Meet Jed: From Hollywood to Holbeck
Once we got over the initial confusion of his name being Welsh but him actually being Scottish, actor turned Account Manager Jed’s very quickly became a central character in our team.
Tell us one thing about yourself that most people don’t know…
I studied acting for a year in LA and stayed in an apartment adjacent to the one that Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman lived in (before she met the money man - so pre glitz and glamour).
How would your friends describe you?
Adventurous, loyal and exuberant (I asked them)!
Think of your favourite TV show. If our studio were like that show, which character do you think you would be, and why?
My all time favourite TV show has to be 'The Hills' - it feels nostalgic for me and every time I watch it it brings me back to my early teens.
If our studio was like the show, I think I might be Whitney. She's not front-and-centre or causing any trouble, but still stays involved, is friendly, down-to-earth, driven and dresses well (working on that last point)!
What inspired you to pursue your career path, and what’s something about it that surprises most people?
At the crux of it, I wanted to work in an industry that I had a genuine interest in. I studied Advertising and I'm a big time shop-a-holic, so playing a role in the creation of brands felt like it made sense. I was also self-aware enough to realise that navigating design software wasn't my strong suit (I tried and failed many times over!), so Client Service felt like a better fit and allowed me to be involved throughout the full life-span of a project. I get to deep dive with the strategy team when they're looking into the positioning, I can share my thoughts on the design without a need for technical design skills, and from start-to-finish I'm expected to be in constant communication with the internal team and client - which as a sometimes chatterbox is great!
In terms of surprises, I think the depth of the brand building journey is what shocks people the most - there's more to it than meets the eye, and if you don't work in the industry you often don't realise how much goes into it. My parents might see a brand and they'll be able to describe it to me 'it feels fun, very adventurous, and quite quirky - you'd be friends with them', but they don't realise that they view it that way because hours of work has been put in to ensure that the brand has a voice, a personality and a look/feel that showcases them in that light.
Reflecting on your career journey, what advice would you give your younger self starting out?
Looking back, I recognise that it took me a hot-minute to really land on a career choice that I was genuinely interested in and excited by. Jobs in the creative industry were never something that my high school pushed (Law, Medicine and Engineering were always favoured), and so I spent a lot of time trying to force myself in a career direction that made sense for other people, but never me.
If I could go back and give myself some advice, it would be to trust your instincts, lean into what actually interests you and seek guidance from people who are in the industry you feel drawn to: they have first hand experience and will be able to speak to the opportunities available, roles you can get into and the steps needed to get there, all based on fact and not just speculation or Google!
“Ultimately it was the quality of the work that drew me to Robot Food! Looking through the website, there wasn't a single thing on there that I felt iffy about. It was all executed to an incredibly high standard, and felt very much of today, but simultaneously of tomorrow too. It's work I knew I'd be proud to tell people I was involved in. That's what excites me about working here too - I'm involved in projects that I feel passionate about and that I want to show off. I get a real kick out of being in the world and giving it the old 'we did that' when I see something live and in-situ! .”