Everyone has at some point spoken to themselves. There is a little voice inside each person’s mind that has an opinion about everything in the surrounding. Sometimes, it can be annoying to have someone continually judging and speaking about everything that is perceived. But for some, it provides a sense of relief and removes stress from the mind. The voice that is continuously active and is always speaking is called the conscience.
It is not easy to interpret when one develops a conscience. But it can be said that it comes alive when one matures mentally. The little voice in the head is responsible for judging the situation and responding to it positively or negatively. However, many people do not consider these little thoughts and do not give them enough importance. There exists a majority that actively listens to it and follows it. Although not at once, but after some time. Among the majority is a UK-based ad agency veteran, author, and entrepreneur Henry Arthur Becket.
Born on January 4th, 1953, in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, a county in England, Henry Becket was a normal kid with ordinary dreams. He completed his pre-schooling at Priory Road County Primary School and high-schooling from Royal Grammar School. He went to Gonville & Caius College to read history in 1971 and obtained his MA from Cambridge University.
Henry spent his life like any other person. He did not have an extraordinary dream that he wanted to achieve and was happy with the simple pleasures in life. Becket began his professional career in 1974 as a Special Advisor at the Conservative Research Department, Westminster, then in 1975 as an account manager at Russell Greer Associates, the UK’s first lobbying company based on the Washington model. Initially, Henry was content with his life; he had achieved all that everybody dreamt of having. He had completed his studies, worked at a reputable organization, and married to the love of his life. Everything in life was sorted, but there was something that made Henry feel incomplete, something that made him think that he should do. This was when Henry’s conscience came to life. It constantly spoke with Henry’s mind giving him suggestions and opinions about everything that he was doing.
Henry worked in lobbying for more than two years. For three years, he worked at Augustus Barnett Wines & Spirit as the Marketing Manager. He switched again and in 1979 joined ad agency Leon Lerner & Ptnrs as an account handler. Henry noticed that his conscience was at peace when he worked around the media. Whether it be an ad agency or something that kept him connected with any form of media, he had found his ‘spiritual home.’ He enjoyed a lot more working in this high-paced, high-energy sector than the typical 9-5 corporate house. After gaining experience there, Henry switched agencies and joined a fast-rising star of the industry, Reeves Robertshaw Needham, where he rose to become Deputy Managing Director. This was before he started his agency, BDFM, which got into the UK Top 50 before being taken over.
Henry gathered his experience and knowledge and laid the foundation for ‘Ideas at Work.’ This is a creative consulting agency that curates captivating and creative ad ideas for many high-end clients. Over the years, Henry’s company has been involved in creating brand ads and new product ideas for dozens of well-known British and international companies. His company uses an innovative business model that farms out most of the work, using a network of hundreds of freelancers and consultants across a spread of disciplines. ‘Ideas at Work’ is best-known for their animated pre-school TV series, ‘Olly The Little White Van.’ The animated series has over 1.5 billion views on YouTube and now runs to seventy-eight episodes. It has been dubbed in Russian, Dutch, Japanese, Mandarin, Arabic, Polish, and many other languages. Due to its worldwide popularity and success, the cartoon has been nominated for the ‘Best TV Series’ at the British Animation Awards.
In 2020, Henry Becket pulled his creative strings and allowed his thoughts to flow in a book he compiled during the pandemic. His book is called ‘The Becket List, An A-Z of First World Problems,’ it has sold over 1,000 copies in its first few months and has received some great reviews and very positive feedback from readers. This book takes a non-serious look at the things that make people grumpy but are of little consequence at the end of the day: a reasonable definition of “first-world problems”! It has been judged to be funny, cleverly written, a light read, and something of a stress-reliever in these difficult times.
Although Henry has had a slightly unconventional career, having done a little bit of everything, from political speechwriter, lobbyist, wine merchant, copywriter, to international ad agency Creative Director/Managing Director, brand inventor, TV commercials writer, and Director, Creator/Exec Producer of Children’s TV series, all-round media entrepreneur and latterly writer. This man has tried and tested whatever and however much fitted in his range. Having a versatile personality with an ability to listen and to his conscience and follow it, Henry Becket is an inspiration for those who wish to take chances and follow their hearts.