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Joshua McCulloch-Wears

Joshua McCulloch-Wears, AV and comms planning specialist

Joshua McCulloch-Wears is an AV and comms planning specialist with more than ten years at EssenceMediaCom, the UK’s largest media agency. His work covers TV, online video, addressable formats and full-funnel comms planning.

Josh has led AV for brands including PlayStation, JD Sports, Lucozade and Flutter. The aim is the same every time: reach the right audience, at a fair price, with a plan that can be measured.

Ten years in AV planning and buying

Josh joined EssenceMediaCom in 2014 and was promoted through the AV team — media executive, planner and buyer, manager, then associate director. By 2021 he was Senior Associate Director, AV.

That path means he has done the work at every level. He has booked the spots, checked the post-campaign numbers, and run the teams that do both.

Brands Joshua has worked with

On the AV side: PlayStation, JD Sports, Lucozade, and Flutter — Paddy Power, Betfair and Sky Bet, which is gambling TV advertising, a tightly regulated category. Earlier work covered Universal Music and Betfair.

From 2023 he moved to comms planning on eBay, one of the agency’s largest accounts and a significant ecommerce TV advertiser.

Comms planning and campaign strategy

At eBay, Josh helped shape and deliver the brand’s largest ever paid media campaign. He managed full-year strategy, planning cycles and in-year activations across digital, AV, print and out of home.

He also directed competitor intelligence projects and contributed to eBay’s marketing mix modelling. That side matters: it is how a plan is judged after the money is spent, not just before.

How Joshua works

Data first, then judgement. Josh advises senior stakeholders with forecasts and evidence rather than opinion.

He has run campaigns to audit standards without letting the audit become the point. He has also spent much of his career developing planners and buyers, and keeping teams steady through busy trading periods.

Background

Josh read Modern History at the University of East Anglia and holds the IPA Foundation Certificate from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.

Before advertising he taught English at Nanjing University in China. In 2024 he and his wife took a year out to travel across Asia and France.