As part of Medialab’s 20th Birthday year, we have collected highlights, moments, and milestones that have formed parts of our history. Contributed by 20 team members – from Bootcamp to Board – here are their standout memories from the last 20 years
A Culture of Growth and Opportunity
Peggy Hung and Sophie Mundy, Media and Digital Executives, as well as Niamh Ambrose, AV Executive, all began their careers through Medialab’s Bootcamp scheme. Through joining this scheme, Niamh recalls, “it was such a lovely start to my Medialab journey. It came with built in friends who were all in the same boat. It allowed us to make better connections with people in different areas of the company, which we may not have been able to do without it!”.
Peggy echoed a similar sentiment, “as an international member who joined the Bootcamp, I am grateful that Medialab helped to shape my knowledge of media and bring new perspectives. It was great to start with a group of people so we could learn much faster together than on our own.” Sophie adds, “What truly stood out to me is Medialab’s culture from the incredible support from my team, which has made me feel valued and motivated.”. Our Bootcamp has been successfully running since 2021, and we will be welcoming our seventh intake next month after a record number of applications!
For Malachy Brown, a Media Executive, the opportunities that are available across the agency have shaped his first year at Medialab, “attending Campaign Media Week Awards within my first year highlights the lengths Medialab goes to involve everyone in its success, regardless of seniority.” In addition to Bootcamp, Malachy also references the company’s sponsorship of WYK Digital as fostering growth within the agency, “a key example is its partnership with WYK Digital, a company dedicated to helping individuals in their first role in the media industry. Seeing these efforts to support the next generation motivates me to make an impact at the agency.” Daisy Hall, our Senior HR Advisor, continues, “through these insight days, we’ve inspired these individuals to apply for jobs with us and in turn recruit them for our bootcamp scheme!”
Becoming the UK’s largest independent TV Agency
Within the past decade, Medialab’s TV/AV buying capabilities have transformed dramatically, a journey that both Ben Payne, Senior AV Manager, and Charles Batchelor, Client Managing Director, are immensely proud of.
Ben, who has been with Medialab for seven years, recalls the team’s rapid growth: “I’ve watched the company go from strength to strength—starting with my first year in media, managing just eight TV clients, to becoming the UK’s largest independent TV agency. The team has grown significantly and are delivering expertly across all forms of Brand, Performance, BVOD and CTV – so proud to see how the team has developed and diversified. For me, the real highlight has been being a key part this growth, supporting those around me, and building what I truly believe is the best AV team in town!”.
For Charles, who has been with Medialab since 2012, these achievements are met with similar pride, noting how far the in-house TV/AV buying team has come. “I can remember working on Medialab’s first DRTV campaigns for two charity partners back in 2016. At the time, both the planning process and performance reporting were vastly different from how we operate now with our AV team and the support of Apollo. Those initial campaigns were a major milestone for the agency. Fast forward nine years, and Medialab is now the largest independent TV buying agency in the UK—an achievement I’m hugely proud of!”
Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
At Medialab, inclusion isn’t just a buzzword—it’s an active commitment. For Pooja Shah, a Senior Media Executive, and Caitlin Kennedy, a Senior Account Director, being part of Medialab’s DEI Communities has been a recent highlight of their time at Medialab.
For Pooja, “I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of our cultural initiatives, deeply rooted in our value ‘We Help People Flourish.’ The formation of our Roots Community, about a year ago, marks a significant milestone in our journey to be even more inclusive. As an international member, it gives me immense pleasure to see our clients also sharing these values, with gestures like Diwali greetings showing a true commitment to inclusivity.”.
For Caitlin, who leads our Women at Medialab community, “the objective is to promote a workplace where every woman at Medialab feels empowered through our three pillars of recruitment & retention, training & education and advocacy & allyship. It’s been so rewarding to see us being able to influence change across Medialab with us most recently implementing an enhanced Maternity policy. It also gives us the opportunity to celebrate and raise awareness with us organising an exciting panel event with external speakers from across the industry for International Women’s Day.”
Innovation at the Core
Innovation has always been at the heart of Medialab’s success and for some Medialabbers, this has been a highlight. Oksana Petrychuk, Senior Account Manager, recalls an exciting AI project with external trainers where they explored chatbot development and automation. “We were shown how to build a chatbot as well as overall capabilities of AI. The project has led to long-term automation initiatives, streamlining regular tasks and driving efficiencies across the teams as well as driving innovation. It’s a credit to how Medialab stays ahead of the curve, constantly innovating and creating solutions that make a real impact.”
One of Medialab’s biggest achievements from the past 20 years, has been the development and evolvement of Apollo, our industry-leading marketing intelligence platform. Adam Cunnington, Head of Data & Engineering, reflects on its journey: “Apollo has leapt through its adolescence and is now a super-capable platform that I’m incredibly proud of. Even more so, I am proud of the team which has tripled in size and now boasts decades of collective experience in our niche where we are breaking ground.”
Reg Raule, Analytics Manager, continues, “Fast forward to today, and we’ve migrated five of our biggest clients and onboarded seven new ones, continuously levelling up our capabilities at an incredible pace. It’s been amazing to be part of this growth!” “But on a personal note, starting Medialab’s Run Club has also been a highlight—bringing people together from different teams for a good yap and plod around Regent’s Park.”, Reg adds.
Will Davis, our Chief Data Officer and part owner of Medialab, has been an integral part of Medialab’s journey for 19 years and is the founder of both our data-driven approach and Medialab’s media planning and buying capabilities. Today Will is still evolving our capabilities and services, leading our AI enablement and retention proposition.
Will describes Apollo as “a defining achievement” that has transformed our media planning and client success. “Apollo represents our commitment to ensuring data drives every decision, empowering clients with round-the-clock access to actionable insights and optimisations of their media budgets. I’m incredibly proud of this milestone, which is a testament to the talent and dedication of our data scientists, analysts, and engineers who continue to push the boundaries of data-driven excellence.”
Making an Impact Through Training & Accreditation
One of Medialab’s proudest accomplishments is its dedication to continuous learning, reflected in its IPA CPD Platinum accreditation. Daisy Hall, Senior HR Advisor, describes this achievement; “a key highlight for me has been contributing to the IPA CPD submission and seeing us awarded with the Platinum accreditation over the last few years – it’s a huge moment for Medialab and testament to the amazing work that our employees do!”
Suzy Jordan, Chief Growth Officer, remembers how winning IPA CPD Gold back in 2020 for the first time was a major milestone. “A huge amount of work goes into the submission, from people across the agency, demonstrating our commitment to training and development and how this supports our business goals. We’ve won Gold every year since and were Platinum in 2022 and 2023. This year’s submission was completed last month, and we have a couple of months to find out if we’ve achieved Platinum for the third year in a row (fingers crossed).”
Resilience in the Face of Challenges
Kieran MacCallum, Account Director, recalls how “Medialab successfully adjusted to the newly mandated work-from-home policy during the Covid pandemic. However, mindful of the various stresses that lockdown placed on all of us, a company-supported initiative was established to promote physical and mental wellbeing. Medialab’s Lunch Laps Pledge became our new collective exercise initiative aimed at encouraging everyone to step away from their screens, venture outside and get active, particularly during their lunch break. Whether by running, cycling or walking lap of the garden, everyone was welcome to participate by joining a Strava group, sharing photos and inspiring routes, and overall advocating a collective mindset of wellbeing at Medialab that continues to this day.”
Similarly, Nick Parker, Integration Director, also reflects on 2020 as a pivotal year. “It was an annus mirabilis for Medialab. We won Guide Dogs and SunLife, huge wins for the agency, and onboarded them brilliantly. I think it was the foundation-setting year for the success we are now experiencing. Amazing new people joined the agency. It was the year that I fully appreciated what Medialab is capable of.”
Wins That Shape Medialab
Medialab’s growth has been defined by key client wins, industry recognition and a people-first culture that continues to fuel our success. These have not only expanded our business but set the stage for the next 20 years! Ant Stonehewer, Head of Growth, recounts how Medialab’s most recent year in business has been an important one “2024 saw client wins in new sectors for the agency – including Sharps Bedrooms – whilst we secured double-gold at the IPA Effectiveness Awards and recognition across multiple Agency of the Year categories. Those are significant milestones that have set the agency up to go even bigger and better across the next 20, and I’m excited to be a part of that journey.”
For Georgia Cunningham, Business Director, one client win early in her Medialab career defined it all. “One of the largest milestones would be winning SunLife in 2019. I can remember clearly how great the process was; it felt like everyone within Medialab contributed to this momentous win. Since then, our client base has continued to grow, bringing new opportunities and challenges that push us to innovate and evolve. While we have learned and expanded significantly, the spirit of working together remains as strong today as it was back then.”
Recognition for our work has always been a source of pride. Jess Talbot, Head of Planning, shares, “I may have only been at Medialab for around 7% of its 20-year journey (so far!), but in that time, we’ve been chosen as the media agency of choice by nine incredible new client partners, secured Double Gold at the IPA Effectiveness Awards, and stood out as the only independent agency shortlisted for Campaign Media Week’s Media Agency of the Year—now shortlisted again in two more categories! Beyond the accolades, we’ve strengthened and expanded our client offering with brilliant new hires, deepening our expertise and impact”.
A huge moment for Medialab was achieved in 2024, which our Chairman, Stewart Easterbrook, explains. “I think our recent winning of 2 IPA Effectiveness Awards was one of the most satisfying moments over the past few years at Medialab. We have always prided ourselves on doing everything possible to deliver the best outcomes for clients and this was a very pleasing acknowledgement of just that.”.
From a small team of eight with big ambitions in 2005 to the UK’s leading independent agency, Medialab has built something truly special over the last 20 years whilst staying true to a people-first culture. As Jess puts it, “what truly makes Medialab special is the people. Smart, passionate, kind and fun – every day.”
Roll on the next 20!
