herself in the big smoke, working on brands my mum would never have imagined (yes, the lifelong vego who spent four years at Australian Pork—go figure). My career has been anything but linear, but that’s what I love about this industry.
I’ve worked across creative agencies, client-side marketing, communications, PR, and partnerships. Working on everything: corporate, government, and consumer, and now, I’m deep in the world of podcast partnerships. You could say I’m a bit of a jack of all trades, but that's how I like to be. The best parts of all my jobs has been no two days are the same... oh and working on brands that I assumed I would hate because of my bare foot upbringing.
Career & Background
Could you tell us a bit about your professional background?
Outside of what I have already said about the chops and changes of my career there isn’t much more to say about my professional background. So maybe I’ll tell you about my two favourite roles, if they haven’t been obvious:
- Comms Manager, Australian Pork
- Senior Account Director, Dentsu (my favourite client was Defence Force Recruiting)
Both of these roles were my fave because of the incredible things they taught me. But also the wild experiences along the way. Who else can say they have flown across the country with three legs of ham in their bag… or spent three days exploring a submarine?
Would it be weird to say I don’t know where I am headed? I am currently loving my job, it is really giving me the opportunity to use my brain in a new way and I have also learnt a whole new podcast “job-language” that I am not sure I am ready to give up just yet.
What inspired you to do what you are doing now?
It’s funny—I can’t pinpoint exactly what led me to my current career. When I started my first job (shout out to Australian Pork), I had no idea what kinds of jobs existed. No one in my family had even really gone to uni, and my uni didn’t provide great career direction for these kinds of roles. So, I definitely fell into a marketing role. What honestly inspired me the most was having a great manager at my first job. She gave me a lot of autonomy, allowing me to try and fail at things. One of the many things she passed on to me is that you should always manage your junior staff in a way that equips them with the skills for their next role in the next business. This opened my eyes to all the potential jobs and industries out there.
What drives and inspires you
What are your core values?
- Fun
- Leadership
- Trust
Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
Other than my very first manager—my mum, who’s had the wildest and coolest life—I’ve definitely adopted her motto of saying ‘yes’ to everything in my career. It doesn’t always work out perfectly, but you 100% learn things along the way.
Your favourite food for thought
Books
I am both ashamed and honest – I am and have never been a big reader. I am an audio book kinda girl. So I am not the girl to come to about books.
Podcasts / Thought Leaders
This is where I can shine, baby!
- Dying For Sex – It’s not really what it sounds like, but it kinda is what it says on the tin… But, it is the best podcast I have EVER listened to. I have listened to these series three times, and I cry every single time.
- Something Was Wrong
- The Squiz – I might be biased, but I genuinely got my news from here daily, before I worked here. It’s important in our industry to be on top of the news… But we are all time poor, so a bite sized bit of news every morning is exactly what I need.
You as a Mentor
Why have you decided to become a mentor?
I have had a mentor in the past and I loved it – so I am hoping to give someone the same experience.
I also remember what it was like when I was starting out, and not really anywhere to find the answers other than talking to people – so if I can help someone navigate their career a little that would be great. I reckon my mentee is going to teach me a thing or two, too.
What are the top skills or qualities you bring to mentoring?
- Compassionate
- Connected
- Non-judgemental
- Optimistic
- Resilient
Ready to apply?
The best time is right now. Take a chance – you never know where an Assisterhood mentor can take you.