Prosperity. Happiness Works.

Michael Piercy is one of two Co-Founders of Pixel Wolf Studios which was only established in November 2011 with his colleague Alan Grace.

Company: Pixel Wolf Studios an independent game development studio based in Dublin, currently focusing on game developments for release on the iOS and Android mobile marketplaces. You can find out more information at www.pixelwolfstudios.com.
Job description: As the company is so fresh and the team is so small, our roles are very much intertwined. At the moment everyone does a fair share of everything whether it’s working on new game ideas, puzzle designs, programming or graphic design.
Likes: The atmosphere in the office right now is buzzing. No two days are the same. There’s always something to be done. I really enjoy the problem solving aspects of my work. When programming games from scratch you have to think of what you want the game to do and then figure out a way to do it within the restraints of whatever programming language you’re using at the time. There’s a lot of thinking outside the box with this job. Other times I’m working on graphic design or keeping up with the Irish dev community.
Career ladder: I always knew I wanted to work in the game design industry. When I finished school I took a look at what courses were available here in Ireland that would open game development opportunities for me; at that time a lot of the courses were focusing on computer science, and that can lead down a very technical and specific road in the gaming industry. I wanted to have more of creative input into the games I would be creating; so I moved to London to study Computer Game Design (Story Development) and after that I returned to Ireland. By then the industry had flourished a little here and I decided to do a masters in Digital Games. As the masters was coming to an end, it was obvious that the gaming industry in Ireland was really starting to blossom. The timing was perfect to establish a studio. I’d recommend others who are considering the same to be more pro-active about it now rather than later. It takes two minutes to contact other studios that are out there. You’d be surprised at how supportive everyone in the community is. Speak to as many people as you can to get a strong idea of what would be involved and if you still really feel like you want to do it then just go for it
Qualifications: I received a BA (hons) in Computer Game Design (Story Development) from the University of East London and have just finished studying a Masters of Science in Digital Games at Dublin Institute of Technology.
Working hours: The atmosphere in the studio is so relaxed so there’s no exact start time precisely. Usually we start between 9am and 10am and work until around 6pm. Or if there’s a deadline looming we might stay back later than that to make sure that everything is polished.
Breaktime: Where the studio is located there’s a lot of choice for lunch. The Guinness Enterprise Centre has a café on site and Thomas Street is just a minutes walking distance too. Generally lunch time is a chance to chat with others about what you’re working on currently and get a fresh point of view. We usually go over the tasks for the rest of the day to keep us on track too.
Social media credentials: Keeping up appearances is an important part of such a digital company. It allows your clients and target audience to keep up to speed with how your company is growing. And it really helps that the rest of the community here in Ireland is so welcoming. We try to keep our social media channels open and up to date as often as we can. You can follow us on twitter and like us on Facebook.
News sources: Considering the size of the industry there’s a lot to keep up with. My first stops usually include The Gaming Liberty, Edge Magazine’s online forum and GameDevelopers.ie to keep up to date with the Irish developer scene.

Onsite or offsite: When we’re working on a project we’re generally in the studio however we do travel to client’s offices and studios for regular meetings to keep everyone up to date on our progress.
Digital strategy/vision: Since all of our projects are digital and the digital industry is so dynamic and ever changing, it’s important that we keep up to date with new digital technologies and trends. Keeping up to speed with gadgets and their specs helps us to decide which devices to develop for and which channels will be opening up.
I love Mondays because: When you’re in the middle of a development cycle your day can become filled with programming issues and graphic asset refinements and you can easily get tied up and lost within all the work. So over the weekend I always try to make some time to play, whether it’s new games on the scene, golden oldies or whatever demo I can get my hands on. So when Monday comes I’m always bursting with inspiration and enthusiasm to create something new. I have pages filled with sketches and notes from ideas I’ve had over the weekend and I like to discuss them and build little sample games to see what might be the next big Pixel Wolf Studios project.

Martina Quinn is an Account Director at DHR Communications. She joined the company in 2007, in the role of Account Manager.

Company: DHR Communications is a full-service communications practice. The services it offers can be classified under three main headings: public relations; public affairs; and project management.
Job description: Basically, my job is to raise the profile of the organisations with which we work. This can involve straightforward PR tasks like developing and implementing media relations campaigns; organising media events, such as photocalls and press conferences; writing press materials; and liaising with journalists. For clients with a public affairs focus, it can also involve arranging meetings with key politicians and policymakers; engaging with relevant stakeholder groups; and providing advice on how to strengthen relationships with target audiences.
We also deliver project management services for a number of clients. Projects I work on range from nationwide student competitions to public consultations; music gigs, festivals and other large public events; funding schemes; marketing campaigns; and social media projects.
Social media is an increasingly important part of my work. We’re also always available to clients to advise them on crisis communications. Emerging developments often come to our attention through social media sites. Or negative comments left on a client’s Facebook page or Twitter profile can lead to them calling us for some crisis communications advice.
Likes: What I like most about my job is working on projects that make a positive difference to Irish society. It gives me a great sense of job satisfaction to think I’m helping make a difference – even if it’s in a very small way. Another thing I really like is that no two days are the same. I also really like the growing focus on social media and online news outlets, which has impacted significantly on the PR industry.
Career ladder: I worked in Fine Gael National Headquarters when I finished college. One of my duties there was to assist in overhauling the party’s website in advance of the 2004 local and European elections. That was my first taste of working online on a day-to-day basis, and I really liked it – it was the first time I learned about content management systems, and saw how easy it can be to update websites and generate content online. Since then, pretty much every job I’ve had has had a strong focus on using online tools.
I also worked as a journalist and editor with Public Affairs Ireland. My duties were to write and edit content for a bi-monthly public affairs journal, and to produce a weekly email bulletin. At the same time, I was doing freelance journalism work for a number of different sectoral publications, such as Council Review, Health & Safety Times and Emergency Services Ireland.
Before I joined DHR Communications, I was Communications Officer with AONTAS, the national adult learning charity. In addition to managing media relations, I was responsible for the organisation’s online presence.
I joined DHR Communications as an Account Manager in 2007. I was coming from a non-profit organisation, and a lot of DHR’s clients are not-for-profits, so it was a natural fit. I never really expected to end up working in PR, but the mix of advocacy and media work that DHR Communications offers really appeals to me.
Qualifications: BA in Journalism from Dublin City University.
Working hours: Working in PR means you have to be available to your clients pretty much all of the time. My day starts at about 8.30am, when I check my emails on the way to work. I’m usually in the office by 9am, and could be there quite late at night, depending on what’s happening in any given week. We do some night-time events, and also a good bit of work at weekends. And I need to be available to take calls or respond to urgent emails – from clients or from the media – pretty much at any time.
Breaktime: My working day is busy, so I generally eat lunch at my desk and I’m not great for taking breaks throughout the day. I try to be organised enough to bring my lunch into the office from home. If that fails, I go to Manning’s on Thomas Street in Dublin 8, our local deli, for a take-away sandwich. Occasionally, I’ll meet a friend in town, or go out for lunch with colleagues or clients.
Social media credentials: First thing in the morning, I’ll check my emails on my iPhone and will glance at Facebook – and maybe Twitter. Once I get to the office, the first websites I open are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and I leave these sites open all day – I’ll keep an eye on them throughout the day to see if there’s any breaking news I should be aware of, or any other items of interest or of relevance to our clients. If I’m out of the office at a photocall or client event, I’ll live-tweet from the venue and upload photographs to the DHR Facebook page and Twitter account – and possibly to the client’s social media sites too.
LinkedIn.com/company/dhr-communications and http://ie.linkedin.com/in/martinaquinn for networking and also to find out sectoral news – I’m a member of lots of PR, communications and social media groups on LinkedIn. I’ve also recently started to use Google+, and plan to become more acquainted with that in the coming months.
News sources: I get a huge amount of my news through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I follow news sites like TheJournal.ie and Broadsheet.ie on Facebook. I get the email versions of The Irish Times and Metro Herald delivered to my inbox each morning, so I’ll have a glance at the headlines on those, and I regularly refer to RTE.ie, IrishTimes.com, Examiner.ie and various other Irish news sites over the course of the day. I also subscribe to a number of blogs that are of relevance to my work – and to the work of our clients. SiliconRepublic is great for Irish tech news, as are Digital Times and TechCentral.ie. To keep up with international developments, I follow blogs like Spin Sucks, Social Media Examiner, PR News and PR at Sunrise. And I also subscribe to a number of different bulletins from BrandRepublic.com.
Obviously, working in PR, it’s really important to keep up with traditional media too – the radio is always on in the background throughout the day and we have a selection of daily newspapers in the office, as well as magazines, specialist publications and local newspapers.
Onsite or offsite: My job involves lots of meetings outside of the office, which I like. I usually have a couple of off-site meetings every day. There’s also a fair amount of travel involved in my role. Lots of our clients have a nationwide remit.
Digital strategy/vision: The PR and communications sectors will continue to become more and more influenced by digital media in the coming years. So my main priority is to keep abreast of emerging trends and figure out how best to use new social media and online tools to promote our clients’ work. I would also like to see more of our clients proactively embracing social media. A surprising amount of organisations are still fearful about using Facebook or Twitter or other online tools. Or they feel that, given their limited resources, they simply don’t have the staff available to maintain an effective social media presence.
I love Mondays because: I love Mondays because, generally, I try to get any outstanding work cleared on a Friday evening or (if it has to be done!) over the weekend. So, usually, come Monday morning, I feel I’m starting with a clean slate and a very manageable ‘to do’ list. Unfortunately, though, this quite often doesn’t go to plan!

Larry Taylor, online and social media manager for BT Ireland

Company: BT Ireland is an all-island organisation with 3,000 employees. It is at the forefront of bringing next generation networks, services and skills to Ireland (north and south)
Job description: I am the head of digital and social media-related development. I also manage the Business of Science and Technology programme, which selects 30 students from the BT Young Scientist exhibition and workshops their ideas in Nova UCD.
Likes: Learning new things whether inside work, or out. At the moment, I’m learning to play the cello, understanding the dynamics of Social Media and the capabilities of next generation networks and cloud computing.
Career ladder: I started out as a research scientist, learning how to crunch data and find conclusions. I then joined a campus company start-up in UCD, to develop e-learning software and I learned how to manage multi-disciplinary teams, to deliver new technology. Esat was just starting its home phone and (dial-up!) internet access service and I was asked on board to lead the design studio. Esat quickly evolved and blended with Ireland on Line, Oceanfree.net and finally BT Ireland.
Qualifications: I have a Science degree and a Ph.D. in genetic engineering which are pretty useful in the complex world of technology and online media. I also completed courses in graphic art and design with NCAD.
BT has great in-house management training programmes, lasting from one day, to one year and I have recently finished a BT Leadership programme.
Working hours: BT has one of the largest team of flexible workers in the world, allowing us to keep connected anywhere, any time. So my core working day is 8am to 5pm, but my smartphone is rarely off. It’s a mixed blessing, that allows you the freedom to leave the office if necessary, but means you can always be reached!
Breaktime: I try to get out and about for some fresh air every day and lunch is usually at my desk. But I have started cycling to work thanks to some very decent weather.
Social media credentials: I blog internally within BT, manage the @btinireland Tweets, BT LinkedIn groups, Facebook.com/BTYSTE content and Flickr accounts. Twitter #tags are my new friends right now.
News sources: www.mashable.com (I got to meet Ben Parr at #DWS7!), http://etre.com/blog, www.TheJournal.ie, www.Siliconrepublic.ie and ‘wins.failblog.org‘ just for fun. Plus all the usual broadsheets.
Onsite or offsite: With flexible working and smartphones, there is no ‘one site’, any more. We even use the term ‘coffice’ to describe somewhere between the office and Starbucks. To do my job, I also to broadcast live from events, meetings and sponsor activities. Time to respond is also becoming limited; with Twitter, you have about one hour to report, or respond to a live event. With Facebook, less than one day.
Digital strategy/vision: BT in the Republic of Ireland is concentrated on Business to business operations and our digital strategy reflects this. Rather than trying to establish a ’social media team’ within BT, my vision is to build a community of networked experts throughout the organisation in Ireland. My wish is to empower dozens of technical and business experts with the skills to use social media as an everyday tool, rather than as an exotic marketing device.
I love Mondays because: I am helping to shape the future of marketing and communications in BT Ireland and there is always a new project and a chance to try out new things. Right now I am pretty excited about Ellen MacArthur’s involvement with the BT Young Scientist and Technology programmes in 2012. She kicks off her work with BT on 6 December 2011, taking part in a web chat with our BT Young Scientists. See www.facebook.com/BTYSTE for more info.

Doug Farrell, online Ireland manager with Mail Online since Jan 2011.

Company: Mail Online is the global website for Associated Newspapers, which includes The Irish Daily Mail, Irish Mail on Sunday and the UK Mail titles.
Job description: My role consists of developing advertising opportunities, creating bespoke campaign solutions and ensuring all campaigns are managed effectively so they perform well.
Likes: I really enjoy the challenge and rewards of seeing a campaign come to life, from concept to delivery. I think it is vital in the digital world, where metrics are so important not to forget the impact of well-crafted, impactful and innovative creative design. We have moved into creating web video campaigns for brand clients – from concept to filming to post production. This for me is a very exciting area, where clients expect far more than just an MPU!
Career ladder: I completed an honours degree in marketing and marketing communications, and worked in sales for a number of years, including as a UK account manager for Dell and deputy advertising manager with Hot Press. I decided to pursue my passion for digital design and I trained as a digital graphic designer specialising in advertising. I worked with The Irish Daily Star for three years in the advertising department. Following two years of digital design consultancy for Associated Newspapers I was appointed online manager for Mail Online and we launched Mail Online Ireland and Mail Media. My advice for anyone looking to get into the world of digital advertising is to really embrace both the data and the creative. If you can merge a creative passion and an ability to manage data, this in my opinion that is a winning formula.
Qualifications: I have a BA (Hons) in Marketing and Sales, a Diploma in Digital Design, a Diploma in Graphic Design and I am certified in Flash.
Working hours: I work from around 9.30 till 6.30, however with my role and the creation of the iPad I tend to dip in and out of work most evenings, web advertising never sleeps!
Breaktime: If I am not out at meetings, I try to get out for a walk; I am guilty of having my lunch at my desk a little too often!
Social media credentials: I use social media everyday mainly Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter on both my iPhone and iPad. However I have come to the opinion that this corner on the internet is becoming far too cluttered, there is too much noise. So I have been pairing back to my essential tools: Work is LinkedIn; Social is Facebook/Twitter.
News sources: First stop is Mail Online of course; I dip into the Sky News iPad app; I also use Flipboard and can’t resist a bit of Broadsheet.
Onsite or offsite: I spend about half of my time offsite at meetings, I really rely on my iPad for presentation, I use keynote and Dropbox. The rest of the time I am either working on new business creative pitches and working with the campaign management team ensuring all campaigns are running well.
Digital strategy/vision: Aside from our core job of delivering content to our audience we are all about digital strategy. The rise of smart phones, tablets and social are having a profound impact on digital publishing. These are some of the areas where we are making strong progress. No matter what the platform it is all about engagement and content.
I love Mondays because: In the dynamic world of digital advertising I love the buzz of a new week and a new set of challenges.

Roseanne Smith has been a recruitment consultant here in Prosperity since July 2011.

Prosperity is a recruitment agency specialising in the recruitment of online and digital professionals.
Job description: This is my first role as a recruiter and I love it. It’s a very social role but still requires that I keep right up to date on everything online which is a big passion for me.
Likes: I love meeting the people who are making digital happen in Ireland and beyond. I love the fact that social media is an integral part of my role and that Prosperity walks the digital walk.
Career ladder: I’ve had a pretty unusual career to date but the one thing that featured throughout was digital. Even back when I was designing sets I was creating interactive sets. I have worked in television in the TG4 newsroom and as Hector’s researcher on Amú san Áis among other programmes. I have worked on online, community and cultural projects in the Irish language voluntary sector and most recently held the position of membership manager with the Irish Internet Association.
Qualifications: I have a degree in Drama Studies & Modern Irish, a MSc in Multimedia Systems and a MSc in Social Research Skills.
Working hours: I work 9 to 5.30 although with three kids, a blog and a serious crochet habit it’s more like every waking minute is work.
Breaktime: Since we moved into the city centre I desperately try not to go shopping at lunchtime although there has been some serious browsing around the Grafton street area… Christmas is coming!
Social media credentials: I am without a doubt a social media addict. There is an app for everything I do. I have an app to help with my running, my crochet, I read on my Kindle app on my iPad, I play online games and watch TV on my iOS devices. I blog at http://www.oneofthesedays.ie, tweet at www.twitter.com/enormous or you can ‘LinkIn’ with me at www.linkedin.com/in/roseannesmith. You can also read my monthly tech column on www.beo.ie.
News sources: I love my Zite and Flipboard iPad apps which allow me to pull content from all my networks, favourite sites and my reader. Zite in particular allows me to show my preference by keyword, author and site. Twitter and Facebook are also great sources of news for me. Another new kid on the block is the ShowYou app which pulls video content from YouTube, Vimeo but also pulls the video content shared on my networks. I’ll never miss a cat talking again!
Onsite or offsite: I’m based in the office but regularly get out and about to meet clients. My Quickoffice iPad app coupled with Google Docs and Dropbox allows me to capture notes and quickly share with colleagues or re-use when promoting clients to candidates. I also love Evernote for capturing all kinds of notes, lists, pics and audio on the fly but the new Reminders feature on iOS is quickly getting a lot of love from me.
Digital strategy/vision: It’s not unusual for us in Happinessworks HQ to wonder how on earth people recruited before email or mobile phones. The ubiquity of smartphones, especially in our niche area, allows us to keep candidates informed of great opportunities. More and more of our work will be affected by this change in use and therefore our content will adapt to this. As I use Twitter to keep abreast of news and views I know other users will tune into my stream during the times that they are seeking a new role too so I will continue to grow and rely on my social networks. I’m also aware that there is a fear that Twitter is forcing all messages to become 140 characters but more and more I see clients recruiting content specialists who are also responsible for social media. This shows an understanding for a need for substance behind the social.
I love Mondays because: I know that somewhere somebody has the buzz of starting a new job and I helped get them there