#BehindtheSelfie with... Tim Legg

Making molehills out of mountains.

1. Where do you live, work and play?

Legg: I am blessed to live and work in the Cape Town City Bowl – our offices are on the Foreshore and our home is in Tamboerskloof, with a fantastic view of Table Mountain and the city. I play in Cape Town and Joburg with frequent trips to the UK (my home country), the US and Europe.

2. What’s your claim to fame?

Legg: I've co-founded three companies in different fields (recruitment, hospitality and digital media/marketing) and managed to make a success of them by applying common-sense and an appreciation of people.

3. Describe your career so far.

Legg: In many ways I came full circle. I started out in traditional media, selling print ads in London in the early eighties. Moved into ITC recruitment for 18 years in London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt and sold two businesses in 1995 and 2002. Emigrated to SA in 2003 and bought a hotel in the Winelands (as you do, obviously). Missed the buzz of business and accepted a role as MD of a WASP (now Oxygen8) and moved to Joburg, which I loved and still love. Set up MobiMedia in 2009, which evolved, via mainly organic growth, into Ole! Media Group. Moved to Cape Town in 2012. We now employ a team of 130 digital media, marketing and advertising professionals in Cape Town, Joburg, London and Leeds.

4. Tell us a few of your favourite things.

Legg: Well, apart from my wife and three kids, I am a current-affairs fundi and love reading about politics and business. My wife considers me the most boring man in the world, given my propensity for devouring the FT, Economist, Business Day and Daily Maverick every day. My kids roll their eyes when they have to listen to 702 or Cape Talk in the car. Other than that I love business, the buzz of creating something valuable and special with a great team of people and uncovering new opportunities every day. Other favourite things include Southampton FC, fast cars and travel. Oh, and I've become a bit of a fitness addict over the past year and a proud Sleek Geek.

5. What do you love about your industry?

Legg: The constant change and adoption of new thinking and technologies.

6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.

Legg: I'm up most days at 5am to get to the gym or go cycling. When I worked in Joburg I was usually in the office by 8am, but I'm afraid I've become embroiled in the CT lifestyle so only get to the office by 9am. The day comprises mainly meetings and discussions with the various teams within the group companies and dealing with client and team issues. I see my role more as a guide and enabler rather than a hands-on micromanager.

7. What are the tools of your trade?

Legg: Cellphone, email and WhatsApp.

8. Who is getting it right in your industry?

Legg: There are really some excellent companies out there. I admire NATIVE VML as an agency and Times Media and Daily Maverick for their willingness to experiment and look at new ways to engage audiences. Internationally, I am consistently blown away by the vision and execution of Facebook. But I am also extraordinarily proud of the Ole! Media team. Our four constituent companies – Realtime Media (content), AddSuite (advertising), Honeykome (engagement marketing) and Delv (data) – really do offer a holistic value proposition in the digital media and marketing space.

9. What are you working on right now?

Legg: Two main things:

1. The launch of Delv, in partnership with Geoff Cohen (ex-24.com) and Nevo Hadas (&innovation). This is really about managing data to create actionable insights and execute targeted marketing campaigns.
2. Launching our 16-year-old son, Desmond John as a pop star. He has been spending time with some top producers in the US and SA, and working with Justin Bieber's vocal coach. I have visions of becoming a music mogul.

10. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.

Legg: There is no doubt the digital media world makes a wonderful playing field for bullsh!t bingo. "Engaged audience", "actionable data", "programmatic ads" etc. Sadly, I use the jargon as well on a daily basis, but I prefer two catchphrases: "Our role as business leaders and owners is to create an environment where talented people can thrive," and "I have a cunning plan…" which is normally followed by groans and shaking heads from the Ole! Media team.

11. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

Legg: Under the shower or on my bike.

12. What’s your secret talent/party trick?

Legg: I used to be a DJ, specialising in 70s, 80s and 90s dance hits. And I can perform Wham Rap in its entirety, without getting embarrassed... Oh and I speak fluent German, having studied German at varsity and lived IN Germany for 16 years.

13. Are you a technophobe or a technophile?

Legg: I grew up in an "analogue" world – at school there were no calculators and for the first few years of work we didn't even have fax machines, let alone email. This meant I struggled with PCs and technology in my early years. But I like to think of myself now as a late bloomer in the technology field.

14. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?

Legg: All very boring, I'm afraid – pics of my family and bookmarks of my favourite news and sport sites. And over 2,000 phone numbers dating back to 2003.

15. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?

Legg: Choose something you enjoy and are good at. There are dozens of recent graduates looking for new opportunities, so be prepared to work as an unpaid intern to prove yourself. An enlightened employer will always give hard-working and ambitious people a chance.

Simple as that. Click here for more on Ole! Media Group and follow them on Twitter, email Legg on moc.puorgaidemelo@ggel.mit or find him on Skype as ‘LordLegg’.

*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.