Ephraim Adiele, Head of Social Content at Pulse Sports, is a Pulse veteran. When he rejoined the team to lead content at the new Pulse Sports, it was because of the great stint he had at Pulse the first time around. In this short conversation, he takes us through his daily work, and his rather interesting motivations and pastimes.
Tell me about your background, how you came to be involved in editorial work and digital publishing.
I’ve always loved the news. My dad always brought newspapers home from work – Thisday and Vanguard – and I read them page by page every night. That’s where it all began. I was one of the youngest officials of the Press Club in my high school.
I started taking this more seriously when I began blogging after leaving the university. This led me to secure a job as a writer and later an editor at an online news platform. I’ve not looked back since then.
Tell me about how you got into Pulse.
This is actually my second coming. The first time was in 2016 when a close friend and former colleague referred me. I spent almost three years here and loved every minute of it.
This time around, I was referred by my good friend Samson Toromade, Editor-In-Chief of Pulse Nigeria. So we had just finished the Anambra governorship election, where the candidate I worked for ended as the runner-up. During a friendly chat, Samson informed me of a vacancy in the Pulse Sports team, and I couldn’t turn down the chance to return to the Pulse family.
Oh. So tell me about your first time. What role did you occupy? And what’s different about Pulse now?
I was a Social Media Manager, and later a Senior Social Media Manager. I was actually the Instagram handler that took the page from about 500k followers to over 1.4 million before I left. So I can brag that I crossed the 1 million mark.
What’s different about Pulse?
Hmmm. I might be wrong, but I feel there is less inter-departmental cohesion and bonding unlike before. Back then, my best friends were spread across the digital marketing, editorial, and video teams.
While the Pulse Sports team is like a family, there is a less inter-departmental fraternity. This might be down to the hybrid working system as we used to always be in the office 5-7 days a week (Yes, some of us basically lived in the office. Why go home when your best friends are in the office)
In fact, I and Samson were the best man and groomsman at a former colleague’s wedding in December, more than 4 years after we stopped working together.
I am already warming up for another groomsman duty for another former colleague from that era. None of them was in my department.
Nice. Tell me about what your current role at Pulse Sports is.
Head of Social Content – I manage the social media and social video content teams. We try to create engaging content that aligns with our brand goal to be Africa’s number one digital sports media platform.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My days are hectic, honestly. I’m an early riser and usually start my days very early. My favourite companion at work is my notebook because it helps me prioritize tasks and keeps me on my feet when I am behind deadlines.
I know that work can get tiring sometimes. How do you draw inspiration? What are your sources for inspiration?
Meeting my KPIs is a huge inspiration. This year has not started well for the team, but I’m hopeful we will get it right.
Also, I have a strong urge not to be unemployed as I have dependents. That is all the inspiration I actually need. lol.
How do you have fun? How do you spend your time when you’re not on the job?
I like to chill with my friends, visit the beach and play video games.