Red Bull is one of those rare companies that has enjoyed mass commercial appeal whilst maintaining its integrity. For a drinks brand consumed by millions worldwide, the company has admirably achieved a reputation for supporting niche scenes, whether it’s b-boying, numerous free sports or perhaps more pertinently, underground music. With Red Bull Music Academy London this year making a huge impact, and the infamous Red Bull Major Lazer Carnival party coming up, Brainer caught up with the man behind these projects (amongst many others): Lex Deasley.

Where in London do you call home?
For about the last year, South Ealing, but always have been West London – West is best and forget the rest and all that.

What makes you happy?
My family, first and foremost. Outside of that I guess I really enjoy stuff which surprises me – things that you wouldn’t think should happen but do anyway – stuff which makes you think about things in a different way. I like to see how people manipulate media and culture to create these sorts of surprises. I guess this is what first really attracted me to hip-hop as a movement – seeing your first painted train pull into a station, or hearing a sample completely recontextualised are experiences that really challenge your perception.

What are your passions?
Mainly surfing, Brazilian jiu jitsu and graffiti – I was lucky enough to live in Rio for a couple of years, which is kind of a wet dream for anyone with these interests.

Is there anything else you do in your spare time?
I have three year-old twins and I work for Red Bull – spare time is a totally alien concept to me. I’d love to have more time to paint and given endless time I’d probably learn another language – at the moment I just make do with finding the etymology of words and phrases – sounds a bit shit but it would be handy in the pub quizzes I never have time to go to.

Where did you go to university and what did you study?

I went to Liverpool University and did a joint BA in Fine Art and Psychology– not massively vocational but I thought it would probably be interesting and that was more likely to get me through three more years of education.

What’s your official job title?
Communications Manager – Culture and National Campaigns

Where were you working before Red Bull?
Before coming to Red Bull I ran the Sport and Entertainment team at Exposure in Little Portland St, running accounts like Nike, Rizla, Levis and Umbro. It’s an amazing, full-service agency which means that you are free to come up with big ideas which go beyond the usual confines of straight-forward PR work. Red Bull was my client for almost two years, which is where the initial hook-up came.

Describe a particular working day in the life of Lex Deasley, Communications Manager.
There isn’t really a typical day to describe, it changes all the time. At the moment our London Studio is a big focus. It was left as a legacy from the Red Bull Music Academy earlier in the year and since we launched it as an ongoing project in March the place has been packed.

My role is pretty diverse, but the central premise is to ensure that Red Bull speaks to people in the right way, at the right volume, through the right channels and at the right time. This involves a lot of planning, creative input, working with partners, creation of content and generally putting it all into motion as a campaign.

What do you love most about the job?
What I love and hate most about the job is that there’s so much genuinely incredible stuff going on all the time. It’s great because you’re always working on interesting and innovative projects, but at the same time there’s only so much time in a day and you can’t do everything. It’s like being a manic kid on a trolley dash through a sweet shop – you want it all, but there’s only ever so much you can grab.