Despite growing up on a farm, Nick Reid, 35, knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue a career in a creative industry.
After finishing high school at a boarding school in Melbourne, Nick completed a marketing course at Monash University, and then a film and television course at Swinburne University.
In 2008, towards the end of his final degree, Nick got an opportunity to work for a film production company in Docklands.
Nick continued to work in video production until he had a change in heart a couple of years later.
“The work started to dry up in Melbourne, and I wasn’t prepared to pursue anything interstate or overseas, so I thought I’d find a job here,” Nick said.
He got a job looking after crews who were clearing vegetation for United Energy.
This was until, a couple of years later, his parents, Ian and Rosli Reid, offered him a position at the family company, Reid Stockfeeds.
“My parents said they could use my skills as they were trying to grow the business,” Nick said.
“They wanted to streamline all the messaging and clean things up a bit.”
Reid Stockfeeds has been operating since 1983 from the family’s farm in Colbinabbin.
They distribute stock feed to farms throughout Victoria, and into some areas of NSW, SA and Tasmania. Since starting as media manager in 2014, Nick has taken on an array of responsibilities.
“My main role is to make sure that the values we stand for in the business are communicated to the market place,” he said.
“In this digital age, we have so many different communication channels. There’s so much scope for us to tell stories about the community, the business, what we offer and why we think we have a quality product.”
Nick said the farming community has been receptive to the company’s online and social media presence.
“I think social media in the country is a lot stronger than most people give it credit for, particularly in dairy,” he said.
“Twitter’s great for learning because a lot of farmers are on there, sharing photos from their day to day lives. It helps us get a sense of what they’re going through.”
Nick said the company’s brand exposure has increased greatly in the last couple of years, but doesn’t attribute it all to his own efforts.
“There are other factors, but I’d like to hope that I’ve played some part too,” he said.
Still making the most of his video production skills, Nick’s been working on a web series that profiles local farmers, called Farmer Focus. He remained tight-lipped about what he had in store for Reid Stockfeeds, but assured that there was a lot to look forward to.
“I’ve got some big plans for packaging, and I’ve got some big projects on the go that focus on our staff, some of their stories, as well as the farmers and what they’re doing.”