Alex Prezenszki on the Gap Between the Pitch Deck and the Real World

Alex Prezenszki is Head of Marketing & Business Development at Farkaskonyha (known internationally as Wolfdining), one of Hungary’s leading natural pet nutrition brands, where he leads the company’s brand, marketing and growth strategy across consumer, B2B and international markets. Previously, he was Head of Marketing at Sziget Festival, working on the brand and marketing of the globally recognized cultural festival. Before moving client-side, Alex was Media Director at Mediator, a leading creative agency where he oversaw media, PPC and social media strategy, with the agency’s work recognized at international festivals. With more than a decade of experience spanning agency and client-side roles, Alex has worked across a wide range of industries, from automotive and FMCG to e-commerce, entertainment, retail, pharma and beauty. His perspective combines creativity, strategy and commercial thinking, with a strong belief that good ideas only matter when they work in the real world. Alongside his day-to-day work, Alex teaches, speaks at industry events and regularly contributes to the creative community as a jury member at local and international competitions.

How many years have you been a judge?

1-3

What are your responsibilities in your current role and what do you love most about your job?

My role covers brand, marketing, growth, partnerships and new business across consumer, B2B and international markets. What I enjoy most is being close to the whole business and seeing how marketing decisions connect to commercial and operational ones. It also means a lot to work for something I believe in: helping more pet owners make better, healthier choices for their animals.

What inspired you to pursue your career path?

There wasn’t one defining moment. I was always interested in why some ideas and brands get people’s attention while others don’t, and that curiosity gradually took me from digital and social into broader strategy, media, brand and business roles.

What was your first job in the industry? What did it teach you?

I started with hands-on digital and social media work before moving into larger agency roles. It taught me early that there can be a big gap between what looks good in a presentation and what actually works in practice – something I still keep in mind today.

What do you look for to determine excellence in video?

I usually start with a simple question: is there a strong idea behind it? Great craft matters, but the best work also has a clear point of view, feels right for its audience and platform, and gives you something you haven’t seen many times before.

What initiatives or projects are you working on now that excite you?

I’m currently working on quite a few projects around how we take the business into its next phase of growth: new channels, partnerships, e-commerce development and international opportunities. I like these projects because they’re never just about marketing; they bring together brand, product, technology, operations and commercial thinking.

Tell us about a moment of recognition that had an effect on you – whether personal or official? What does recognition mean to you and why is it important in our industry?

There’s always something special about seeing work you’ve been part of – and the team behind it – recognized at an awards show. On a personal level, being invited to judge international awards also meant a lot to me. Recognition shouldn’t be the reason you do the work, but it can give great work and the people behind it the visibility they deserve.

Do you have any specific practices you lean on to spark creativity?

I don’t really have a fixed creative ritual. For me, good ideas usually come from understanding the problem properly, asking the right questions and looking beyond advertising for inspiration.

In your experience, what is a significant change you are seeing happen in the video, television, and/or film industry, and what insight can you share about how to navigate it?

The lines between formats and platforms are becoming less relevant from the audience’s point of view. At the same time, AI is making production faster and more accessible, which makes strong ideas, good taste and knowing what is actually worth making even more important.

What excites you about judging for the Telly Awards?

I like seeing work I probably wouldn’t come across in my everyday job. I also really like the range of work the Telly Awards brings together – from big productions to smaller, very focused ideas. Judging forces you to slow down and think about why something works, instead of just reacting to it in the first few seconds.