Before the content calendar
My first attempt at making something happen was a party I organised at fifteen. It was a small event, but the responsibility was real: find a venue, get people interested, sell tickets and make the evening work. There was no content strategy document. There was a room that needed people in it.
That is one reason I keep bringing content back to a business question. Attention has a context. It matters who arrives, what they expect and what happens after they show up. A good-looking announcement is only one part of that experience.
Learning to hold a room
I went on to perform stand-up and co-produce comedy shows. I was interested in comedy before I ever stood on a stage; performing and producing gave that interest somewhere to meet an audience.
When I look back at that period now, I see a useful connection to formats. A familiar structure gives people a way into an idea. The specific observation gives them a reason to stay. A structure can repeat; the payoff has to earn its place each time. That is how I approach a recurring content series today.
Learning that the offer changes the story
At Adagio, a music-learning space, my work expanded into marketing, events and developing the venue side of the business. The same place could mean different things to different people: a guitar class, a membership, a place to spend time or a room for a show.
That experience sits behind a question I still ask: what is the person actually choosing? Describing every feature of a business is different from helping someone understand the part that matters to them. The answer changes the story you tell and the next step you offer.
Learning the whole production chain
I later worked in ad-film production, with exposure to the path from an idea and a pitch through pre-production, production, post-production and client servicing. It showed me how many people and decisions sit behind a finished piece.
That is why I care about the system around content. A strong idea needs a workable brief. The recording needs the right inputs. An editor needs enough context to preserve the point. Approval and publishing need owners. When those connections are weak, the cost appears as rework, delays or a piece that looks polished but says very little.
Learning to be specific
I also went through the broad creative-services phase: lots of capabilities, lots of conversations and a description that left people unsure whom to introduce me to. Later, working with surgeons gave me a clearer audience and a more specific set of questions to understand.
The lesson I carry forward is specificity. It helps a viewer recognise themselves in an example and helps a collaborator understand what good work looks like. That history does not make every business identical to a specialist practice. It makes me more interested in the differences between them.
Where that leaves me now
Puro Here brings those interests together: attention, formats, expertise, business and the practical work of making something useful. The Tom Tribe is where my team handles the managed content work. Lazzzy Hustler is where I have written more broadly about business decisions and leverage.
I have made good decisions and expensive mistakes. The useful part of sharing that experience is making the reasoning available for inspection. A story gives you context for my point of view; a clear example lets you decide whether that point of view helps with your situation.
From the original notebook
This essay develops ideas from my Lazzzy Hustler writing, with a focus on content and business. Original writing: My Story.