Opinion

24 Hours With… TubeMogul Southeast Asia boss Darin Williams

Darin Williams24 Hours With… spotlights the working day of some of the most interesting people in Mumbrella Asia’s world. Today, we hear about a day in the life of Darin Williams, managing director of TubeMogul Southeast Asia.

6am. I’ve always been an early riser, even during my school days when most teenagers and college kids like to sleep the day away. This hour sees me wake up and get ready for the day ahead, helping my wife get the kids get ready for school. I usually only have an hour to do the three ‘s’s – shave, shower and sup (on breakfast of course), but it’s a time of day I appreciate as it’s one of the windows I have to see my children.

Once they are out the door, I spend 20 minutes meditating to clear my head (a practice I picked up after moving to Asia about 20 years ago) before blasting out a few responses to emails that have come through overnight.

8am. TubeMogul’s headquarters is located in Emeryville, just across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco. Located just down the road from UC Berkeley (made famous by the student movements of the 1960s), TubeMogul likes to think it shares the famous school’s reputation for independence and bucking trends. We don’t like to clog our days with un-necessary meetings, but if I am going to have a call with head office this is the time I will do it – usually with our VP Asia, Susan Salop.

9am. I’m a big fan of ‘to do lists’ as they help me focus my day. Perhaps it’s an offshoot of my meditation practice in my desire to clear things up or tick things when they’re complete.

The first two hours of my day are always spent trying to tick as many things off the ‘To Do’ list I make the evening prior. I tend not to even check my email during this period as it is always a distraction.

11am. These three hours are my ‘golden period’ for internal meetings and new business client discussions. Long lunches used to be a big thing in advertising, but I find they are no longer as popular. People simply don’t have the time for martini lunches and five course meals. It might be disappointing for the tastebuds, but it’s far better for the waistline. Instead, TubeMogul is all about focus, education and customer service – so this is when I spend my time trying to make sure our team and our clients are aware of what we provide. It’s bye-bye Michelin star and hello to a quick sandwich at the desk.

2pm. Existing clients get my focus during this time period. This is when I might contact someone to tell them about a new product or service offering. Or simply to get feedback about how we are doing and how we can improve.

4pm. Internal meetings are held here, often over drinks at a local establishment. We try and combine internal discussion with offsite enjoyment. And our recent office move to Club Street means that everything is now in easy reach.

6pm. Back to my ‘To Do’ list – this is when I will compile my next one for the day ahead, but only if I’m not interviewing new candidates to join our team. Our growth has seen the team size triple in the past year and we still need more talent. Chances are I’ll be interviewing someone at this time of day.

8pm. If I don’t have a basketball game with friends (I’m tall so it was always my game of choice), then it’s time to go home for dinner and a swim with the kids. Even though I’ve lived in Asia for two decades, I’m still a Midwestern American at heart and have trouble dealing with the humidity. So I take any opportunity I can get to cool down. And if that means I can have more time with my children, then it’s even better.

10pm. The kids are in bed, I’ve eaten dinner and I finally have time to do personal things. I love to go on holidays, which is one of the reasons why I moved to this part of the world. Access to so many different cultures and countries is something I love about living in Singapore. Where to next?

11.30pm. Bed time. I used to be a ‘work hard, play hard’ kind of guy but now I appreciate my sleep. It may not make for a riveting read, but it’s certainly needed if I’m going to have my head together for detailed discussions on walled gardens, viewability, ad fraud and more – all questions I get asked about on a daily basis by my clients and team.

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