Our Young Gun profile takes a look at some of the young talent across the advertising, ad tech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry.
Today we speak to Accenture Interactive digital experience architect Natasha Lay.
Time in current role/time at the company:
Three years.
How long have you been in the industry?
Five years.
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
Definitely not. In the early stages of university, I was a victim of career plan paralysis! However, the most important thing for me during this time was getting exposure to areas across the industry’s ecosystem that most likely aligned with my interests. Being involved in various internships and hearing real stories from individuals in the industry (on both ends of the ‘experience spectrum’) also helped accelerate the process. Once I had been involved in a few client projects I quickly realised my passion was in strategically designing and curating digital experiences for customers and I haven’t looked back since.
Who is your right hand person/who guides you day to day?
Without a doubt my inspirational mentor and sounding board, Alvaro Colon who works with me at Accenture Interactive. He has been there for me since the beginning, constantly empowering me to push the boundaries both personally and professionally.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
Witnessing conceptual ideas that my team have tirelessly designed and curated, come to life and be brought to the masses.
And the biggest challenge?
Being comfortable with ambiguity and fluid in your response to it.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
There are jobs today that did not exist two to three years ago so you never know what’s around the corner! While there isn’t a specific ‘job’ I have set my sights on, I want to get more involved in social impact projects in the digital health space.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
Medium. It’s a magical place that I turn to for thought-provoking pieces on experience design.
My favourite advert is:
Like A Girl from Always.
Such a simple, yet impactful social experiment that was beautifully conveyed to show how unconscious dialogue from our society affects the mental model of children growing up. I still remember watching it for the first time and feeling empowered to take action by bringing awareness to my friends and family of the unconscious gender biases in our environment.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I love storytelling and realised at a very early age that I could express this through videography. To this day, I still have an unhealthy obsession with crafting, editing and putting together meaningful video content.
In five years' time I'll be:
Pioneering social impact initiatives abroad and ensuring I never become complacent with where I am at!
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.