#BehindtheSelfie: Emma King, founder and managing director of The Friday Street Club

Emma King. Source: Supplied.

What do you enjoy most about your industry?

I love that we can combine strategic thinking and creativity in everything we do. And I also love the people in the industry, and particularly the incredible people in my team, who are clever, creative, funny, kind and brave.

 What is a typical workday for you?

It sounds like a cliché, but every day really is different. We work with lots of clients across lots of industries, and we do different things for each of them. So, for example, here are some of the things I have been up to in the last week or so:

• Developing the annual strategy for a local soda brand to grow in South Africa, as well as building their sales and their brand in the USA.
• Launching a luxury Italian kitchen brand’s Cape Town showroom during Art Fair Week with a collaboration with a local artist.
• Brainstorming and developing the branding for a new luxury hotel linked to a global chain that will be opening here next year.
• Developing the positioning for a new vegan product range.

I am also planning a photographic art exhibition; pulling together a few new business pitches; wrapping up our end of year financials and more….

Describe your career so far.

I studied Fine Art and English Literature at UCT, combing my two passions of visual creativity and writing. I then went to the UK and after a few random odd jobs, started as a receptionist in a PR company. I had no idea what PR was, but it looked glamourous and I thought it had something to do with magazines which sounded fun.

Ten years later I had worked my way up through several PR agencies in London, working on some global brands, including heading up the Cathay Pacific Airlines press office and also spending time on the ground in Nigeria and Ghana managing campaigns for Guinness. I came back to Cape Town about 10 years ago, worked in a few PR and ad agencies and then founded The Friday Street Club – and here we are today!

 What are you currently streaming/reading/listening to?

I always listen to podcasts when I am driving around and am currently switching between true crime ones like Crime Junkies and nerdy history ones like The Rest is History. My favourite one was from last year or so called Sweet Bobby – a mad tale of someone being catfished for over a decade. I always have a book on the go, and at the moment I’m into dark, grim detective series – currently I am reading the JD Kirk series about a miserable Scottish detective.

What's your favourite gif?

This one always makes me laugh, because I feel like I am always doing this (even if it’s just inside my head).

 Who inspires you?

My mom. She is an incredible woman, a leading scientist in her day working with fresh water ecosystems. She taught me to be brave and ambitious in my career; to aim high; and to look at ways in which to bring about positive change and impact in the way that I live and operate the business.

 What did you want to be when you were a child?

A horse riding teacher, a helicopter pilot or an artist. I also wanted to fly and tried to make some wings out of leaves stuck together with sellotape, so clearly I wasn’t very sensible.

 Give three pieces of advice for young people who want to enter this industry.

•  Embrace what makes you YOU. Don’t try to change and be like everyone else – the things that make you unique and different are what makes you special.
•  Social media can be the make or break of a career or job application. In creative and marketing industries, it’s a chance to showcase what you can do and who you are, and can set you apart from all the other boring CVs that get submitted – curated Instagram feeds (that aren’t just a million selfies), blogs, creative content development, skills with video editing and more can all be used to show what you can bring to a company, especially if you are starting out and don’t have an extensive CV or portfolio of client work to show. And remember that most prospective employers will check our your feeds before hiring, so make sure that you are representing your best self – we have dropped people from our recruitment processes after seeing them be rude, racist or nasty on their personal social media platforms.
•  Be eager and interested in everything, especially when you are starting out in your first role. Good companies support and promote those who show they are keen to jump in, get their hands dirty and be part of the team.

Has it all been worth it?

 
Hell yes!