LAUNCHING:
MIMI GRAY
Company:
M&C SAATCHI LONDON
THE BIG QUESTIONS
WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL TITLE?
Art Buyer.
WHAT DO YOU DO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS?
Coffee, read my emails, coffee, check Tumblr/Instagram, check my meetings for the day. I usually schedule 2-3 portfolio meetings with artists (mainly photographers and illustrators, but also graffiti artist/muralists, set designers, tattoo artists – ETC) and agents a day to keep my finger on the pulse. Take briefs from creatives and work closely with them to make everything we put out to the world look beautiful (as much as humanly possible - I have now come to terms with the fact that a NatWest ad is never going to be a Van Gog) this is contingent upon finding the right artist to bring the idea to life - sort of like creative match-making. Scout for fresh talent online, image search/make moodboards for pitches, flick through books for inspiration, reply to emails, crunch some numbers, produce the odd shoot. Coffee. Curate exhibitions at the agency, run the @mcsaatchilondon Instagram page and organise artist takeovers. Go to private viewings, book launches, degree shows, exhibitions in the evenings. “Network”- I dislike that word.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD AND WHAT CHANGED?
Dolphin. Artist. Gymnast. (An acrobatic dolphin that paints with its tail).
WHAT ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU HAVE?
Degree in French. +Short courses in Modern Art History and Contemporary Art History. My employers have never actually seen my CV.
WHAT’S THE BEST CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?
Knowledge is power. This is especially poignant when you’re baby-faced, female, and working in the Creative industry. KNOW. YOUR. SHIT. People will start to take you seriously and stop looking over your head.
WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?
Frida Kahlo. Beyoncé. Marina Abramović. Louise Bourgeois. They are all kick-ass females. And my pa, he is a kick-ass male.
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT WORKING ENVIRONMENT?
The people. Meeting + working with inspiring, talented, passionate people every day.
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT YOUR DAILY WORK ROUTINE IF YOU COULD?
Fewer emails.
DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN BE THE SAME PERSON AT WORK AND IN PRIVATE?
Yes.
WHERE AND IN WHAT ROLES ARE WOMEN IN THE LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE AT YOUR COMPANY?
Smattered throughout the ranks in most departments, one incredible woman, Gaby Bell in Senior Management. That makes 1/4. Our creative department has only 1 female Creative Director. That makes 1/30.
DOES DIVERSITY MATTER TO YOU?
Yes. Diversity sparks creativity. It is the only way to even hope to make lasting work that means anything to more than a handful of people.
HOW GOOD IS YOUR WORK LIFE BALANCE?
Pretty terrible. But I love it that way. Work/play are always intertwined.
WHAT QUALITIES DOES BEING IN YOUR ROLE NECESSITATE?
A good eye and a good sense of humour (for when jobs get killed by the client after months of hard work, and it all goes to shit). Knowledge of the photographic/art industries, movements, trends, stylistic references. Being passionate, sociable, good at making connections.
ANY FINAL COMMENTS?
SMASH THE PATRIARCHY.