How we made working 200 miles apart into a Cause super power

In all my previous workplaces, my colleagues have been in the same room as me, never mind the same city.

But when Sam - Cause founder and CEO - invited me to join her in the business we became each others’ sole colleagues, but based almost 200 miles apart.

Sam and I met when she was my editor at The Sun, and I worked and lived in London. But when the North calls you home - in my case to Bolton - then you have to answer.

And having a base both near Manchester and in London for Cause has actually proven to be one of our best assets as an agency.

London is the nation's media capital. All the national newspapers are based there, as are the HQs of many of the charities we work with.

Living in London means Sam’s there for face to face meetings with clients and contacts, and the buzz and creativity that London always inspires.

But when the BBC moved to MediaCity in Salford, just outside Manchester, in 2011, it marked a massive shift in the way cities and places outside of the capital were perceived.

And 11 years later the Beeb is still spending £700m to move entire departments, and hundreds of jobs, outside of London. That inspires other broadcasters and media outlets, like Channel 4’s move to Leeds, which means plenty of Cause’s contacts and clients around the North West are on my doorstep too.

Cause HQ in Bolton

Our client OnSide is a brilliant example of this. OnSide is a charity who manage a network of state of the art Youth Zones - multi-million pound youth centres packed full of exciting, inspiring and fun activities for young people.

They started in Bolton, with Bolton Lads and Girls Club, and I love feeling connected to their mission through sharing their hometown. But because their Youth Zones are so fantastic, more and more towns and cities wanted to get involved.

Now OnSide has 14 Youth Zones, mostly across the North West and London, which means that wherever there’s a meeting or event going on, either Sam or I (or both of us) can easily attend, meet the brilliant people who work there and come away inspired with hundreds of ideas for stories.

And while Sam’s based in London she’s always keen to get outside the M25 and meet people around the country. Same for me - I loved living in London for the best part of a decade, and I still love to go back to the south and get that shot of inspiration that our capital always delivers.

Being 200 miles apart does mean we have to be organised - hello Notion To Do list and timelines - and Sam and I talk multiple times a day.

But instead of being an obstacle, cross-country working has turned out to be one of our super powers.