How would you describe your job?
My work normally involves having to come up with lots of ideas on demand! I am a writer, editor, filmmaker, creative director and brand consultant. As editorial director of Dazed Media Group, I help steer the editorial, creative and digital direction of various publishing platforms and titles including Dazed, Another, and Another Man.

I am most hands-on with Nowness, a premium lifestyle video channel which Dazed acquired from LVMH in 2017 (for which I’m also creative director) and Dazed Beauty, a new digital platform and print publication I launched this year (for which I serve as editor-in-chief.) Outside of Dazed, I work regularly with fashion, beauty and luxury brands, mainly creating video content and helping to strategise their creative direction for digital.

What does a typical working day look like?
I am in and out of various meetings across the multiple titles and departments I work with. Those might be split between editorial planning, creative development, catch-ups or briefings on specific projects, or one-to-ones with various team members.

In between meetings, I’m on email or phone duty. When there’s downtime, I work on concept development. Usually that means writing long and rambling word documents with ideas and then some research.

Mornings are the most productive time for me. I produce content for a digital company, but I always have a few extracurricular projects on the go, which means that work days don’t have an official start and end time. It’s a constant flow of communication across the world, but it doesn’t always feel like work so I’m ok with that. But I'm admin-phobic! So anything with spreadsheets, count me out. I’ll put it off till the last possible second.

How did you land your current roles?
I became acquainted with key people at Dazed after they had seen some of my work. Over time, we began discussing what a role for me at the company would look like. When we started to talk about the launch of Dazed Beauty, and the new acquisition of Nowness into the Dazed Media Group, it seemed like the ideal time for me to be able to jump onto some very tangible projects as a creative and editorial lead.

How collaborative is your role?
Extremely collaborative! I depend on other people to be my eyes, ears and judges of good taste… I make sure I have trusted people working alongside me so they can also be autonomous to make decisions when I’m not around, or when it doesn’t need to involve me directly. But everything is a conversation, a discussion, a compromise.

In media and publishing, multiple viewpoints, input and expertise are needed to make something good. In filmmaking it’s virtually impossible to make a film without the collaboration of many, many people. Writing is perhaps the only solitary part of what I do. But you still need an editor, copyeditor, fact checker and so on.

What has been the most exciting project of the last twelve months?
Launching Dazed Beauty was a huge and exciting undertaking. The project was a collaboration between myself and Isamaya Ffrench, with art direction by Ben Ditto. Jefferson Hack worked very closely with us on the launch, which was digital first and involved working with a huge variety of different digital artists and unconventional image makers.

We’re going to print with our first issue – a limited edition art book – this month. Our mission was to redefine beauty for the digital age, and although the platform is still nascent, it feels like we’re really doing that.

What skills are essential to your job?
Creativity, patience, collaboration.

What tools do you use most for your work?
Communication skills. The ability to articulate what you need or think; listening to other people, understanding what they need or think; and then communicating that back to other people. If nothing else, I can explain (and re-explain) things pretty well.

Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed by work, and if so, how do you manage stress?
As I’ve gotten older I’ve become a lot more zen and able to manage stress a bit better. When I get stressed, I take a step back and imagine days, weeks, months, years from this exact moment when whatever’s causing me stress won’t matter that much anymore. It’s good to put things into perspective and take a few deep breaths.

What did you want to be growing up?
I wanted to be a doctor for a long time, actually. But I also always wanted to write, and as I got older I started wanting to make films and was always interested in magazine and media publishing. Creative direction isn’t something I knew existed until I started my career. But it’s a perfect blend of both worlds, especially in the digital media industry.

What influence has your upbringing had on your work?
I moved a lot growing up; I was always new in school and really struggled to fit in. When I hit my early teen years I had what could only be described as a great awakening, and I realised I didn’t want to fit in! It was pure freedom! All of my work communicates a core message and agenda that is informed by this: it’s ok to be an outsider and, more to the point, it’s ok to be whoever you want to be.

How (if at all) is the subject you studied useful to your current role?
I have degrees in both film and cultural studies. Both focused on the study of human culture which I think is completely relevant to my work now. Practically speaking, studying film taught me how to develop ideas and put them into action to make movies, media, content, moving images… whatever we’re calling it now! Cultural studies, which is basically the theory of anthropology and media, taught me how to think about what I was saying with those ideas.

What were your first jobs?
I freelanced a lot when I was first starting out; at magazines, media companies and production companies. That led me to my first full time permanent job at Vice in my early twenties, helping them research and develop documentaries.

Was there anyone in particular that helped your development?
Too many people to name! Jefferson Hack and Alister Mackie at Dazed have been hugely nurturing and helpful in my growth and development, as well as Pegah Farahmand, Al Brown, Vida Toombs and Matt O’Mara with whom I worked closely when we were at Vice.

The major project I did with the latter group at Vice in partnership with i-D and Chanel, called The Fifth Sense, was a career-defining moment for me; I learned so much from it. Likewise, launching Dazed Beauty with Jefferson last year was an amazing opportunity and experience.

What skills have you learnt along the way?
Pretty much everything. Nothing quite prepares you for the ‘real world’ like diving headfirst into it! The digital media industry barely existed 10 years ago, so we’ve pretty much been making it up as we go along and watching it evolve from the frontlines.

What would you say is your biggest ongoing challenge with your work and career? Doing it all! Balancing the creative with the commercial, and finding time to pursue passion projects alongside the myriad other things that need attending to and pay the bills! Staying focused and motivated and not getting spread too thinly. Not getting stressed out by the small stuff – or the big!

What advice would you give to an emerging creative wanting to do the same kind of work?
Go to school! Develop as a person, develop your interests, tastes and ideas. If you can, travel. Intern as much as you can. Find people who do what you want to do and reach out to them and learn from them. Do your own projects as much as possible – it’s easier than ever now.