Nicola Reeves is the Managing Director of Happy Hour Productions, a Bristol-based TV and video advertising agency that blends strategy, creativity and production under one roof. In 2023, she enrolled on the Help to Grow: Management Course at UWE Bristol, seeking to sharpen her leadership skills and steer her agency’s next chapter with confidence.
Olly Reid is a business coach, adviser and mentor, and Co-Founder of HUM4NS – an award-winning professional development organisation based in Bristol. A UWE Bristol alum, Olly completed his BA, MA and PGCE at the university, and is now an Equity Coach on the UWE Equity programme, where he delivers the session ‘Success Starts with You’.
We caught up with Nicola to explore how the Help to Grow: Management course helped shape her journey, and how a powerful mentoring partnership with Olly Reid, forged during the programme, fuels her growth today – and continues to add value to both of their businesses.
Nicola, please could you tell us a bit about yourself, your career journey, and what made you apply to join the Help to Grow: Management Course at UWE Bristol?
I studied English at the University of Bristol and whilst I was there, some of the big advertising agencies came to present their graduate recruitment programmes – I saw M&C Saatchi and thought yep, I want to work for an ad agency in client services!
From there, I got my first job at McCann – one of the big global agencies – and worked across brands like Cathay Pacific, SimplyHealth, Badger Ales and Unilever. I worked my way up for around seven years before going travelling and working at smaller independent agencies, including a great agency in Sydney too.
During my time at McCann, I’d met the Happy Hour team many times on TV production shoots and knew what a great bunch they were, especially Tom George, the founder and owner. So when I was approached by Tom to join Happy Hour as Client Services Director on their TV and video clients, I was excited for the new challenge of working in both advertising and production.
I’ve now been there for 13 years and took over the mantle of Managing Director in 2023. So, in that new role with newfound freedom to plan the strategic development of the business, I felt that the Help to Grow: Management Course would give me the support and new network that I’d need.
How was your time on the Help to Grow: Management Course?
It did just that! It was a great grounding in all the fundamentals of running a business – some of which you know you have nailed, and some you realise quite quickly that you don’t!
It gave me dedicated time to work on the business, instead of just in it. The course was also perfect for meeting great individuals from different businesses and sectors – the group coaching and support that comes from an outside perspective is invaluable.
Olly, could you tell us a bit about yourself and your career journey – from studying at UWE Bristol to co-founding your company, and becoming a mentor on the Help to Grow programme?
My early career was in hospitality leadership and management, but in 2008 I arrived at UWE Bristol as a mature student to train as a teacher and completed a degree in Education Studies. That experience was genuinely life-changing. During my time there, I was elected Vice President for Education at the Students’ Union – two incredible years that taught me a huge amount about people, leadership, and the power of purpose. After my term finished, I returned to complete my PGCE and later a Masters in Integrated Professional Development.
I’ve always been fascinated by how people learn, grow, and perform – that curiosity has really shaped everything I’ve done since.
After teaching, I began blending my experience in leadership, management, and education – first with The Prince’s Trust, then with the social enterprise Entrepreneurial Spark, before moving into the corporate world and leading the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator across the Midlands, South West, and Wales . Working with leaders and business owners, I truly saw the power of mindset and culture in driving business success.
That passion led me deeper into coaching and leadership development. I went on to complete an ILM Level 7 in Executive Coaching and Mentoring and, over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of coaching hundreds of leaders and business owners – from CEOs to founders – helping them strengthen their mindset, performance, and resilience.
In 2021, I co-founded HUM4NS, a personal and professional development company on a mission to help people and teams become happier, healthier, smarter, and kinder. We deliver programmes like HELP (the Empowered Leadership Programme), coaching for senior leaders, and team development experiences that build better humans, not just better businesses.
Alongside this, I’m Trustee at the Marmalade Trust and a proud mentor on the Help to Grow: Management programme, supporting SMEs across the UK to scale sustainably and lead with confidence. Watching leaders reconnect with their purpose and potential is what keeps me inspired every single day.
How did you find the mentoring aspect of the course, and how has your mentoring partnership continued since the course finished?
Nicola: I’d say the mentoring aspect of the course was the thing that makes it so valuable – you need that person to hold you accountable for putting into practice what you’ve learnt. Your mentor also gives you the personal, mental and emotional support you need as a leader.
There’s a reason they say it’s lonely at the top and having a mentor is such a good sounding board – if you get the right one!
I was lucky enough to find Olly who has stayed on as my mentor and coach since I finished the course over two years ago. We have regular 121 sessions and I’m also now on the 12-month HUM4NS Empowered Leadership programme (HELP) run by Olly.
Olly: Great mentoring is a two-way relationship. It only works when both sides show up. The best outcomes happen when there’s the right match: a mentor who listens, challenges and supports, and a mentee who’s open, curious and ready to put things into practice. That’s exactly what Nicola brought to the table. For me, the mentoring element of Help to Grow is where the learning becomes real leadership – it’s the bridge between knowing what to do and actually putting it into action. I joined Help to Grow to give back, but mentoring Nicola has turned into an unexpected long term partnership that has added value to both our businesses.
What have you been up to since?
Nicola: We’ve been busy at Happy Hour since Help to Grow!
We’ve refined our positioning, and overhauled the look and feel of our brand, including launching a new website, alongside fully integrating HubSpot to manage our pipeline.
We launched our own podcast – Happy Half Hour – where we chat to guests from production, advertising and media in our own purpose-build podcast studio. We’ve also launched ‘TV Essentials’, which is a lower cost entry point for first-time TV advertisers.
In the team, we’ve had a handful of new hires, as well as celebrating two 10-year anniversaries. We’ve made it to the number one spot in Campaign magazine’s Top Regional Agencies (and number 27 in the UK’s Top 100). We’ve also recently picked up a Cannes Dolphin for our work on Arsenal’s No More Red Campaign, a film promoting their work to reduce youth knife crime in London – something we’re incredibly proud of.
As for the future, perhaps another acquisition, and bringing a non-exec director on board to help focus our growth plans. Let’s see where the future takes us!
Olly: I’ve gone on to win two Help to Grow Mentoring Matters Awards, one for Innovation and the other for the Most Inspirational Mentor, alongside an Entreconf Award and being finalists at the National Start Up Awards, Great British Entrepreneur Awards and Bristol Life Awards.
HUM4NS has launched new programmes, expanded from Bristol, to Wales to Australia, and I’m continuing to support the Happy Hour team through coaching, workshops and SLT days.