Unlocking Wisdom: Lessons from Tom Lines, Head of Copy at Jaywing

Tom Lines is the Head of Copy at the integrated marketing agency Jaywing. With a 25-year career under his belt, Lines has crafted everything from luxury car brochures to Ainsley Harriott’s blog. At Jaywing, he leads a talented team of copywriters, serving clients such as Goodyear, first direct, ADT, and Yorkshire Tea.

He is also the author of seven children’s books and gained fame as the runner-up on Weakest Link back in 2002, following a controversial sudden-death playoff. Here are some insights from Tom on his journey:

Daily Habit:
Forget the typical morning routines; for Tom, it starts with Wordle and a cup of tea with his wife, followed by a 10K run and an hour of contemporary pilates with instructor Miguel.

Luckiest Break:
Tom recalls beginning an application letter with the line, “I haven’t killed anyone,” which surprisingly landed him an interview for a graduate trainee position at Cogent in 1996. He got the job!

Best Failure:
After his traineeship, Tom struggled as an account executive but turned it around by taking on the copy jobs nobody else wanted. This led to a junior copywriting position just before he was let go.

Best Investment:
A life-changing 30-second phone call to his father-in-law asking for permission to marry his daughter.

Recommended Listen/Read:
For sports fans, he suggests the podcast One Pod Beyond, which he created in 2013, and for literature, he recommends Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole for its humor.

Advice to 21-Year-Old Self:
“Drink less at your first agency Christmas party.”

Biggest Influence:
The late Philip Sheldon, who was a supportive figure during Tom’s early days at Cogent, despite being known as a tough client.

Surprising Fact:
Tom is currently the 95th best table tennis player in York.

Career Change Wish:
He humorously refers back to his earlier advice about drinking less at parties.

Definition of Success:
For Tom, success is about creating good work and enjoying the process.