What was your first job?/Where did you start?

My parents had always taught me to be independent and work for what I wanted, so before my professional career, while in school, I looked for various ways of making a little cash. My first part-time job came about as a need of a different kind. As a youngster I had moved from Johannesburg to Cape Town with my family, and very soon I learnt all about this new thing called surf culture. I wanted in. When I was in school I walked past a surf shop one day and saw a wetsuit and board I really wanted - I knew I needed a job to fund this new adventure. I began working part-time in the evenings at a local beachfront restaurant and very quickly learnt all about customer service, what people wanted and the type of service they most certainly did not want. I also learnt how irritated and red-faced a man could become when you drop a hot plate of pasta on this lap. Although I was one of the younger employees and just part-time, I jumped right in and soon was put into a management position. I have managed to put the pasta issue behind me.

What made you want to build a career in your profession?

Growing up I always wanted to be a game-ranger, or at least work with plants and animals in some shape or form. After school I studied botany and zoology, and then decided I wanted to see a bit of the world - so I made London my base. To further fund my travels I began working at a PR agency in Wimbledon where I was exposed to the world of PR. I was hooked and wanted to know more. I began studying PR in London (and did a few courses such as press photography) and then worked my way up to eventually manage various international brands before heading back home to Cape Town where I studied marketing management to broaden my knowledge and experience. I chose to continue with PR as it was unlike any other career I had been exposed to. During my time in London I never watched the clock wishing the day away – I was completely engrossed in the world of PR and was hungry to learn more. That hunger still drives me today. Even though I was passionate about being a game ranger as a youngster, I now work with various game lodges and reserves - so I suppose I could say it has come full circle as I am extremely fortunate to spend plenty of time in the bush doing what I love.

Describe a day in your life at present

I believe in balance, so when possible I’ll start off with a run or some form of exercise before heading into the office. One of the things I love most about PR is the diversity each client brings, and so no day is the same as it depends on the nature of the client you are working on. That said, typically a work day on the PR side of things includes:

A lot of writing in the form of press releases, opinion pieces, blog posts etc, which all requires plenty of research depending on what I am working on. Negotiating profiling opportunities/interviews for our clients. Securing a broadcast interview is not a simple process so much negotiating goes on behind the scenes. Once secured we then need to prep the individual we are profiling to make sure they are comfortable and prepared for the interview.

Client relationships is key and we prefer to build long lasting partnerships with a client as apposed to focusing too much on project based work. We spend a fair amount of time meeting with clients to fully understand their requirements and expectations.

Dealing with media request and using our various sources to see what may be relevant for our clients.

Travelling: Every two months or so I head to the bush for a week to meet with our various clients for updates and strategy sessions. During such times my day could start with a game drive or bush walk - one of the many perks that comes with working with such clients. We are fortunate that we have build good friendships with many of our clients so while the day with such clients may involve long meetings and strat sessions, the evenings in the bush are often spent around the fire having agood laugh.

As a collective, each entity within wrkshp works together on various projects so while our digital team is busy with a website design for example, I’ll be busy drafting copy to fit into each page or reviewing photography to see how best it can all fit together. There is a lot of interaction in the office so we are always discussing client campaigns and feeding off the different experiences we all bring. Carefully and strategically planning and executing an office prank or two is not unheard of – a fun and healthy office environment helps keep us all creative and on our toes.

Working daily with the other co-founders of wrkshp with general running of the business.

To further balance my personal life my wife and I will get out as much as possible over weekends, whether it be running around the vineyards, hiking up table mountain or getting away for a romantic weekend where wifi is unheard of. Sometimes I pretend to be a game ranger.

As a business owner we have no set work times – we’ll keep going until the job is done.

Balance is key. I believe in if you are going to do something, do it whole-heartedly but have a little fun along the way – otherwise, what is the point.

You recently launched wrkshp – what is it?

wrkshp is a collection of five individuals specialised in branding, advertising, promotions, creative direction, digital development and strategy, public relations and talent management. We are all business owners and experts in our fields whocame together to form one diverse but specialised and targeted offering. We identified a need for a ‘single-voiced’ and collective branding approach, and after much research and a little luck, wrkshp was born. Our office is based in Woodstock and we work with various brands in the retail, tourism/hospitality, property and FMCG industries. wrkshp was co-founded in 2013 by myself, Greg McFarlane, Kirsten Hopwood, Vanessa Eyden and Dylan Farr.

Why do we need wrkshp?

Just as manufacturing, logistics, finance and engineering industries are evolving to meet shifts in demand and the adoption of more technology, so is the marketing industry - arguably more so than the rest. It is critical we adapt to meet these shifts and as a collection wrkshp is able to offer an evolving and complete marketing solution where brand DNA and brand messaging is not diluted, but injected and shared across all campaigns and marketing activities. At the same time by working with one company brands are able to keep costs down while keeping creativity and brand exposure up. Although our services are extensive, each campaign we engage in is highly targeted and tailored to meet the demands and expectations of the brand we are working with. All our talent and energy goes into producing work that’s coherent, and as a collective we are able to tap into various specialised services that many traditional agencies are unable to. We also like to have fun, and who doesn’t like to work with people who know how to have fun.

What can wrkshp offer that an agency can’t?

With the wrkshp you deal with business owners who have vested interest in results and driving sales. Remaining small and agile, we are able to evolve and adapt to fluctuations and changes by not only companies, but to consumerism as a whole. As a collective we are also able to offer whichever services a brand requires, while working in a collective, information sharing structure and tapping into resources traditional agencies usually may not have.

Is this ‘creative collective’ not a small agency waiting to happen?

Change is inevitable and undeniably constant. wrkshp was created to meet the shift in what brands want and expect from the industry, and we as a collection are steadfast and entrenched in meeting brand’s needs and demands. That said, we will continue to evolve as the industry and consumerism does, and should we need to change our structure in order to meet changes in the industry then so it shall happen. At the end of the day we need to ensure our client’s needs are met, and to achieve that sometimes you need to evolve.

What do you hope to achieve with wrkshp?

Ultimately we want to give brands exactly what they need, when they need it and how they need it, and we will continue to do this by tapping into our various specialised service offerings. We will also continue to evolve to ensure this. Having a national presence is most certainly a goal for us, as is the prospect of working with global brands. We foresee more such collectives emerging tomeet the industry changes, and we hope to continue being seen as the forerunners and leaders in this space.

For more information on wrkshp, visit www.wrkshp.co.za. Alternatively, email [email protected].