how did you get to where you are today?
FAQ #1: a (not very) brief career history packed with hurdles, self-doubt and grasping every (and any) opportunity
FAQ: noun | a list of questions and answers relating to a particular subject.
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Dear Emily,
You’ve written for some amazing brands. How and where did you get your start? And how did you get to where you are today? What was your path to your current role, Global Head of Copy at Bumble?
Best,
An aspiring copywriter
Dear aspiring copywriter,
This is a question I get asked a lot. It makes me nervous – I think probably because I’m still asking myself the question, too. How on earth did I, Emily from Bridgend, South Wales, end up in London (and even in Amsterdam, for a bit) getting to spend my days writing for the brands I love and shops myself? I still don’t really know. I think a lot of it is down to being pretty determined, and doing the right thing at the right time – which you can’t always plan or control.
This is also the question I ask the people I interview for this newsletter, too. I think it’s so important to see the reality of how people actually got to where they are today – and to peek behind the scenes of the highlights reel we all produce for our careers.
This question is pretty much the reason I started this newsletter. I got so tired of hearing people’s success stories, where they only really ever talk about what happens after they cleared their hurdles – glossing over the blood, sweat and tears that actually got them over it in the first place. I felt like I was constantly reading things like, ‘I had burnout and it was awful but then I wrote a book’. I’d be sat there thinking how amazing that was, but wondering how exactly they managed it. That part was never really shared.
I wanted to create a space where I could take a good look at, and celebrate, how we get over the hurdles that stand in our way. In my own career so far, I’ve faced a fair few. So I’ll tell you about them now.
My first ever job was as a Saturday Girl in Topshop – the best job in the world. At 16, I stood on that shop floor talking to anyone who walked in, chatting about the world and sometimes, selling them clothes. I loved Topshop so much and I think my passion for everything that brand stood for (and my love of clothes) just shone through everything I said and did. Back then, all I knew was that I had to care deeply about something in order to do it well and I’ve used that as my guiding light for all the decisions I’ve made since.
I went to Swansea University to study English Language and Literature and spent more time on the shop floor at my Topshop and Miss Selfridge jobs than I did in lectures. I loved writing, I loved other people’s writing but I just couldn’t help but feel that I was studying words in such a passive way. Studying what other people had written just wasn’t… doing anything. In my second and third year, I used all my optional modules to pick anything but English Literature and instead chose things like Gender Representation In Media, Online Media, Non-Fiction Writing and Gender Politics. I then (somehow) persuaded the College of Arts & Humanities to let me do a Non-Fiction dissertation on Language in Online Media, which I now know to be copywriting – a word / job / career I’d literally never heard of back then. I had a blog, wrote for the student newspaper and was obsessed with Instagram, too. One of my best friends Matthew used to say, ‘You’ll never make a career out of being online, Em.’ I really enjoy reminding him of this.
After uni, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I still didn’t know copywriting was a job but I knew I wanted to be in London. I was applying for any job with ‘Social Media’ or ‘Editorial’ or ‘Writer’ in the title and then one day, I had a call from a recruiter who told me a new startup was looking for ‘someone like me’ to join as their Social Media Intern. I had no idea what a startup was but I just wanted a job remotely linked to what I was interested in. She asked me a few questions about my background and interests and then said, ‘Oh, just one more thing. Do you like dogs?’ I exploded.
From there, I somehow got the job and three days later, I moved to London and landed at tails.com in 2016, joining a group of incredibly brilliant people who were changing the world of pet food. I started as their 31st employee and in just under two years, I learned so much about the startup world, subscriptions, marketing, branding, creative, DTC businesses, data analysis, operations – you name it.
I wrote emails. I wrote tweets. I wrote website copy. I spent my days filming the office dogs for Instagram Stories. I hosted Q+As on Facebook Live. I judged dog shows at Pride. I made fun gifs. I starred in photoshoots with my mum’s dogs. I wrote articles. I named products. I learned how to check (a dog’s) anal glands thanks to the Head Vet, Sean. I spoke at MTV. I learned how to make a Google Sheet function, thanks to the Head of Data & Insights who took me under his wing after he saw me work out a sum on my phone calculator, then type it into a cell. I pretended to be into sports and signed up for a hike, bike and kayak to raise money for the Guide Dogs. I made friends with such brilliant, wonderful people. Many of them are still my closest friends today. I lived with one of them. Another one is now my husband.
After a year as their Social Media Editor, then Brand Marketing Exec, I was writing more and more copy until eventually, it became a no-brainer that this was what I wanted to spend my days doing. It was always obvious that I belonged in the Docs, not in the Sheets. I met Vikki Ross at a D&AD workshop she was hosting and somehow persuaded her to be my mentor. Vikki told me I should use my training budget to take Will Awdry’s D&AD Writing For Advertising course because it was the best one around (she was right, she always is), and it would help me figure out if I really wanted to be a copywriter. It confirmed that I did.
Vikki helped me to pull a case together to switch my role from Brand Marketing Executive to Copywriter, with my main hook being, ‘I’m actually already doing the role.’ But after being given a hard ‘no’ (and being told I was ‘no writer’ by the new CMO), I had to decide whether my love for the brand (which was huge) outweighed my love of writing and my desire to do it every day. Vikki helped me to make this difficult decision and for years, I wondered whether it had been the right one, because no other company compared. It felt like breaking up with a boyfriend who I knew was no longer right for me, but I still really loved.
But although it was hard, it was the right decision. I moved to a fintech company called Circle and became their European Copywriter, where I made money sound like something real. For nine months, I travelled to Boston and New York for work and couldn’t believe my luck. It was my brief, but brilliant, jetsetting era. Eventually, the company shifted its focus to cryptocurrency and no matter how many times I read The Blockchain Revolution, I still fundamentally did not understand it. It was time to move on.
Then, after a chance encounter of a job posting on LinkedIn, I was hired at an ad agency, Proximity London, where I reported into the best Head of Copy I’ve ever known, Tom Powell (no, we are not related). Tom hired me despite my lack of formal advertising education because he’d seen a blog I’d written about how well my ex-boyfriend made Supernoodles. He then spent two years pushing (and shoving) me into opportunities, allowing me to have strong opinions and encouraging me to use my voice. He also made me get comfortable with presenting and speaking, and gave me the idea to go on a 12-week (every Saturday morning) sketch writing course at Soho Theatre, where at the end, I had to write and perform sketches to a paying audience. I still hate public speaking. But I’m no longer afraid of it.
I wrote for The Economist. I wrote for Disney. I wrote for IKEA. I wrote for Marvel. I wrote for ASDA. I wrote for Specsavers. I wrote for TV Licensing. I wrote for Volkswagen. I wrote for P&G. I convinced the events team to give me a budget of £1000 to host a crisp party for the whole agency. I wrote on the copywriting desk (which was all about the detail) and I wrote as one half of a creative team (which was all about the ideas), with Elspeth Watson. The two of us were paired together as the only female creative team in the agency (in a creative team where there were more Matts than women) to work on a Mrs Hinch brief for P&G. The men couldn’t do it, apparently. From there, we proved ourselves as a creative team and got to work on the launch campaign for Virgin Voyages (and then went to the launch party, where Mark Ronson played). Last year, I went on a press trip (a full circle moment, for sure) on their Greek Islands Glow voyage, and got to see all the push notifications I’d painstakingly written into doc after doc come to life – along with a few other lines around the ship, too.
I was surrounded by so much creativity and I wanted more of it. I filled my evenings with events. I went to Copywriters Unite events. I went to D&AD events. I went to SheSaysUK events (and then wrote lines for their Christmas tote bags). I went to Good Girls Eat Dinner events. I went to Creative Equals events. I went to The Dots events. I went to Ladies Wine & Design events. I took a letter press course.
During my time agency side, I knew I wanted to get into the editorial world, too. I’d been pitching to magazines and newspapers and I wasn’t getting anywhere. I went to
’s masterclass on how to get published in magazines like Cosmopolitan (where she was the Editor), but I still didn’t seem to be landing the right pitch to the right editor at the right time. I saw on Twitter that the Sunday Times journalist, Roisin Kelly (then the Editorial Assistant at the Sunday Times Style) was looking for last minute cover for an unpaid work experience internship. I emailed her. She emailed back. I got the gig. I went back to my desk and begged Tom to let me take the time off work at the last minute, using my precious annual leave. He agreed, but reminded me that holiday days are meant to be for rest, not for work.I spent that week sorting out the beauty closet and transcribing interviews. But I also asked to sit in on meetings to take notes, put my hand up for anything I could help anyone with, reviewed a book and wrote a few social posts. I asked questions and got answers. And I came away with an understanding of how magazines actually work, what editors are looking for, and just how busy they really are. A few weeks later, I saw a tweet from an editor at Stylist Magazine asking for a writer to review books for their weekly Book Wars column. I sent her an enthusiastic email, attached the social posts (lol) from my time at Style (along with a few posts from my blog) and she gave me a chance. The following week, I picked up Stylist at London Bridge station (as I did every week) and saw my name in print for the first time. It never ever gets old.
After a few more months at Proximity London (and an exceptionally boozy ski trip), my startup (specifically, subscription) experience and copywriting experience for big brands with big personalities (IKEA, Disney, Virgin etc) came together and I was soon asked to join another startup to help them figure out their voice and personality.
That startup became Skin + Me (it didn’t have a name or a product when I joined) and I spent two years creating their voice, rolling it out and keeping it consistent in all corners of the brand. I wrote web copy. I wrote ad copy. I was given my perfect skincare routine by dermatologists. I hosted events. I named products (hello, Daily Doser). I wrote every email. I understood more about subscription businesses. I became obsessed with retention. I finally understood equity and stock options. I learned to negotiate. I stood up for things I believed in, and stood up to people I didn’t. It was such a brilliant ride with such a brilliant founding team and we had so much fun building what it is today. A year later, I won the Women In Marketing Highly Commended Copywriter award for my tone of voice guidelines.
Through my work at Skin + Me and tails.com, I sort of accidentally became known as the ‘subscription startup writer’. This meant that a lot of startups were asking me for advice or for freelance work. While debating what my next move should be, the Brand Director at Lick got in touch, looking for some freelance copywriting and editorial strategy. Then Freddie’s Flowers did, too. I handed in my notice (in the middle of a meeting, actually – but that’s another story) and decided to have a go at creating a freelance life for myself. I started this Substack (which was initially called Career Suicide Notes). I started writing for myself and figured out what my own voice sounded like, after a long time of hiding behind the voices of other brands.
After a few months of two days writing and thinking about paint and two days writing and thinking about flowers, Freddie’s asked me to join their as their Head of Copy. I said yes, as long as I could work a four day a week. There, I managed two writers. I wrote copy for weekly flower arranging guides. I found a new favourite flower (brassica). I became an amateur florist. I made friends with our floral coordinator, Stevie, who used to be a hairdresser, and he cut my hair in the flower studio. I was promoted to Head of Brand & Creative. I joined the Senior Leadership Team. I went to a eucalyptus farm in Ireland. I created our first Mother’s Day Campaign. I starred in it with my Nannie, too. After 18 months there, I, along with far too many brilliant people, was made redundant.
I spent the three months of redundancy pay on spending time with family in Wales, growing my Substack and having boozy lunches in the middle of the week with my former Freddie’s Flowers boss. I wrote for Cosmopolitan. I wrote for the HuffPost. I wrote for Metro. I wrote for myself. It felt like such a treat to be a full time writer, just for a tiny slice of time. But I knew I needed to face my own reality (and my mortgage) and as the redundancy payout started to run out, I had to start seriously thinking about what to do next.
For six months or so, I’d been talking to
, the Global Head of Creative at Tony’s Chocolonely (and author of the She Is Creative newsletter), as a little co-mentoring setup to help us both solve problems and tackle challenges in our respective roles. I told her I’d been made redundant and was thinking about going freelance and she told me she was pregnant. Would I want to apply to do her maternity cover? Oh, and if I got the job, would I like to move to Amsterdam to do it?I pitched the idea to my husband, Jonny, and before I could finish my list of detailed pros and cons I’d scoped out, he said yes. Jonny’s company (tails.com, remember?) had a site out in Amsterdam (which he’d actually set up) and as long as I had a visa that sponsored him, he could transfer there on a temporary basis. I got the job, we moved to Amsterdam and I got to spend eight months looking after the brilliant creative team and all their ideas at Tony’s Chocolonely.
Here, I learned about chocolate. I raided the Chocovault. I gained half a stone. I learned how brands can actually put a social cause at the heart of everything they do. I met Dutch creatives. I met Danish creatives. I met French creatives. I hosted the Amsterdam Copywriters Unite. I hosted Substack meetups. I wrote another tone of voice document. I ate more chocolate. I led an Easter campaign. I learned about companies that put people over profit. I learned about Dutch culture. I got hooked on (veggie) bitterballen. I put mayonnaise on everything. I made friends (thank you, Julie!). I thought differently about branding (thank you, Klink!). I saw real, authentic leadership (thank you, Sadira!). I learned there’s no bad weather, just bad clothing – and cycled throughout it all.
I also learned the value of networking and professional relationships. Had I not reached out to Emma, had we not struck up a co-mentoring relationship, had we not helped each other solve our challenges, had we not leaned on and helped each other – this opportunity would never have come around. Throughout her maternity leave, we stayed in touch and I kept her in the loop as much as she wanted. I operated with an objective to leave the role in a better place for Emma than I’d found it, and to push forward her agenda for the team she cared so deeply about. We spoke when she wanted to, and she helped me with tricky team members. As maternity cover relationships go, I think we nailed it (again, another story for another time). We speak pretty much every day now, still sharing advice and finding solutions to each other’s problems.
As our temporary life came to an end, we were weighing up whether to stay in Amsterdam or return to London. I really didn’t know what to do. Jonny and I could see how we could create a life for ourselves in Amsterdam. But we had commitments and relationships back in the UK, too. I kept talking about ‘The Snapshot’, and how if we took one of our life back home, we were probably on the cusp of it evolving and changing. Friends having kids. Friends moving out of the city. Family getting older. There was only a finite amount of time for us to ‘go back’ to our life as we knew it, and in the end we agreed that while adventure would still be waiting for us when we were ready again – the inevitable fading and changing of our snapshot would not.
On the first day of quite seriously looking for jobs, I saw on LinkedIn that Bumble was looking for a Global Head of Copy. I’d already decided that I wanted to go back to being closer to copy, as opposed to creative. It’s just always been about the words for me and despite having had two Head of Creative roles, I just knew that I was always finding an excuse to elbow my way back into copy again. Plus, Bumble was a brand that had been on my Desert Island Brands List since my days at tails.com. But this was a big brand. With a big reputation. And an incredible story. And I was just Emily from Wales. I’d never thought I’d ever get close to that world. So I decided not to apply.
But a few days later, in a moment of, ‘Fuck it, the worst they can do is say no, right?’, I applied for the job via the LinkedIn form and whichever recruitment platform they’d been using. But I just didn’t feel like it was enough. And shouldn’t a writer like… write something to show what they can do, rather than just tell? So I did some internet stalking, found the Creative Director’s email and sent him a very long, passionate (possibly slightly unhinged) email about who I was, my love of words, my love of people and my love of love. Somehow, he didn’t think I was insane and he offered me an interview. Two months and many, many interviews later, they offered me the job. And now here I am back in London, looking after the words and writers at Bumble, still pinching myself – and writing this newsletter.
I hope that answers your question.
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This was simultaneously wonderful and envy-inducing to read. I have so much admiration for you and your career journey - and, of course, the way you write about it. You are so clearly in love with what you do, and so meant for the work that you've pursued, hurdles and all. I am, I have to admit, a little unsure about my own work and what to do next (I'm also a copywriter and editor, though I say that sheepishly now I've seen your experience!). I will try and take some of the energy and vim you've marinaded this in, and use it to motivate myself. Thank you so much for sharing!
Loooved reading this. When I was (re/kick)starting my career last year, I thought there was just one straight path you had to take to get to where you want to go - but that's just such a lie. This is such a testament to getting what you want out of life on your own terms, no matter who stands in your way or what you're 'supposed’ to do. Shoot the shot, go to the courses, write and write and write 🧡