This monthly series gives you a behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of a communications professional.
Meet Ahmed Olalekan, a media and communications professional with experience spanning journalism, storytelling, strategic communications, public relations, and media production. For over 15 years, he has worked with radio stations, across newsrooms, on digital platforms, and on communications projects that help organisations connect with their audiences.
What habits or routines help you get ready for work?
My routine depends on what I’m doing because communications is broad. Usually, I love to start my day by catching up on the news and trends within my space.
I currently work full-time with Oxfit Media, a media and communications company where we manage media and communications for clients. So, the first thing I do is scan through issues and news concerning the clients we have at the time. It helps me to plan and know where to position myself.
Working in media and communications means you have to stay informed at all times because the environment changes very fast. I don’t start my day without getting information about what’s happening in my space. That helps me plan my priorities for the day and keeps me organised.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
In my experience, communications is hardly a 9-to-5 job. There’s a level you get to in this field where sometimes you work from 5 am until 10 pm, depending on the projects you have.
No two days are exactly the same, which is one of the things I enjoy most about communications.
A typical day could involve content development, heading to the field, getting directors ready, and making sure the script is in line.
Other days are filled with strategy discussions and back-to-back meetings for communications work on a brand. Then there are media relations days where we move clients from one media house to another, one radio station to another, and one interview to another, spending the entire day out of the office.
At Oxfit Media, we’re an agency with more than one client at a time, and all their needs are different. One client might need media relations, visiting media houses and running media rounds. The next day, another client might need a production shoot to deliver a communications piece. I don’t determine what my day looks like; it depends on the calendar, the number of clients we have, and the kind of communications projects they need.
What tools or apps do you use most for your job, and why?
I use Google Workspace a lot. It’s essential for collaboration and documentation. I also use Canva, which has been very helpful in my career over the past four to five years. If you’re in communications, you’ll inevitably work with designs and videos, and even if you’re not a designer, having an idea of how to use tools like Canva helps you direct your designers properly.
Social media is a major tool for monitoring trends and audience engagement. I also use SEMrush for digital campaign insights and analytics. It has replaced Google Analytics for me.
And I use AI tools, specifically Claude. Claude AI helps me refine my ideas. When we have projects, my team and I usually go back and forth discussing approaches, but Claude saves us a lot of time.
You can have that conversation with tools like Claude, explore different angles, and still get your work well refined at the end of the day. These tools all help speed up the process, whatever it is you’re doing.
If you weren’t in Communications, what career path would you explore?
I’d probably be in a lecture room, teaching. I’ve been trying to imagine what other career path would give me the kind of fulfilment communications gives me, and it would be teaching, helping people understand ideas and connect information in meaningful ways.
I still look forward to doing that towards the tail end of my communications career. I hope to go back to the classroom and spend five to ten years teaching.
What’s your favourite way to relax after work?
I love to play games on my phone. It’s weird, but I play games a lot. I also love to watch interviews and documentaries.
Recently, I’ve been watching a lot of Diary of a CEO. I used to enjoy movies, but after a while I got tired of them. So now it’s basically games and interesting interviews that drive me, inspire me, and sometimes give me ideas on how to handle clients’ projects.
Can you tell us a fun fact about you?
I used to be a DJ! Back when DJing was different from what we see now, you’d play music, talk over it, and rap over it. I was doing that right after I graduated with a degree in Mass Communication, and that was actually how I got into radio.
Also, it might interest you to know that I was once one of the top seven voice-over talents in Nigeria. I’ve worked on major projects for notable brands, including MTN and Globacom. While I still do voice-overs, it’s not something I carry on my dashboard anymore.
