Meet, Mark Lazarus š
Web Developer
About Me
After taking a punt on some work experience for a local web design agency, I taught myself how to code. Iād not even messed with HTML beyond customising my MySpace page (showing my age here!)ā¦ and about 15 years later Iām still discovering something new every single day. Thatās probably what I love most about my role – itās constantly evolving and there will always be fresh problems to solve.
Working with incredibly talented designers at OYS makes me almost ashamed to have ever called myself a ādesignerā but I think that picking up the basics in the past has helped me make sure our work is pixel perfect.
In my spare time I love to cook (the kitchen is my happy place) and read fantasy books (if itās got a dragon in, Iām probably going to like it).
Connect with me:
Get To Know Me
What tools or resources do you enjoy using for your work?
The one thatās come as a big surprise is AI. When a previous agency I worked at was using ChatGPT for content generation I thought (and still think) that it was lazy and had the capacity to backfire enormously. People can always tell.
However, when itās used as a tool in your own arsenal, rather than completely relying on it, it can be an absolute game-changer. Itās often faster than scouring Google if Iām stuck debugging my code.
Whatās the best professional advice youāve ever received?
āDonāt be afraid to fail. Fail fast and fail oftenā.
As I recall, my mentorās actual words were ruder than that, but you get the idea!
The point is that if you always strive for perfection, youāll never accomplish anything. You have to be brave enough to try, even though you will likely fail the first time. Everyone makes mistakes, you just have to make sure you learn from them and donāt repeat them.
Do you have any hobbies or interests that people might find surprising?
I really enjoy musicals, although over the past few years Iāve not had much opportunity to go to the theatre. Iām looking forward to going to a couple of shows later in the year – Iām finally getting round to seeing Hamilton.
Whenever Iām the office DJ I have to make sure I donāt put my Spotify on shuffle. The Sales Team definitely wouldnāt enjoy their gangsta rap suddenly skipping to Disney classics!
What makes Own Your Space the perfect agency for our clients?
Each team at OYS has their own strengths and the combination of skills across the agency is ridiculous.
I think the biggest difference Iāve seen between other agencies and OYS is our transparency and accountability. If things arenāt going well, weāll hold our hands up, but weāll also work like mad to fix it and keep everyone in the loop.
Our focus on ROI means weāre all invested in making sure our clientsā sites perform to their max and itās actually such a buzz seeing the difference our work makes. Itās great to see tangible results and knowing that youāve been a major part of that success.
Weāre also incredibly friendly and approachableā¦ once weāre adequately caffeinated!
If you could switch jobs with anyone in the world for a day, who would it be and why?
Just for a day? In that case, I reckon it would have to be one of those baby panda carers that you see on social media. I donāt think I could do it for more than a day, it would be exhausting, but it would be such a fun time!
Own Your Space
Own Your Space
