Our Young Gun profile takes a look at some of the young talent across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry.
Jacq Henderson: Junior strategist at The Works.
How long have you been in the industry?
Including my time at Thinkerbell, I’m approaching 2 years in the industry now.
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
No advertising was never the plan, but now I’m here it makes complete sense.
I’ve always been fascinated by humans. How we act, think and relate to one another. Psychology seemed like the obvious choice leaving school… but due to a mix of indecision and a desire for creativity, I found myself studying both a Bachelor of Marketing and Media and a Diploma in Fashion and Business.
I’ve always felt pretty conflicted between pursuing a career that challenged my analytical mind and one that scratched my creative itch. So much so, I’d arrived at the conclusion that it was going to be impossible to find one that allowed me the luxury of having both.
That was until I started my internship at The Works. Two friends from uni who had previously interned at The Works, approached me saying they thought I’d absolutely love strategy, so I applied as an intern. Since then, I haven’t looked back.
I feel lucky to have found a job that allows me to be analytical and creative on a daily basis. It means I never feel like I’m compromising a part of myself.
Who is your right-hand person/who guides you day to day?
Lucy Batchelor has been an incredible friend and mentor since the day I stepped into The Works as an intern. She’s an absolute powerhouse and I totally admire her and her never ending curiosity.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
I really do think that it’s the people. There are not many industries where you find people that are just as intelligent as they are creative. Wackiness is embraced here and conversation is most definitely never boring.
And the biggest challenge?
Finding different and interesting questions to ask in order to identify new human problems. It’s too easy to ask the same questions despite our quest for new answers and solutions. As Daniel Kahneman identifies in Think, Fast and Slow “When faced with a difficult question, we often answer an easier one instead, usually without noticing the substitution.”
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
Any travel photographer. I love photography and who wouldn’t want to be paid to go to incredible places?!
Where do you turn for inspiration?
It might sound cliche but I really do find inspiration comes from anywhere. Comedians, product reviews, books, art, podcasts, fridge magnets, bumper stickers, graffiti in toilet cubicles … But the cheapest and most convenient form of inspiration, in my opinion, is just being observant and watching and interacting with what’s going on around me. I really try to make sure I’m always putting myself in new environments and interacting with different types of people. I find it fascinating all the new things I am able to see when I’m looking at the world through the lens of the new brand I’m working on.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
Probably the fact I drink about 2-3 glasses of milk a day… yep that’s right, judge away.
You’re wrong Ron Burgundy, milk was a good choice!
In five years' time I'll be..
Honestly, who knows. Despite being a planner I’m really not a planner… Hopefully happy, well-travelled and still learning as much as I am now.
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