SocialDay Success Stories: Will Bonaddio

Aug 24

SocialDay is more than just a social media marketing festival. Our networking is next level, and we provide unique opportunities to advance your career.

But don’t take our word for it. These industry experts have shared their success stories with us, helping us to help you.

This week we’re talking to Will Bonaddio, now Head of Social Media at FutureLearn. Will’s an award-winning marketer, having previously worked agency-side on brands such as Disney, T-Mobile and Domino’s Pizza and in-house at McDonald’s UK, as well as being a regular attendee and speaker at SocialDay.

Hey Will! Thanks for sharing your SocialDay success story with us. First of all, how did you first come across SocialDay?

“I believe I came across it via LinkedIn. I can't remember if Stuart added me first or the other way around, but I was just starting out with speaking at conferences and so I approached him via a DM asking if I could please talk about the work I was currently doing at McDonald's UK as their acting Social Media Editor-in-Chief at SocialDay 2017. Thankfully he said yes and so I was able to attend my first SocialDay as a speaker!”

What roles have you worked in previously? And what was your level of experience like when you started attending SocialDay?

“Since 2006 I've spent my entire career working in online advertising, with 9 years spent at media agencies including Havas, Carat and OMD working on brands such as Domino's Pizza, Disney, T-Mobile and McDonald's. This led to me eventually working at McDonald's head office as their Social Media Editor-in-Chief for 5 years before moving to social media publishing group Electric House and most recently joining FutureLearn as their Head of Social in 2021. I started attending SocialDay at a Social Media Director level in 2017.”

Which opportunities have you got through SocialDay?

“If I hadn't attended SocialDay in 2017 I probably wouldn't have got my previous job at Electric House! I hadn't heard of their On The Tools community until Lee Wilcox (Electric House's co-founder) spoke about it on-stage in the session immediately before mine. I was so impressed by his presentation (and I'd like to think he was impressed with mine about McDonald's UK's social strategy) that we both walked over to each other as soon as I came off the stage to make proper introductions. We stayed in touch and ran some successful campaigns together, and eventually I was lucky enough to be offered a role at Electric House to lead their London expansion.”

*Will on SocialDay’s Social Media Content Panel alongside Charlotte Williams, Andy Lambert, Eloise Head and Athar Abidi in 2020.*

And how do the opportunities presented at SocialDay compare with other social media marketing events or similar networking events? Would you recommend it?

“SocialDay probably wins [compared to other events] because it led me to actually getting a job with Electric House!
I've proactively recommended SocialDay to my network every year for the last 4 years! It's a great way for me to stay up to date with the latest case studies and news from the social media platforms themselves, as well as network with old friends and colleagues, not to mention make new connections with other industry peers. I'm genuinely really excited about this year's line-up, as Lucy and Stuart have got a really diverse range of speakers that will cover not just the positives but also the problems of social media and how we, as an industry, can look to do better for ourselves, our customers and society in general. I can't wait!”

Thanks so much Will!

You can catch Will at this year’s SocialDay festival, where he’ll be talking about how to create social media communities that people love. Click on the links below to find out more and book your ticket today!