We catch-up with Stephen Kenwright, and find out about how accidently stumbled into a career in digital marketing, his non-negotiables for being a dad, and what he believes is the biggest opportunity for digital marketers in 2025/2026.
How did you enter a career in digital marketing?
Accidentally. When I want to sound good, I tell people that I have 7 A Levels and a Masters degree in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature…all of which is true, but I have the extra A Levels because I changed my mind about what I wanted to study at university and I have the Masters degree because I had no idea what I wanted to do when I graduated, so I entered the marketing workforce 2 years older than most are.
While studying for my MA, two very lucky things happened: I met my now wife; and I freelanced as a copywriter, primarily for a small integrated agency that ended up offering me a job when I’d finished studying. The first time I really knew about marketing was when I’d started working in it.
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How do you switch off?
I wake up at 5:30-6am…because my little boy wakes me up. I’m a morning person, so I get up with him most days. It means I don’t have much chance to think about work until I’ve dropped him at school or set off to visit a client.
Since COVID, I have dinner with my family if I’m working from home (and I rarely open the laptop again). If I’m out, I make an effort to make it back before my little boy’s bedtime (my wife and I take it in turns, but I try to see him before he goes to sleep, even if my wife is putting him to bed).
These routines have been in place since the start of the pandemic (so even at Rise at Seven, which grew as quickly as any marketing agency has, I “worked” between 8am-6pm and wouldn’t usually open my laptop otherwise).
Since leaving Rise at Seven, I’ve started exercising, which has become a non-negotiable: I lift weights 3-5 times per week and, sometimes, even do some cardio.
What is your favourite Podcast & Book in 2025?
The podcasts I’ve followed for the past 5+ years have been 2Bobs and Lucy Mann’s Small Spark Theory; more recently it’s been Michael Lewis’ Against the Rules and Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History too. I generally listen to podcasts while I’m driving.
I like “inside story” books, with recent favourites being Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unravelling of an American Icon (Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez); Going Infinite (Michael Lewis’ book about FTX) and Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter (Kate Conger and Ryan Mac).
I’ll listen to and read other books too, but these are the ones I’ll do in a sitting or two.
What’s your favourite inspirational quote?
I have a few saved in my Google Keep because they tend to rattle around in my head as reasons for doing what I do:
“Boasting is what a boy does, because he has no real effect in the world. But the tradesman must reckon with the infallible judgement of reality, where one’s failures or shortcomings cannot be interpreted away.” – Matthew Crawford
“Do it for the reason that I do it. Do it to prove that you’re the best. Do it to prove that you follow no one.” – Kenny Omega
Fun fact about you?
My standard “fun fact” for when I’m forced to share one: I have a Blue Peter badge, which I won for a picture I painted of the 1966 World Cup Final. I have never seen the match and, even now, I could probably only name 3 of the players.
What’s your proudest professional achievement to-date?
One of the wonderful things about being in the advisory business is that I get to draw on many things I’ve done that I’m proud of. So I could say “my body of work as a whole”, but generally I think about: standing on the massive SearchLeeds stage in front of thousands of people at the first direct arena like a rockstar, knowing we put that conference on; walking the red carpet on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood for the Clio Awards in 2021 with Rise at Seven; and, if I’m feeling self indulgent, the financial performance and generally constant dopamine hits of Rise at Seven at its height.
What’s your favourite movie of all time?
The Matrix Trilogy (particularly The Matrix Reloaded). Also the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. If I’m not allowed a trilogy, then The Mummy (1999).
What 1 thing would you tell your younger self?
Leave people better off than when you met them. I am well aware of the (comparatively few) people for whom I’ve failed to live up to this and I’d love to have been reminded to do it right.
What’s the biggest opportunity for digital marketers in 2025/2026
Relatively few marketers seem to have noticed that social media has been replacing search engines for a long time. Not just TikTok, which we do hear about…but the views and engagement YouTube is achieving vs. Google Search is just night and day. Also Pinterest, Reddit, Quora, Instagram…
What’s your favourite meal to cook at home?
Two meals are on the rotation every week: peanut noodles (made with former Riser Thierry Ngutegure’s Mother Nutter peanut butter)…
and French dip baguettes (basically a ribeye steak sandwich with a French onion dip).
PODCAST VERSION
This edition with Stephen Kenwright is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
About Stephen…
Stephen is a non-executive director and consultant for marketing agencies. He founded SEARCH-FIRST creative agency Rise at Seven in 2019 and served as Chief Commercial Officer, growing annual revenues to more than £7m; hiring 110 staff; opening offices in Sheffield, Manchester, London and New York; and winning more than 70 industry awards – about one every two weeks – before exiting after three years.
Stephen held board positions at £15m turnover/200-strong content production agency Ride Shotgun; digital marketing agency Branded3, which he helped to merge into £22m/250-strong data business Edit after its acquisition; and served on the Edit board as Sales and Marketing Director. He was also Head of Digital at £4.7bn turnover automotive retailer Pendragon PLC.
He’s delivered talks on more than 100 stages in 10 countries and founded SearchLeeds, a digital marketing conference that attracted more than 2,000 delegates to the first direct arena in its most recent edition. He’s one of Business Insider’s 42 Under 42 and The Drum once turned him into a Top Trump card. Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn | Stephen’s Weekly Newsletter
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