Play Hard: Chris O'Rourke

What is the best thing about your job?

I think trying to create something new. As much as there are other agencies in the market, we feel like we’ve got a lot of really good experience. We’ve been able to build a really good staff base, and they are all mostly graduates or apprentices we trained up, and moved into different roles to give them various levels of experience. Now we’re seeing them grow and evolve, do well, help us grow the business and deliver success for the clients. You know you can do a job, you can deliver for clients but when it actually all comes together quite nicely and the clients are very happy, that makes it very rewarding. I’ve worked in agencies before where although we had hundreds of clients and did very well for lots of people, you can count on one hand how many clients actually contact you and say thank you.
As much as they’re paying you for a service, the business wouldn’t necessarily get there without the expertise of the people involved and I think that’s something clients miss. Whereas I would say we have fantastic clients at Affili8. So, they’re the kind of rewarding elements.

What’s the strangest thing that’s happened to you since starting Affili8?

Somebody rang me up the other day, who I used to have a business association with, for some mentorship and I nearly laughed him off the phone. Not because I don’t think I’ve got something I can contribute to the conversation. But I was like, wow, this is scary. And I did have to remind him one of the reasons why our business grew so quickly and was successful is because we had a lot of investment.
As much as the business is going well and growing, we had a chat and are trying to be very realistic at the same time. But yeah, that was a strange thing, somebody ringing up and saying, you know, can you help me and be a mentor? I don’t think I’m qualified yet.

What's your favourite ice cream!!

It’s probably roman raisin or mint choc chip.

Chips with gravy or curry sauce?

Curry sauce for me because I love everything curry. I love Indian food, I love Chinese curries, Thai food. I’m probably an easy bribe.

So, what is the order on a Friday night from the chip shop?

It would be fish and chips with curry sauce and mushy peas. That’s got to be, hasn’t it? It’s bang on. That’s what you want from it. Absolutely fantastic.

If you had to be trapped with three people on an island, who would you want them to be?

Well, I don’t know, it depends if it’s a freezing cold island in the north of Scotland or if it’s tropical. I don’t want to be trapped on an island with some boring people. Who do I find interesting?
That is a tricky question, but I’m going to say my wife and kids, obviously – because, you know, I’d have the family there. And I can try and impress them with my dad skills, making stuff out of palm trees. I’ve watched Bear Grylls. It looked relatively straightforward for Tom Hanks in Cast Away...