SheSays lures two new senior creatives to lead the group’s Australian mentorship program: Who’s Your Momma
SheSays – the only global network for women in the creative industries – has appointed two new senior creatives to lead the group’s Australian mentorship program: Who’s Your Momma.
Senior digital creative, Cat Pitts-Tucker (ex-M&C Saatchi), and senior copywriter, Emma Lord (ex-JWT), will lead the program alongside SheSays leader Yasmin Quemard.
Who’s Your Momma, now in its [second year in Australia], has matched over 3,000 women globally with mentors and mentees from graduate to managing director, across creative, account management, strategy, digital, marketing and PR [Media].
Says SheSays Leader, Yasmin (left), regarding high hopes to see more partnerships by the end of the year: “Whether you’re seeking advice, or imparting wisdom, industry mentorships are rewarding for everyone involved. Our free mentorship program, which is ongoing throughout the year, is an informal set-up where we simply introduce two women. Relationships are formed organically, with mentors offering advice and support on everything from career moves, to tricky office politics. Most importantly, the program caters for all levels. We have women in senior positions seeking mentorship, and some women in mid-level positions providing advice to graduates and first-time job seekers. It’s a fantastic initiative, and I’m excited to have Cat and Emma join the leadership team.”
Pitts-Tucker and Lord will kick-off their tenure with SheSays annual Speed Mentoring night, Wednesday 30 October.
Described as speed dating with industry professionals, last year’s event attracted over 80 female uni students, first-time job seekers, and women exploring a career change.
Adds Yasmin: “For women starting out in the industry, our Speed Mentoring event offers the chance to speak directly with the best Creatives, Strategists, and Suits in Australia. This year’s event will see representation from R/GA, Soap, The Farm, Visual Jazz, M&C Saatchi, TBWA Whybin/DAN, Mercer Bell, Host, Zuni, Ogilvy Public Relations, The Hallway, Ikon, UM, Droga5, RAPP, DDB, Tribal DDB, Leo Burnett, and more. For professionals involved, the event also provides an opportunity to find excellent junior talent. Last year three internships, and two full-time roles were filled – not too shabby!”
Click here for more information about Who’s Your Momma, and SheSays Speed Mentoring event.
18 Comments
Shesays is a great initiative.
However, in general it’s not getting girls into the industry that’s the problem. It’s keeping them there. Creative women over 35 are as rare as Unicorns. Would love to see someone address why that is.
Ummmmm, they have children?
Also – being a creative kinda entails you being obsessed with ephemeral pap. In general, women over 35 have matured sufficiently to be ‘over’ stuff like that. Guys… not so much.
agree old lady, agree…..
now there in lies a tale
they burn out like the blokes, or maybe because they have babies and realise there’s more to life than advertising. I wish I was a woman.
Sexist
She Says takes herself quite seriously doesn’t she?
So once you have a child your career is over… seriously, is this 1956?
By the wisdom of her comments, methinks old lady is like 12. Ok you have a child, one day, and tell us how important that seems in relationship to those ads for washing powder or bubblegum you were doing before. I don’t believe society deems it this way – it’s the personal choice of the overwhelming majority of women. It’s the madness of feminism that demands to have it all whilst trying to ignore the practicalities of life. THAT hasn’t changed since 1956.
Put simply most male creatives don’t really respect and don’t really care for a female creative perspective.
I see this each and every day in my agency and I know that I’m probably only here so I can be carted into meetings when the clients gets panicky by the sight of too many beards, designed flannelette shirts and faux 80’s glasses.
At the end of the day working in a creative department is a pretty sweet/easy way to earn a buck. That’s why the guys guard it so ferociously and the women who get a look in keep their heads down and get on with it.
And for the record my inspiring, highly awarded ‘unicorn’ mentor of sorts was turfed out of the industry in way that should haunt the person responsible until the end of his career. Pretty sure it wont though.
Turfed out of the industry? Who has power to do that?
People get turfed out of agencies. All the time. Then they go and get another job. If your mentor chose not to go find another job in advertising, good on her. But seriously, nobody gets turfed out of the industry.
Oh dear, the laydeez can’t even mount a cogent argument in this forum. Good luck in the client meeting girls.
@ another unicorn is right – “you’ll never work in advertising again” is not something that people say in real life.
Perhaps you are thinking of an episode of Mad Men?
O.K not ‘turfed’. Burnt. Happy now? Probably not.
As another unicorn, the only advice I have for young female creatives in the industry is GET OUT NOW while you can change careers. Shit, go back to uni if you have to, which is what at I’m thinking about doing at the age of 36. I worked my ass off for average pay for years with the promise of a glittering career. Even though I won numerous awards for big clients and even judged some award shows, it never happened. Once I started asking for the same remuneration as my colleagues (even my creative partner was paid more than me), everything started to go downhill. Funny how the work dries up, the soul-destroying freelance begins and people don’t call you back any more… I’m in no way blaming the boys as many are my friends and it’s not us versus them at all. It’s a fucked up system that will never be fixed. ECDs simply refuse to pay senior wages to women, when they could hire a dude who they can go out drinking with. And don’t think that you can solve this issue by going out drinking- they don’t want to go out drinking with women over the age of 30 (especially if you’re ‘unavailable’), so drinking like a fish in your 20s will not make you ‘one of the boys’. I should know! If you’re like me when I was 22 and you still think your sheer brilliance will overcome the obvious discrimination and that you can even change the industry for the better, then get the hell out of this parochial boys club and go to the US. Because smart girls finish way last in Australia.
@Another Unicorn
“Put simply most male creatives don’t really respect and don’t really care for a female creative perspective.”
Truth.
I’m a female creative, I’m over 35 and I’ve got child/ren. I’ve taken time out to do this and am contemplating heading back to work. I’ve been advised to not mention the fact that I’m a mother (pointless really, I’m fairly well known and people are aware of why I’ve been out of the scene) because it will hamper job prospects.
I’d like to know how other creatives manage being parents when you get given dirty looks if you leave the creative department before 8pm at night? If I keep the hours I used to, I’ll only see my kids on weekends, assuming I’m not working those too…
So if you want to know why there’s fewer senior women in creative departments, it’s because the industry took most of my 20s and 30s, and I was fine with that, hell, I actively welcomed it, but I’ll be damned if they take my kids’ childhoods from me as well. I thought I loved my career but I found something I loved so much more.
This isn’t about balancing work and career, because there is no balance, if there was, I’d be right there. The industry forces you to choose. You either commit to sacrificing nights, weekends etc to winning awards and keeping clients or you bow out, and if the price is family, then so be it. Well, if I have to choose, then it’s not a hard choice at all.
I would love an employer to prove me wrong and to follow up with my post with encouraging female creatives into their departments and still be ok when they want to head home occasionally to make bedtime (before putting in a few more hours at home.) I’ll be following this with interest. Forgive me if I don’t hold my breath.
Its people like you, ‘Alfred Kinsey’ who are the problem behind the work that is being turned out by creative departments in this country – no insight, unbalanced and really condescending.
In Cannes this year there were so many women up on stage accepting awards. Clearly the rest of the world accepts and encourages female creatives. Its a pity our backwards country cant.
People like you, ‘Alfred Kinsey’, are half the problem.
I believe there IS substantial discrimination against women in this industry and one of the reasons is idiots like you spouting shite like “well, every woman once they have a baby never wants to work in advertising again”.
Bollocks. Look at the States. There are loads of 35+ women kicking arse in very senior positions, many of whom have children. The difference is they work in an industry culture that values them, their unique point of view AND the fact that they are mothers.
This belief that a female creative’s drive and love for the industry ends when she has children is dangerous and unfair. Yes it may be true for some, but certainly not for all – many of us not only have to, but still WANT to work.
By spreading such disinformation you are harming the career of any woman of child-bearing age – suddenly they’re perceived as people who are simply biding time before leaving the industry – people there is no point in promoting to senior positions or investing time in. Some of the posts on here are genuinely sad – and solid evidence if it was ever needed that there is something very wrong in this very sexist industry.
This post should be bumped to the top of the page so it’s read by as many people as possible. This is important.