Tiarnan O'Sullivan - so long, but don't forget us!
18 August 09

So Tiarnan, you've successfully completed 8 months' work experience with Mediacontact.ie. Well done, you've been a great addition to the team. How do you feel now that you're leaving?

I feel sad because I'll miss you all and I'll miss Dublin. But I have to say that I feel wiser, and that I've learned a lot. I don't really feel like a student anymore having spent 8 months in the workforce, getting up at 8am every morning and doing a full day in the office. I'll have a lot of spare time on my hands now when I go back to college.

What were the best bits?

The skydive was the best bit. It was great fun, and it was interesting to see how an event like that is managed. I came up with the idea for the advert we used to promote one of the conferences, I was very chuffed with that. We had some great bonding sessions too - like BellX1 at Vicar Street! I've also broadened my lunchtime tastes - I tried Lebanese food and sushi, thanks to Mediacontact.ie. I'll miss L'Opera too, the trusty little café down the road.

Describe a typical day for you in the Mediacontact.ie office.

We're all in at 9am sharp. I start with testing the website to make sure everything is in working order. I'll be working on whatever we are updating that week, sometimes with the assistance of Matilda (Jack's two-year-old daughter) who helps by drawing nice pictures!

If there's a problem during the day, I'll call over Joe's 'aura' to fix it, he only needs to come into the general area of a problem and it will be magically fixed, it's very handy.

I know everyone in the office is going to miss my George Foreman grill at lunchtime. If anyone reading MediaFlash wants to sponsor a George Foreman grill for the office, I'd support that! Or if George Foreman is reading this himself, perhaps he would donate one.

What's the Mediacontact.ie gang like to work with?

I remember my very first day vividly, coming in all smartly dressed in my shirt and tie. I wore it for one day and then changed back to more casual clothes the next day. It's a laid back and relaxed atmosphere in here, which I like. We have good fun in the office and Jack's a very nice boss. I enjoy writing the odd piece for MediaFlash. One of them was about my trip to the Taste of Dublin Festival, where I ate things I never thought I'd eat. Another piece was about the day myself and Evelyn went to the races at the Curragh.

What have you learned that you will bring back to college with you?

I don't think we have enough tape to record all the life lessons I've learned. But the best thing I've learned in terms of college is my computer skills. I'll have to invest in an Apple laptop now and get with the times. It'll help with presentations and projects. My work ethic has improved, though we'll see about that after my upcoming 2-week holiday to Mexico!

My phone manner has improved and that might have been one of the hardest things to learn. It's easy when you're just doing something on a computer yourself, but when you're trying to help someone on the other end of the line, it can be tricky to communciate your message. That's a valuable skill to have. I also learned a lot about working as a team in putting MediaDive and the conferences together.

What advice would you give to someone starting a new job?

In terms of work, try to get used to the system as soon as you can by asking questions and taking on your jobs with an open mind. Get your own system together that will work for you.

What will you miss the most?

Chicken burgers. Joe is predicting the end of the poultry industry in Ireland now that I won't be eating chicken burgers in the local cafe anymore.

Finally, the million-dollar question, what does the future hold for Tiarnan O'Sullivan?

I like the media industry, it's interesting and exciting, so staying in the media is definitely an option.

I'd like to consider TV presenting. My biggest regret is not signing up for Total Exposure on TV3. I've got a face for TV - I'd be more of a Jonathan Ross than a Ray D'arcy I think! We'll see how Tubridy gets on in the Late Late Show. I'm waiting in the wings, Ryan, if you're reading this.

I'd like to develop my writing skills, too, maybe write a few things for the college paper. I'd like to try music journalism at some stage, though I'm not sure Joe would agree with that. We're chalk and cheese in terms of music.

I'd also like to travel, and make my mark across the globe. It'd be great to travel around the world and get paid to write about it. I'd like to see the whole world. And I'd love to come back here again. You haven't seen the last of me!