I create the video content in-house teams can't 🎥 🎵 | Practical freelancing tips to grow a freelance business you love | Prince's Trust Mentor

When was the last time you had fun doing marketing? Honestly.

I want to remind businesses that marketing can be fun.

No one talks about fun.

Everyone talks about optimisation, ROI, performance, conversion, AI, frameworks.

But what if we focused on making it fun... again?

The problem is marketing has lost its joy.

It's become a 'should factory'. 

Content calendars. 
Approval chains. 
Best practices.

A lot of 'that'll do'.

Everyone's so busy optimising, they forgot to ask: Is this actually fun to make? Would I be excited to share this?

And when the fun dies, so does the work. 

You go through the motions. 
Your marketing looks like everyone else's marketing. 
Nobody remembers it.

Bring back the fun, and everything else follows.

That's what I help you do.

Why me?

I'm not a marketer by trade. I'm a journalist, TV producer, and comedian.

I didn't learn marketing from a textbook or an agency. 

I learned storytelling from newsrooms, TV studios, and comedy stages - places where you live or die by one question: Will anyone actually care about this?

I never learned the marketing rulebook. Which is exactly why I can help you break it.

I work with you in three ways:

1. Done-for-you Creative 

- Campaign development, video content, brand storytelling - where I bring the fun directly to your marketing.

2. Done-with-you Collaboration

- Workshops, team training, brand partnerships - where we work together to help you and your team find the fun themselves.

3. Delivered-to-you Inspiration

Speaking, comedy, event host/MC - where I evangelise the philosophy to bigger audiences.

Let's have a chat (and some fun)

Let's make marketing fun AF.

I bought my first home and moved into it today.

I am delighted, excited, thrilled and humbled to announce.

(I sound sarcastic but I actually am all of the above)

Thank you to:

1. My gf for being such an incredible saver of money
2. My family for giving some support
3. Myself for putting my business profits to good use

Right now I feel like I'm embarking on lots of big life milestones at the same time.

Baby.
Buying first home.
On the path to comedic stardom (pending)

Who knows what's next?

Might just ask my gf if she fancies getting engaged to throw into the mix.

(That wasn't a proposal by the way)
(She doesn't use LinkedIn anyway)
(So wouldn't see it)

Who fancies a game of Where's Wally?

Adam Faulkner

My business just turned 6-years-old.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate than this.

Chowing down on a 6 pack of Warburtons crumpets.

It's a lot of crumpets but it's a special celebration and there's 6 in a pack.

I thought starting a business would be an excellent move for me.

It has proven so.

I'm a freedom and autonomy lover.

I love being able to shape a business into what works for me like a piece of plasticine.

There's been some weird shapes with more weird shapes to come.

I never shape it into a box. 
(Not my favourite shape at all)

6 years feels like a long time.

In the lifespan of running my business I've also:

• Become a father
• Bought my first home
• Moved house 4 times
• Lived in 3 different cities

But that's supporting cast for the business today.

Running a business solo (and in profit 6 years in a row) is genuinely one of my favourite achievements.

It's not easy but then life ain't either.

Off to start on the crumpets to lather on salted butter.

Time to get down to business.

𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘕𝘖𝘛 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵

Over a year ago I posted a video that changed my life.

My first proper comedy sketch on LinkedIn.

About LinkedIn.

The numbers were something.

• 1,274 likes
• 164,361 impressions

Numbers don't mean everything but they mean something.

But more importantly it lit a fuse in me.

That there was more of my creative self I wasn't sharing with people.

Not long after I signed up to a stand up comedy course.
I did my first performance.
More followed.

More sketches followed.
More fun followed.

A year later.

1. I've been signed by a talent agent
2. I'm building my business around the core principle of 'fun'
3. I'm creating (and laughing) more than ever

I've gone down this path with full force.

Well apart from when I'm spending time with my baby daughter.

It feels great chasing a dream.

Thank you for supporting me over this past year with my odd creations.

Some have worked brilliantly.
Some spectacularly haven't.

But this video was the best piece of content marketing I've ever done.

Things do happen when you're having fun.

===

I'm AF.

I make fun content.

For me.
For you.
And the entire human race
(Last bit was a lie)

If you want to hire me, work with me, pay me to make content, give me a microphone and a stage.

That's very desirable to me.

I'm fun.

How to turn absolutely anything into ‘thought leadership’ posts on LinkedIn.

Yes even squirrels.

💾 Save this post for later if you like a good laugh

I'm looking for experts in the following areas for a cool project I'm working on.

I would like to speak to:

• AI Engineer
• AI Researcher
• Game Designer
• Content Creator
• Startup Founder
• Product Manager
• Product Designer
• Tech Entrepreneur
• Digital Policy Advisor
• Investigative Journalist
• Platform Policy Advisor
• Cybersecurity Specialist
• Journalist / Fact Checker
• Digital Marketing Strategist
• Cloud Infrastructure Engineer

I know it's a long list but...

If you are yourself one of these do let me know.

If you know one of these please let them know (or tag them in the comments)

For context it's around a new Digital Intelligence learning platform for school kids.

I'm not offering jobs.

Please do your thing LinkedIn.

Customer review of a 6-month-old baby.

"Still can't find instruction manual.

Alarm system activates randomly in the middle of the night - often at full volume. Snores louder than my grandad. 

However, the bespoke design is extremely cute, eye-catching and attention grabbing. Continues to be excellent at boosting morale.

Built in smile function has upgraded to full laugh mode. Has developed a feedback loop where it laughs at you laughing at it - unexpectedly addictive feature.

Software update introduced solid foods, though interface is messy and output is unpredictable.

Would recommend. 4.5 stars."

I wrote a letter to my 6-month-old daughter.

She can't read yet but it's ready.

It comes from the heart and in one flow.

Letter starts now.

......

Dear AF,

I want you to have the best life you possibly can. I won't tell you what to do (too much) and I'm not expecting you to be exactly like like me.

All I can do is show you the best version of myself and the values I hold dear. They are exploring, adventuring and enjoying your life as much as possible with as much courage as possible.

Things don't always go the way you want them to or expect them to but that's okay.

Keep trying things.

That's where the magic is.

I love you.

PS Your smile melts my heart every time and cuts through the BS (sorry for swearing)

AF

.....

Letter ends.

Fingers crossed her first word is 'Dadam'.

Or discombobulated.

My favourite word.

I was seconds from death once.

I don't mean death like embarrassed to death.

I mean death death.

And not like a cool death.

Like being eaten by a shark, crocodile or a T-rex.

No none of those.

It was a piece of lamb.

I know what you're thinking.

How could something so cute be so deadly? 

That went through my head too.

For context... I was at a gathering at a friend's house.
(If you're French you'd say soireé)

The lamb comes out of the kitchen.

I don't mean alive.

It's on the table in chunks and ready to be eaten.

I put it in a wrap and take a bite.

It slips straight down my throat.

And it's lodged.

It's like in the film 127 Hours when the climber's arm is trapped by the boulder.

So a boulder of lamb if you will.

I couldn't breathe or make a noise.

It wouldn't go down.

It wouldn't come out.

I'm thinking no way, I can't bow out like this.

My mate Jack smashed me on the back.

Nothing.

How could this be my instrument of death.

Like a game of Cluedo.

Revolver
Lead pipe
Lamb boulder

Then Jack tried the Heimlich Maneuver.

It didn't work.

Then 3 things came to mind.

1. I'm in a spot of bother here
2. I don't like sheep anymore
3. What will they put on my death certificate?

Then it came to me.

Adam Faulkner. 

Lamb-inated.

May he rest in fleece.

===

To bring you to the end of the story here.

Jack got the Heimlich to work eventually.

But it was a close call.

He saved my life.

What a legend.

If Batman and Ironman went on The Apprentice

If you're looking to supercharge your LinkedIn growth look no further than 'LinkedIn Secret Sauce'.

It's made from the tears of a thousand thought leaders.

You just need one drop a day.

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