Meeting of the Minds brings together two different points of view from an industry rookie and an experienced expert.
The Mediaweek series aims to showcase their diverse perspectives, thoughts and opinions.
This month’s Meeting of the Minds sees Zoe Horn and Shelley Friesen from Melbourne Social Co reveal their leadership heroes, current streaming binge and career goals for 2023.
Zoe Horn – Accounts & Communication Executive
Zoe Horn
Best career advice – To always be true to yourself, and only do things that represent you. I look back at mistakes I have made, or things that have gone wrong and almost every time it was a scenario in which I didn’t truly believe in doing it that way, or didn’t feel comfortable doing something, but did it anyway because I thought that was how a co-worker or person in charge would want it done.
My favourite podcast/read – My favourite read this year was Limberlost by Robbie Arnott, a beautiful coming of age story set in Tasmania. The imagery of life in the Australian bush transported me there so perfectly.
Current streaming binge – My latest binge would be the Escaping NXVIM podcast about a woman’s journey leaving a cult.
Leadership hero – This is a bit of a rogue answer, but one of the captains from the reality show Below Deck. There is a lot of drama on that show and, real or not, the way she led people through hardships, helped people come out of their shell and empowered them to grow in their career was really inspirational. A true leader, or the representation of one, who led calmly and by example.
I wish someone had told me – To go to Robotics camp in America in grade 4, I still regret not going to this day!
Guilty content pleasure – Scrolling on TikTok, getting totally immersed in someone’s online life for an hour and finding out everything about them.
Best training course/session – Can I say TikTok? I have learned so many things there across the media industry that would otherwise take years of experience to learn. From spreadsheet hacks to content ideas and inspiration, it truly is a great tool (however, remember to research something to ensure it is correct before you put it into action).
Your mentor – Maybe not a mentor as such, but a past boss of mine passed on aeons of knowledge and learnings to me when I was still in university and I still think about a lot of things she told me in my everyday life. Lots of learnings about business and people which are invaluable.
Hot medium or show – Canva! My favourite platform at the moment for everyday use. They are also just great in terms of constantly evolving with technology and it feels like it is created with its designers best interest in mind.
Favourite media event – This is not something I am on top of, but I do love seeing the memes and fashion that comes out of them!
Wish I’d done that – Taken time off between high school and university to just exist. It is hard to imagine a time in my life where there isn’t pressure (financial or otherwise) to be working or studying, and when I can just spend my time travelling, doing things I love and spending time with loved ones. Until retirement I guess!
Career goal for 2023 – Figure out my long term goals for my career, where I want to end up and to fine tune what my niche is (or isn’t)!
Shelley Friesen – Director
Shelley Friesen
Best career advice – In my early career a mentor shared the advice to ’say yes and figure it out later’, which to be honest, was a real gamer changer for me in starting the agency. Sometimes when you’re starting a business from scratch and learning the ropes, the ‘fake it til you make it’ approach is really important.
Working hard and putting yourself outside of your comfort zone is key (but disclaimer, it’s not for everyone!) That being said, at this point in my career and business journey, I’ve certainly eased back on the ‘yes to everything’ approach, and now focus on smart decision making and prioritising in line with agency strategy.
My favourite podcast/read – I’ve gotten back into reading this year for the first time since I had my first child four years ago. I really love easy to read fiction (a good book for me is one that helps me to relax and switch off.) My favourite read this year has been The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Current streaming binge – I’ve just started watching Succession! Super late to the bandwagon (having two small children at home means it’s usually Cocomelon playing on repeat) but enjoying it so far.
Leadership hero – I don’t have one particular hero but I really love following and learning from smart women (and a few men) in business.
I wish someone had told me – That business ownership can be lonely! While I love owning an agency, and all of the challenges and rewards that this brings, it can at times be an isolating position to be in as a sole company owner.
Guilty content pleasure – I’ve recently started listening to Cancelled, which is a podcast on the Mamamia network. It’s a fun, easy listen on my morning commute, and allows me a cheeky pop culture fix!
Best training course/session – It’s been awhile since I’ve had a chance to do training unfortunately! That being said, we’ve been working closely with the team at TikTok as of late, and I’ve really been enjoying their insights and learning about ways to optimise our client accounts on the app.
Your mentor – While I don’t have a mentor per se, I do like to surround myself with smart, likeminded people, and have a network of those I can bounce ideas off when I need to.
I’m also lucky to have an incredible general manager in our agency, Rebekah Pickett, who I sometimes think shares a brain with me. We spend a lot of time together strategising and implementing exciting new initiatives for the business and her support is immeasurable.
Hot medium or show – I’ve recently been looking at Lemon8 and am excited to jump on the app when it launches in Australia. Being a creative and lover of Pinterest/moodboards etc, this app is really speaking to me!
Favourite media event – To be honest, I haven’t been to an event post-Covid! This is on the list for 2023. SXSW Sydney later this year is on my radar.
Wish I’d done that – I’m not a person who tends to have regrets or ‘wish I’d done’ moments, I’m very much of the opinion that life plays out the way it’s meant to and that you make your own luck. That being said, at some point I would love to carve out some more ‘me’ time in my busy schedule and want to make this happen in 2023.
Career goal for 2023 – 2023 is a super exciting year both for me and for our agency. We’ve recently moved into a gorgeous Collins Street studio, and have onboarded some seriously exciting clients. The goals for the rest of the year are to continue to build out our client portfolio and team, while continuing to lead the way in social media content creation and strategy. For me personally, something I’m focusing on this year is business strategy and upskilling in this space.
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Top image: Zoe Horn and Shelley Friesen