Harry Brown, a Business, Management and Marketing student at Leeds Beckett University, joined Canning O’Neill in June 2025, as their first ever placement marketing executive.
After deciding the property market was the direction he wanted to go in, Harry decided to email every real estate agent in Manchester. As it turned out, the company had been discussing hiring a part-time marketing support, so it was a natural fit and John was the one who replied. After a two-stage interview process, the role was his.
Once he got to work, Harry found himself working across a broad range of projects, from SEO and video production to campaign planning and social media. The role carried a genuine mix of B2B and B2C work, and with it came an education in the softer side of professional life too, such as corporate communication, networking, and an understanding of how a business operates day to day. Seeing his work published, and knowing it was driving real results, made it stick. Now at the end of his placement, he admits “I’ve learned a lot, it’s hard to put it all into a couple of lines.”
One element of the job that stood out to Harry was video production. Planning shoots, editing footage, receiving client amendments and publishing the final product was, in his words “a rewarding process”. The satisfaction in seeing something through from brief to finished product. SEO offered a different kind of challenge. The complexity of it was part of the appeal, learning how it worked and then using that knowledge to make a measurable difference to the website.
Since Harry joined, the business has evolved considerably. The social media presence was overhauled, with a content-focused approach that has improved rankings and driven more enquiries. But it’s not just the business that has changed. Harry finds himself to be more attention to detail now and has a bigger understanding of how the world works once you leave university.
During the role, Harry learned to use AI to accelerate his workflow without letting it flatten his own voice. This he believes is the right way to approach it. As for focus? Nothing beats putting your headphones in and getting your head down.
Throughout his placement, John served as Harry’s guide and mentor, putting considerable work into his development. From early on, every piece of work went through review and came back with changes. By the end, John was confident enough in Harry to let him publish independently. No consultation necessary. As Harry puts it, “I’ve learned the business, the industry, and how things need to be”.
Harry had some advice for placement students. “A placement is there to help you find out what you do and don’t want to do. That isn’t an opportunity to be wasted. Focus on what genuinely interests you, because that passion will come across in the work. If you aren’t interested in what you’re making, the people who see it won’t be either. Go with what you’re passionate about and try to change things where you believe you can.”
As he goes back to university, Harry is very much looking forward to getting back to university life. He’s continuing his work in video production in Leeds, through the contacts he gained in his role.
Following Harry’s departure, Megan Brough, a student at Sheffield Hallam University, has joined Canning O’Neill to build on the fantastic foundations Harry has put in place and continue driving the company’s marketing forward.
It’s an exciting new chapter, and everyone at Canning O’Neill wishes him all the best in the future – thank you, Harry!
