Meet Patrick, Director of Account Management at Key Content. Having been with the team for over three years, Patrick plays a pivotal role in ensuring smooth interactions between clients and our operations team, driving project efficiency and customer satisfaction. Based in Torres Vedras, Portugal, Patrick balances his professional life with family time and a passion for fitness—recently completing his second half marathon. Let’s dive into his journey with Key Content and his approach to work-life balance.
Tell us about your role at Key Content?
I am Director of Account Management and have been working with Key Content for just over three years. Part of my role is to facilitate the smooth interaction between our customers and our operations team to make sure projects are efficient and effective and meet customer expectations. I also actively source and engage with new customers and to grow our accounts portfolio.
What do you enjoy most about working with business development in SEO & content creation industry?
I like the people most. There is a less formal but still professional approach. When I attend events I can see people are more themselves and focused on a quickly evolving industry. It’s an industry which doesn’t have an exact science to it, unless you are working for one of the search engines themselves, so sharing findings, approaches, tools, tricks and methods is part of the norm and helps the industry as a whole to move forward.
Can you walk us through a typical workday for you?
A typical workday for me starts with me getting my two children, one aged 2 and one 10 months, out of bed and making their breakfast. Once I hand them over to my wife and begin work I have a stand-up meeting with some of my team members before going about meeting with current and potential customers and making sure our operations team has everything they need to meet project briefs. If I can fit in a quick trip to the gym then great and once I shut down my laptop for the day it’s dinner, bath and bed time for the kids.
Tell us about the place you live and what you like most about your city?
After marrying into a Portuguese family, I now find myself living in Torres Vedras, Portugal. Located 40 minutes north of Lisbon, it’s a place that at one point in my life I would have thought was too quiet but now it is the perfect place for me to raise a family and experience a slightly different way of life. The weather is mostly sunny, the wine is super cheap and the food, especially my mother-in-law’s cooking, is delicious.
Torres Vedras is also famous for where the Duke Of Wellington helped the Portuguese defend Lisbon and ultimately repel the French during the Napoleonic wars. With support from the British, the Portuguese built a number of strategically positioned forts which are now referred to as The Lines of Torres Vedras or Linhas de Torres Vedras, and which were declared a National Heritage by the Portuguese Government in 2019.
Could you share with us a fun/unusual fact about yourself?
I was once referred to as the best dressed man in Bondi during my time living in Australia. Unfortunately these days my style has waned slightly however I did win best dressed at our recent work’s Christmas event so I’ve still got it…sort of.
Outside of work, what are your hobbies or interests?
Keeping fit and healthy are how I unwind. Recently I completed my second half marathon and it’s activities like this which are part of my mission to keep strong and agile. With two young kids I need to be able to pick them up and carry them around without having to worry about injuring myself. As a, what the medical industry describes as a geriatric parent, I want to keep my meat vehicle healthy and functioning for decades to come!
Other than keeping fit and playing with my kids, I really enjoy watching football although sometimes I wish I hadn’t when my team lets me down yet again.
Do you have a favourite book that has left a lasting impression on you, personally or professionally?
Keeping in line with my hobbies and interests, the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall made a real impression on me and taught me in many ways how I feel in my daily life is directly impacted by my daily actions. I’d also have to say that The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and a number of his interesting guests have given me different perspectives on various topics and opened me up to different ways of thinking.
Can you recommend a soundtrack with 1-3 songs that resonate to you most?
My go to Karaoke song is Rocket Man by Elton John; the DJ I listen to the most while exercising is Andy C; and a song which makes me think is A Very Good Year by Frank Sinatra.
What is your vision for the future of content?
Automation integrated with a human element. It would be too obvious to say AI but alongside human talent it will bring down content costs while making sure content still includes cultural nuances, brand voice and emotional connection. I feel a human element is what resonates with users more as they want someone who has experienced a product, service or experience and no matter how good AI gets at giving its “own” take, a human perspective will be something that people associate with legitimacy and a key decision maker in the buying process.
