We are passionate about the power of data, and leverage insights to create and optimise ultra-tailored campaigns that deliver the highest return on ad spend. We pursue excellence and are highly skilled. Our specialist knowledge is at the cutting edge of our industry.
We are highly accountable, with an unrivalled work ethic and passion to deliver high ROAS for all our clients. We are with you on this journey, every step of the way.
We constantly strive to elevate our performance, fostering creativity and bold ideas throughout the company.
We translate the complexity of performance marketing into actionable insights and transparent results. We also love a beer!
Sam Budd
Founder and CEO
Rich Smale
Business Director
Katie Burton
Social Media Director
Chris Ball
Director of Performance
Hayley Smith
Social Media Manager
Declan Etheridge
Paid Media & SEO Manager
Izzy Tom
Account Manager
Jay Barnett
Video Editor
Daisy Roberto
Paid Media Executive
Charlie Wilson
Campaign Manager
Paula Alfonso Romo
Social Media Manager
Adam Barnes
Experiential Director
Kerstin Stockreiter
Paid Media Manager
Navied Mesghali
Paid Media Manager
Sam’s career has revolved around finding unique and engaging ways to connect brands with their target audience.
His early experiences of promoting the Beach Break Live student music festival ignited an interest in helping brands create unforgettable experiences for their customers. Sam took this spirit to Seed Marketing as New Business Director to win £1 million of new business, propel the agency’s growth to the next level. He then moved to Social Chain where he helped scale the business across three markets and 200+ staff, rapidly getting promoted to Managing Director at Social Chain USA, with the company eventually going to IPO on the German stock exchange.
With over ten years of experience successfully launching global agencies, in 2018 Sam decided to build his own, with the intention of driving the KPI that matters most for brands: sales.
Buddy Media Group is thriving under his leadership, inspiring a passionate team of data insight experts, performance marketers, and social media and influencer strategists, to help brands around the world with their acquisition and retention objectives. The company can count now leading players in the technology, entertainment, fashion, hospitality and alcohol sectors as key clients.
In his spare time, Sam loves to travel and escape to the ocean. A Cornwall native, he is never happier than when surfing the waves.
Rich has immersed himself into the heart of start-up life, launching businesses in both the UK and Australia.
In the early days of his career, Rich followed his passion for fitness, and successfully launched a mobile personal training company across five Australian states, before becoming a founding member and equity holder of Juiced Life, a health-focused juice bar franchise, which he helped grow to ten stores across three states before leaving the sunshine to come back to the UK. Rich was previously campaign and tour manager at Seed Marketing, where he has delivered activations for Amazon and Spotify across the UK.
Rich has been at Buddy Media since day one, drawn in by the concept of leading innovative campaigns that deliver ROI for brands. Successfully managing industry-recognised campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands, Rich takes pride in out-performing the competition to deliver success.
When Rich isn’t delivering win-wins in business, sun, surf, travel, and fitness all washed down with a cold beer are how he likes to spend his down-time.
Katie started out training as a professional dancer, performing at Sadlers Wells and in the West End. Katie swapped her ballet shoes for digital agencies, and has never looked back since, thriving in this dynamic and fast-paced environment.
From beginning at Infosys Digital Transformation Studio, to moving to luxury marketing for hospitality and F&B clients, brand storytelling and customer empathy is at the forefront of her strategies. Katie has worked on accounts such as James Martin, Caesars Entertainment, New Road Hotel, Marco Pierre White Restaurants and Deliciously Sorted Ibiza.
Katie joined Buddy Media during the first national lockdown, drawn by the leadership of Sam and the potential to scale and be a part of an exciting start-up journey. Since joining, Katie has successfully brought in multiple new clients to Buddy Media and scaled the organic side of the business.
When not guiding the team to achieve their goals, Katie is known for her love of marathons, as well as being the queen of 80s disco at Buddy Media socials!
Chris is a twice founder in ad-tech and affiliate marketing and has lived and breathed digital growth since developing and marketing his first website in 2005.
His career has been driven by an engineering approach to results; isolating the individual elements that influence an outcome, and understanding the sequences and relationships of those parts to drive success. Chris has applied this approach to consistently drive results across affiliate, e-commerce, luxury, hospitality, lead generation and user acquisition for hundreds of businesses of all sizes. As an ex-founder himself, Chris has been able to consult brands and coach teams through their digital growth challenges by translating growth plans in the boardroom into efforts on the ground.
Chris joined BuddyMedia to lead the performance marketing department and support the agency’s growth. A proud Welshman, when he’s not working, he enjoys the great outdoors in his downtime.
Throughout Hayley’s career, she has always been dedicated to telling stories to grow brands on social media. Hayley started out working on the social accounts for a non-for profit art organisation, before joining Mediablaze and working across a number of social media accounts and sectors including Volvo, Shiseido, W3 Club, and Dali Speakers.
Hayley was brought in to Buddy Media to elevate our organic growth strategies globally across Luxe and Hospitality clients and deliver high growth in engagement, brand visibility and followers.
Hayley’s personal passion project is drawing pubs! https://www.instagram.com/peckhampubs/
Prior to joining Buddy Media, Declan worked in SEO for a global affiliate discount code start-up in Bali, then shifted to hospitality marketing in West Australia.
Declan has gained significant experience working within the luxury sector, having worked for Pasta Evangelists and VERB Brands, one of the UK’s leading Luxe agencies.
When not combining his expertise in SEO, paid aocial and PPC to drive ROI-focused growth plans for brands, Declan enjoys surfing and travelling the world.
Izzy is from an events and operations background, and has always had a passion for delivering results and leading projects for brands.
She started working at one of the leading model agencies in London, before moving to Val D’Isere to manage the famous nightclub Dick’s Tea Bar. Izzy then moved to London and has thrown herself into agency life, as Buddy Media employee number three, to fulfill her goal of delivering success for multiple clients.
One of Izzy’s key moments of pride at Buddy Media came from launching a viral nano activation for Spotify of over 1,400 nano-influencers across a four week period, achieving industry-leading results. In addition, Izzy has taken on the role of Head of Culture, designed to maintain Buddy Media’s ethos of delivering excellence and maximum ROI for brands, whilst ensuring the happiness of the Buddy Media family.
Being with family and friends means everything to Izzy, between fitting in fitness, health and travel activities.
Jay is Buddy Media’s video editor, sound engineer, and cameraman, supporting across all digital and on-the-ground activations.
Jay’s experience ranges from Hideaway Open Air Cinemas, Spotify, Music Magpie, Naked Wines, Vivir Tequila and Lucy Choi London.
When Jay isn’t working, he is travelling the world in search of the best surf locations.
After recently graduating from university, Daisy was looking for a role which would put her analytical skills to work as well as keeping herself involved with clients. She became passionate about digital marketing and working at an agency for the variety and fast paced nature of the work. As a Performance Marketing Executive, Daisy is involved with all aspects of ensuring we deliver for our clients.
When she’s not setting up campaigns and analysing performance she can be found cheering for Arsenal!
Charlie has previously worked in events and marketing, supporting the likes of Stella McCartney, Pepsi and Xbox.
He then moved on to supporting online and on the ground activations for Seed Marketing, delivering campaigns for Spotify, Amazon and Superdrug.
Charlie was brought in to support Buddy Media’s Apple Music campaign as well as working on both the Spotify and Missguided campaigns in recent months.
When Charlie isn’t working, he loves to sail and snowboard.
Paula is Buddy Media’s Social Media Manager.
Previously working for Social Chain and running her own freelance business, Paula has developed a holistic understanding of social media management and influencer marketing within the industry.
Speaking three languages and working across multiple European markets, Paula has established herself as a performance orientated and creative social media manager, with a specialist focus across TikTok. Paula has been brought in to support us on our European and US markets as we continue to scale across the group.
Paula enjoys travelling and getting to know new people and cultures, painting, and anything beauty related, but also, of course, spending quality time with her friends and family!
Adam is responsible for overseeing the conceptualisation, logistics, execution, and technical set-up of our experiential offering.
He is also co-founder and co-investor of Hideaway Cinemas, which provides us with LED screens and giant 30 metre cinema screens that we harness to run major student activations and sporting events.
From pop-up parties to micro-day festivals, weekly club nights, flash mobs and online student communities, Adam certainly knows how to coordinate an event! With years of expertise running national tours of all shapes and sizes, Adam is the safest pair of hands in the business, making everything look seamless and easy.
When Adam isn’t activating, you can usually find him chipping away on a golf course.
Kerstin has wide experience in Paid Media, across both Paid Search and Paid Social.
Born and raised in Austria, Kerstin moved to the UK after three years of living in China for a career and lifestyle change.
Kerstin gained her initial experience in Cambridge and later moved to London working within the luxury sector.
Since then, Kerstin has worked as a Paid Media freelancer, travelling the world while based in Vienna and Manchester.
When not in the office, she spends her free time enjoying the outdoors, playing tennis or at the yoga studio.
Nav has a background in Paid Search, previously woking with two global agencies in Cambridge & London with clients such as Selfridges, Calvin Klein, Technogym & Accor Hotels.
After leaving London, Nav became a PPC freelancer. With a few clients under his belt, he moved to Vienna to experience another culture.
Outside of work, Nav enjoys being anywhere near the water to paddle board, surf or anything water sport related! Wetsuit required in the UK!!
