Tenita Campton
Senior Consultant at ThrivePR
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 am currently working on some very cool, large brands. I have been known to make the brands I work on my personality - currently my personality is all LEGO Bricks!
I’ve worked across creative agencies, client-side marketing, communications, PR, and at a podcast. I've worked on everything: corporate, government, and consumer, and 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 have been that no two days are the same... oh and working on brands I never imagined I could.
Career & Background
Could you tell us a bit about your professional background?
Outside of what I have already said about the changes in my career there isn’t much more to say about my professional background. So, I’ll tell you about my favourite roles, if they haven’t been obvious:
Comms Manager, Australian Pork
Senior Account Director, Dentsu (my favourite client was Defence Force Recruiting)
Partnership Manager, The Squiz Podcast
Senior Consultant, Thrive PR – working on The LEGO Group
I favoured all of these roles 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, worked on a podcast the Prime Minister wanted to be on, or flying Vegas to announce The LEGO Groups biggest innovation ever?
I am currently loving my job, working with such a playful client (The LEGO Group), which is truly at the centre of creativity and fun has been amazing. It does feel a little like the cherry on top of weird and wonderful brands I have worked on.
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.