Only Human: Paul Harrison
How friendship and a second chance at life took Paul around the world and brought him home again
“People always ask me what my favourite place was. It’s never really been about the place. It always comes back to the people.”
Spend ten minutes with Paul Harrison and you’ll see what he means.
Before you’ve even properly sat down, he’s smiling to a passer-by, checking somebody’s okay or striking up a conversation with a complete stranger.
Spend a bit longer and he’s organising drinks, recommending somewhere you should visit or introducing you to someone who can bring something you need into your life.
It doesn’t come across as some kind of forced networking or a smart business strategy. It’s just who he is. A natural way of being that’s shaped every chapter of his life, both personally and professionally.
As he’s got older, he’s realised these connections have become the secret to his success. He even has a name for it. He calls it The Human Premium – the idea that genuine human relationships are more valuable than any marketing trend, algorithm or business plan.
Over three decades, Paul’s creative career has taken him from Durham to London, Edinburgh, Sydney, Auckland and Milan before eventually bringing him back to Sunderland.
Along the way he worked with global brands, launched his own design and branding agency, The Shape, and built a network of friendships that spans continents.
The conversation that set the path
Growing up in Newton Hall in Durham, Paul admits he wasn’t really into school. “My teachers all said the same thing,” he says. “Paul is capable of doing this, he just chooses not to.”
Everything changed when his parents sat him down at 16.
“Dad said if I didn’t want to do sixth form that was fine. But if I wanted a nice car and nice house then I had to earn them for myself. That made me sit up and take notice.”
Knowing Paul loved creativity, his parents encouraged him to explore graphic design at New College Durham. That’s where he discovered advertising and something clicked.
He not only found a subject that he genuinely loved, but also tutors who inspired him.
“They’d actually worked in the industry. Their stories were real. You could see what they’d done and think, ‘I want to learn from you.’”
A chance encounter that launched a career
At Newcastle College, Paul’s work caught the eye of advertising creative director Colin Brooks of Smith Bundy Carlson in London, who was visiting to review students’ work.
Colin invited Paul for a two-week placement, which quickly turned into his first industry role alongside his copywriter partner and friend, Richard Jefferson.
More than 30 years later, both men remain in his life.
“We still catch up now,” Paul says. “That’s the thing. The work was important, but the relationships mattered even more.”
Looking back, he realises that’s a recurring theme in his life. Whether colleagues, clients or friends, people have rarely drifted out of his world completely and have become stepping stones to his next adventure.
The challenge that changed his outlook
In his early twenties, while working in London, Paul received devastating news when a routine eye examination led to the discovery of a brain tumour.
After major surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, he spent months recovering, learning to walk properly again and rebuilding his strength.
Talking about that period, he doesn’t dwell on the illness itself. He talks of the people who helped him get through it. His parents who moved mountains to support him, his friends who visited constantly and the physio who pushed him when things felt impossible.
“I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who was so focused on getting me through it,” he says. “It gave me perspective that you only get after surviving such a thing.”
After a final check-up, a consultant gave him the news he’d been waiting to hear.
“Go and enjoy your life now,” he said to me. I took that instruction very seriously.“
The experience led to something of an epiphany for Paul. Instead of focusing on what might happen next, he became determined to make the most of what was happening now.
“I was just so happy to be alive! I had an energy and enthusiasm about me that people noticed, they used to call it my Ready Brek glow, like in the old adverts.”
Saying yes to the world
The shift in mindset led to some of the biggest decisions in his life and a period of adventure crossing the world.
He headed first to Sydney, then to Auckland, and later Milan, immersing himself in each city, rather than just passing through.
He found freelance creative work, built friendships, lived with local people and embraced every opportunity that came his way.
“People took me in, looked after me and became part of my life. They are what I remember of my adventures.”
Back in London, Paul found himself increasingly drawn to working directly with people rather than through layers of corporate structure. He’d enjoyed working with global brands, but it was building long-term relationships with founders and business owners that really lit him up.
With that in mind, he created The Shape, a branding agency built on understanding the people behind the business, not just the products or services they offer.
Coming full circle to Sunderland
Paul’s move back to the North East wasn’t part of some grand plan. He returned following the end of a relationship, looking for a bit of space to reset.
But what was meant to be a short stop became a new beginning.
While staying with family, he attended a networking event run by the North East BIC and there he met Business Adviser Debbie Simpson. Their conversation led to a 24-hour trial of coworking space at the Sunderland business centre.
Within a year, The Shape had a permanent base at the BIC and Paul had found home.
“After years of living in places like London, Sydney and Milan, I wasn’t expecting Sunderland to be where I put down roots,” he says.
“But the city surprised me. It felt vibrant, the business community was thriving and there’s something special about the lifestyle.
“I can walk along Roker Beach, be part of a supportive business community at the BIC, and stay connected to clients and friends across the world. It just felt right.”
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