Welcome to the first episode of It’s A Yes! Making It In Media. Hosts Jo Wood (The Media Exchange) and Debra Sharron (Media Sales Training) share the career paths that led them into media from unconventional beginnings.
They discuss their career transitions from pharmacy and English literature into media recruitment and magazine sales, exploring why neither initially saw themselves as "salespeople". This episode tackles common questions about professional development in media, including how to refine your CV, what drives promotion decisions when you're already hitting targets, and why job satisfaction can shift around the 18-month mark.
Why do top performers sometimes get overlooked for advancement? What role do team dynamics and communication skills play in sales success? Jo and Debra explore what's often happening behind the scenes in sales management and career progression.
What This Episode Covers
How people actually find their way into media sales
- Why sales roles are often misunderstood across the industry
- What commercial experience gives you that other roles don’t
- How progression and recognition tend to work behind the scenes
- What influences job satisfaction and motivation throughout a media career
- CVs and recruitment - and why human judgement still matters
- Communication skills, team dynamics and adapting your approach for career success
- Critical turning points where media professionals rethink their next move
The YES List
Surrounded by Idiots — Thomas Eriksson
Debra recommends this bestselling book on communication styles, based on the DISC personality model. It explores why people communicate differently at work and how adapting your approach can improve working relationships across teams, clients and managers.
More here: https://www.surroundedbyidiots.com/en/
Get In Touch
If there’s a media career question, challenge or experience you’d like us to explore, email hello@makingitinmedia.com
Upcoming Workshops
Debra runs online interactive media sales training workshops focused on building commercial confidence and capability.
Details of upcoming sessions can be found here: https://makingitinmedia.com/sales-training-courses/
Subscribe & Share
Follow the show for conversations about building a career in media, and share this episode with someone who would find it relevant.
More from Jo & Debra
- Subscribe to Jo and Debra’s newsletter, to get your FREE guide to the Top Media Sales Tips for 2026
- Join one of Debra’s upcoming media sales workshops
- Follow Jo on LinkedIn here
- Follow Debra on LinkedIn here
About the Hosts
It’s A Yes! Making It In Media is hosted by Jo Wood and Debra Sharron.
Jo is Managing Director of The Media Exchange, a specialist media recruitment consultancy working closely with candidates and employers across the industry.
Debra is founder of Media Sales Training, where she designs and delivers training for media sales teams, supporting professionals at every stage of their careers.
Together, they combine recruitment insight and sales expertise shaped by decades of experience inside the media industry.
Disclaimer: The views shared on this podcast are for general information only and reflect personal experience. They should not be taken as specific career, legal or financial advice.
