Interviews, insight & analysis on digital media & marketing

Lunch, Drinks, Eureka!

Like it or not, pubs, restaurants and clubs play a key role in our industry. They host the meetings, the quiet words, the off the record chats that keep the wheels of the media and advertising world turning.

This new series celebrates the moment of inspiration, a chance meeting or eureka moment that led to a key development in your career, by finding out where it first struck.

What bar, pub or restaurant where you in when this momentous occasion occurred. Was it in the Dog and Duck in Soho that you finally cracked the problem that led to the birth of your new company? Was it over lunch at Roka that you shook hands on a deal that transformed your business? Or was it over late-night drinks at The Groucho that you decided to finally take the plunge to leave your job and set up on your own?

Our first subject is Ben Williams, Founder and Managing Director of Kiln, a growth agency for digital companies.

  • What was your eureka moment and what did it lead to?

Similar to the eureka moment of the people behind this fine publication – the realisation that I could earn my living by becoming self-employed, which is something I finally acted on in 2019.

  • What was the background to your Eureka moment, what was the path to this success?

A lot of my mates – randomly – work in the creative industry, and most of them work in a freelance capacity. They were always egging me on to do something entrepreneurial, so much so they helped create the lovely name and branding of my growth agency, Kiln.

  • Where did it happen? 

The initial eureka moment happened back in 2013 at a pub called The Flask in Highgate. The original idea was to create a mobile agency helping brands and agencies navigate this new medium (sounds so quaint now doesn’t it!). We called it ‘Project Flask’.

  • What were you eating or drinking at the time?

London Pride and Fish and Chips.

  • Who else was involved?

Jon Mundy, one of the nicest guys in the industry.

  • Do you still visit/celebrate/miss this particular venue?

I’m due to meet up with Jon around Christmas (if we can of course), and I’ll be suggesting we meet there.

Want to tell us about your Eureka moment and where it happened?  Email newdigitalage@bluestripemedia.co.uk to get involved.

Related articles