Get to know Richard Thorburn

Where do you call home?
Manchester in the traditional sense, but wherever in the world that I’m surrounded by friends and family becomes home to me.  

Are you an early bird or night owl?
If I haven’t fallen asleep on the sofa by 11pm, I’ve done well.  

Go-to lunch order?
Everything and anything, but I was on first name terms with the staff at Tortilla at one point. 

Coffee or tea?
Coffee, but as an Englishman, with a deep appreciation of a good cup of Yorkshire Tea. 

What’s your secret skill?
I can still make a very mean cocktail from my bartender days.  

How do you like to start your day?
Sunlight as soon as possible, early morning you’ll usually find me on the balcony with a cup of something preparing for the day ahead.  

And how do you like to end it?
I always try to do something active, even if it’s just a walk before spending time with the family. It’s important to have something that signals the end of one and the start of the other. 

What was your first job?
I went from delivering newspapers to writing for them. 

What’s something that always makes you smile?
There are not many things that laughter from my little one can’t solve.   

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Your word is everything. 

What’s your go-to productivity hack?
A change of scenery – I’ll often head out for a short walk if I need time to think of a new creative idea, or if there’s something challenging that’s landed in my inbox. 

What’s your most-used emoji?
Probably the muscle emoji. Not necessarily as a call to go to the gym, but more of a ‘we got this’ to the team. 

What work achievement are you most proud of?
Seeing the journey that we’ve come on over a short period of time and building the sort of luxury client base that we’ve always wanted.   

What are you most excited about at the moment?
How much clients are buying into the need for content creation and recognising that digital storytelling is just as important as traditional PR.  

How do you get ready for the week ahead?
I try to completely switch off on Sunday’s so in many ways my version of getting ready for the week ahead is to actually reset.  

What are you known for in the MAIA office?
Probably an insistence that every tenth song on the playlist must be Oasis. 

Where are you travelling to next?
The festive season normally brings a trip back to the UK and a last-minute stock up on jumpers.  

What’s your work mantra?
Don’t be afraid of failing, be afraid of not trying. 

And your life mantra?
You didn’t come this far to only go this far. 

You can only add one song to the MAIA playlist. What is it?
Don’t look back in anger by Oasis. Just a generally good motto for life.

What’s one book / TV show that changed your life?
Every end of term our school would wheel out a VHS of Cool Runnings. Years later, I still love the messaging of anything is possible, even when it seems like it’s not. 

What matters most?
Always showing up; whether that’s at work or in family life. 

Any advice for your younger self?
Block out the noise and always be real. 

Happiness is…
Taking control of your own happiness. Only when you do that, you can have an impact on the happiness of those around you.