ABOUT

Tell us who you are!

I’m Gemma — Co-Founder of Lunes. We’re an East London creative studio, passionate about working with local businesses and organisations to make a positive impact on people and place.

So what do you actually do?

I manage relationships with our clients and partners, work on new opportunities and oversee the delivery of projects. In any one week, we could be working on a website design, producing a leaflet for a local event, developing social media assets to planning a video shoot.

What has your career path been?

My first taste of the creative industries was at Catch22 journalism academy — a social enterprise group that offered training to people from underrepresented backgrounds. This led to editorial internships at Esquire, Q and Mojo magazine, where I worked on helping produce content for print and online. I then landed my first full-time role at Golin PR agency, creating social media content for their portfolio of Unilever brands.

For the next five years, I worked in advertising and creative agencies on brands which mainly involved content creation, developing social media and digital campaigns, and working closely with designers, copywriters and videographers to bring ideas to life. I then took on a role working closely with the Managing Partner of an agency to work on its marketing and new business. I worked on pitches, created thought leadership and newsletter content, managed the agency website and wrote press releases.

Ready for a new challenge, I joined a small startup. Long story short, a bad experience and being misled about the role led to me being jobless and quickly turning to freelance. What at first was a scary experience, where I was completely out of my comfort zone, ended up being the biggest turning point in my career. The next few years of freelancing at companies like Government Digital Service, Pernod Ricard, and FCB Inferno, were pivotal in arming me with the confidence to take control of how I wanted to work.

In 2019, my Co-Founder Stefano and I took the leap and launched a creative studio. He brings his design expertise to the mix, and we’ve built our client base with our complementary skill set and strong knowledge of the local area where we live and work. It’s been an exciting, challenging, and fulfilling journey so far, but we haven’t looked back since.

What is the best part of your job?

I love that a lot of what I do now involves people and companies on our doorstep and that we can work with those who share similar values.I was fortunate to work on some well-known clients during my time in the advertising industry, however, the novelty wore thin. It’s rewarding to work on projects I feel more connected to. To date, we’ve worked with a range of local businesses, entrepreneurs, community organisations and my local council and university.

Why do you do your job?

1. I love working in a creative environment and seeing how something we make impacts the real world

2. I’m faced with new challenges and learning opportunities every day

3. The freedom to work on the projects that matter to me

One piece of advice for someone starting in your role?

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Starting a business can be a daunting experience, and you need to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone. It’s not easy, but these are the moments where you’ll learn and experience the most growth.

Any parting words?

Starting a business and seeing results takes time. Don’t expect things to happen overnight. Be consistent and resilient, and trust your gut. And don't be afraid to make mistakes, make loads, and learn from them — it's all part of the process.

Check out Gemma’s Instagram below!

DAY IN THE LIFE

As soon as I wake up, I journal. I use The Five Minute Journal, which has a structured format and helps me to start the day on a positive note. I’ll then check-in with Stefano to go through our workflow, set out our priorities for the day, and plan resources for upcoming projects.

I’ll usually have some calls scheduled, which can be anything from a client check-in to present work or chat through a brief to an intro call with a new prospect. Throughout the day, I’ll check in on the progress of projects, review creative, and make sure our partners and freelance teams are up-to-date with any feedback.

At lunch, I'll go for a walk or find a space away from my desk to listen to a podcast or catch up on newsletters or blogs I follow. Seeking inspiration from different sources helps with coming up with solutions, so it’s important to take time out to get a new perspective.

Then there are the everyday tasks like invoicing, business admin and responding to emails. Later in the day I'll review any new work or creative and share an update with clients. Towards the end of the day, I'll update our workflow and make sure everything is in place for the next day.

Unless there’s anything urgent, I try my best to end the day promptly. Running a business, there’s a temptation to always feel the need to be doing something. But I’ve learned the importance of setting boundaries. The happier and more rested I am outside of work, the more productive and energised I feel during the working day.