Media Street Celebrating Their Staff for International Women’s Day 2019 Part 1

Media Street are celebrating women in the local community for International Women’s Day this year, and where better to start than with our own staff? We’re proud of our 50/50 women/men split in the office and feel it’s so important to celebrate everyone’s successes in the workplace.

In honour of International Women’s Day, we’ve chosen to interview each of our fabulous female staff members to find out about their proudest career moments, their views on the industry and their thoughts on International Women’s Day itself.

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So, in their own words, here’s a brief introduction:

Kelly Gorner, Office Manager

“I joined Media Street at the beginning of August last year and I help all our clients which are in the 200s or more. I do the hosting, invoicing and general queries for these clients. Last year, I also did a bit of marketing. I am in charge of the office and making sure it runs smoothly, as well as the meeting rooms being prepared. In my job, I also organise and sort out events and trips. I run the induction training for staff, and make sure that people are comfortable in their working environment. Recently, I completed a level 2 qualification in Equality and Diversity Training.”

Grace Jalowiecka, Marketing Manager

“As the head of marketing, I manage around 30 clients and have a team of three staff working hard to produce brilliantly creative and optimised content for online, social media and advertising. I am also the Safeguarding and Dignity Officer for the company (and the horticultural expert on the premises!).”

Imogen Mills, Content Writer & Digital Marketing Executive

“I joined Media Street in January this year and am responsible for a number of clients’ blog writing and social media posts. I also work on a number of Google Adwords tasks and will be starting some SEO work after I have completed my training. I love the variation and creativity in my work – every day is something new.”

Faye Ellis, Web Developer

“I have been a Web Developer at Media Street for just over 3 months now. I started off as a Junior working on small tasks and projects, now I am completing full web builds and managing my own projects and clients.”

What are you most proud of in your career to date?

Kelly: I would say that being able to do what I do is a proud moment. I used to be a chef, and to come from one environment to a completely different one is a big change. However, if I am being specific I would say my confidence in speaking to new people and my quickness in learning. The team I work with are also great and we have them to thank for our client base increasing.

Grace: Gaining a tremendous amount of confidence in my work and the ability to successfully manage campaigns, as well as my amazing team of executives! I also think gaining the trust of my colleagues has led me to where I am now.

Imogen: Developing my confidence has been huge for me. The experience I have gained in my degree and each of my jobs since then has contributed massively to my self-belief and therefore the quality of my work.

Faye: I am proud of everything I have achieved in the last three months at Media Street, I have learnt so much in such a short space of time and hope to continue learning and putting my new skills into action. The biggest thing for me is confidence, in previous jobs and even at school, I was very shy and anxious about what people thought of me. I would put myself down and tell myself I can’t do certain things – now, this is not the case at all, with the right mindset I can achieve anything!

What are your thoughts on International Women’s Day?

Kelly: I think that it is a good idea, but shouldn’t it be something we value every day? We, as women, should be seen as equals every day of the year, and shouldn’t just have one day to speak and show our thoughts. However, it’s a great day and our views and values are respected by each other. If it’s just the one day for now, we will make it count.

Grace: Firstly, every day should be International Women’s Day! I’d like to think that every minute of the 365 days of the year is centred around equality in social and professional spheres, but it isn’t. Secondly, I think it’s a real shame that we have to a specific day just to realise the importance of women in the world, but I hope in the coming years, we will work together to ensure this isn’t the case. After all, none of us would be here if it wasn’t for the women of today!

Imogen: I think it’s a great way to share positive messages and the successes of women in every industry – something that is definitely not done enough! Every year, International Women’s Day sparks so many interesting conversations, it’s really exciting.

Faye: I believe that International Women’s Day should be celebrated in regards to how far we have come in the last few decades and as a reminder of how oppressed we used to be. However, everyone, regardless of their gender, should be treated with respect every day of the year.

Do you think it’s important to celebrate it? Why?

Kelly: Yes, mainly because it gets our voices heard and we, as individuals, can stand together with one voice and opinion. As women, we have a lot of skills and abilities to bring to the table just like any man, so why shouldn’t it be celebrated?

Grace: Of course! Every individual is unique, but I believe that women really do bring something powerful to every table. Each and every country celebrate women in a different way, but on March 8th, we can come together and share our own experiences as a whole.

Imogen: Absolutely – women have been severely underrepresented for so many years and it’s time to change that. International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to share and learn about experiences from women all over the world – I can’t wait for the influx of amazing content this month!

Faye: Yes! Women are often seen as the weaker sex and have been for many years. Sadly in some countries, this is still the case so it’s a great opportunity to spread awareness and learn about other women’s experiences and day to day lives.

To read the second half of this article, click here.