[Behind the Selfie] with... Mike Wronski

Having a second screen is just not enough to keep up with all that information #fourthscreen

1. Where do you live, work and play?

Wronski: I live a largely digital life, so most of my work is tied up in the 1s and 0s of my internet connection. I love how Johannesburg has transformed into a world-class trendy city for young professionals, and spend time exploring everything the city has to offer - from the jazz nights and live music shows to theatre, art and everything in between.

2. What's your claim to fame?

Wronski: I started Fuseware from scratch five years ago, and built it up to a well-known and trusted brand in the social analytics and media monitoring space.

3. Describe your career so far...

Wronski: A totally unplanned whirlwind of learning, connecting and collaborating with the industry's top minds over the last five years. I am privileged to have worked with SA's largest brands and agencies through Fuseware and our social analytics solutions.

4. Tell us a few of your favourite things.

Wronski: Chocolate. Trail running. Trance music. Animals.

5. What do you love about your industry?

Wronski: The constantly evolving, dynamic nature of media and the numerous business models that can stem from combining it with technology. The opportunities are endless. The media landscape defines the communications infrastructure between brands, publishing houses and consumers and is a vital functioning unit of a modern society.

6. What are a few pain points your industry can improve on?

Wronski: Media is a highly fragmented landscape, with many components not as progressive and innovative as they could be. There is a lack of collaboration in the industry as agencies each want their well-deserved slice of the pie and market themselves as experts in everything. There is also a lack of transparency and accuracy when it comes to digital media stats, ironically enough.

7. Describe your average workday (if such a thing exists)

Wronski: It ranges from client and partner meetings and conference calls to business planning and strategy, to managing the various projects in our pipeline and ensuring we're on target and within budget.

8. What are the tools of your trade?

Wronski: I keep it simple - Office 365, Google Docs, Visual Studio and Winamp cater to 95% of my work life.

9. Who is getting it right in your industry?

Wronski: Of the bigger players, Native really has their fingers on the button with where the industry is going. I also like the thought leadership coming out of the smaller guys like Cerebra and Digitlab.

10. What are you working on right now?

Wronski: Navigating Kenyan and Nigerian social media market data. It's fascinating how different the content and conversations are to what we consider popular back home.

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

Wronski: Synergistic collaborative workflows are the low-hanging fruit of social business. Also, always remember about having a laser-focused content marketing strategy supplemented with customer segmentation and personalisation.

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

Wronski: In the mountains. I have a couple of yearly retreats in the Drakensberg where I disconnect from technology and meditate.

13. What's your secret talent/party trick?

Wronski: I can do a headstand without balancing on my arms. It really gets the people goin'.

14. Are you a technophobe or a technophile?

Wronski: Take a guess...

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

Wronski: My entire life is on that thing, so everything from my business plans and notes to my bucket list and travel photos. It might be a good idea to password-protect it some time.

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

Wronski: Never stop learning and push your comfort zone daily. Keep connecting and networking too - there are many interesting people out there to meet in the industry.

17. Plug your contact details, punt yourself - list all the places people can find you online...

Wronski:

Twitter
LinkedIn
Click here for more from Wronski.

*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.