This month we meet... ELLEN HEDLEY Co-founder, Vida Creative
Did you always envisage a career in the Media industry?
If being an actress counts then yes…I was the shyest child ever though so I’m not sure how that would have panned out! I’ve always enjoyed being creative and took creative subjects at GCSE and A-Level. So, when I started looking at careers, agency life always appealed as I thought that it would allow me to use my creativity every day.
What has been your career path so far?
I studied film at university then went to work in a PR agency, before moving to a job in the marketing team at a university. I stayed in higher education marketing for a while, working at two different universities in the process. I worked with agencies to commission various projects and was always jealous of the things they got to do. Long story short, I set up Vida with my partner so that we could have creative autonomy, and to do good work with good people. Vida is now five years old, with a team of nine that work alongside tech, events and corporate companies on branding, design, marketing, website and web application development.
What have been the biggest challenges you have faced so far?
Covid was a big one, like it was for most people. As a digital agency it didn’t take us much to move and adapt to working from home, but it was more the uncertainty of what was happening. It was hard to keep up with everything, so we had to work hard to keep our team updated and reassured. We were very lucky though, in that once it was clear what the situation was with covid, our tech sector work increased. It meant we could grow the business in the way that we had initially wanted to. Along with keeping the team busy and focused on what we do best, whilst everything else happening in the world was so out of the ordinary.
Who do you most respect in your industry?
When I was very early on in my career I went to a social media conference where Steven Bartlett was talking. He’s a year younger than me, and he was talking about how he’d founded and grown Social Chain to a huge business. At the time I didn’t think I’d one day have my own business, but I did find it pretty inspirational! Ever since then I’ve kept an eye on what he’s up to. Now being a young founder myself, knowing all of the challenges you have as a business owner, makes me respect what he has already accomplished massively.
How have you adapted your business during the coronavirus crisis and supported clients?
We put a much greater focus on keeping our team as happy and safe as we could. We had more internal video call meetings just to have chats and check ins with each other. Apart from that, we supported our clients to adapt their marketing and brand strategies to be more appropriate for the world we now live in. We also supported some of our tech clients to pivot their products with UI designs and development work. Many business’ strategies will have changed a lot more than usual these past few years! And we’ve been supporting our clients to stay authentic and relevant during changing times.
What is your greatest strength?
I’m good at talking to people. Probably because I don’t like awkward silences! In all seriousness though, part of my role at Vida is the business development side. So, meeting and speaking to new people is something I’ve had to get comfortable with more and more over the years.
What is your biggest weakness?
On the flipside, I can talk too much. I get passionate about things and want to talk about them! During things like discovery workshops it’s so important to ask, not answer, the questions we’re discussing with clients, and I must admit I find it tricky to stay quiet sometimes during the pauses and thinking time.
What has been your proudest achievement?
rowing Vida to nine people from absolutely nothing. Creating a company with a great culture and brilliant people. Oh, and doing the Great North Run is up there too!
What are your remaining career aspirations?
To continue to make Vida a great place to work for our team. And a great agency to work with for our clients. We want to grow a little more, but our aim isn’t to become a huge agency. Our main focus is to stay curious, and keep learning so that we can stay current and continue getting better at what we do. Ultimately, so we can deliver the highest quality services, products, and results to our clients for years to come!
How do you see your industry evolving in the next 10 years?
AI is already prominent, but I see people utilising it a lot more in the next decade. Human connection is so important in everything we do though, so I don’t think that will be going anywhere fast. We’ve already seen web applications becoming more popular too, and I think this will continue. Our team have built a few web apps to date, and we want to continue to grow that side of the business, delivering more bespoke solutions to our clients in the process.
