Interview with Pip Jamieson {The Loop.}

Matt & Pip – “The Loopers”.

So… have you heard about The Loop already? Everyone is talking about it. If you haven’t – I’m here to fix that. And if you have – I’ve got a real treat for you as I’m about to share an interview with Pip Jamieson, who is one of its founders.

The Loop is an Australian-based job networking and folio building site for creative professionals spanning across advertising, design & architecture, styling, digital media, film, music, performing arts, photography, publishing, television & radio, and other visual arts fields to name a few. The site itself represents a new kind of online networking platform that incorporates rich multimedia with aspects of increasingly popular social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Their tag-line is “Facebook is for your personal life & The Loop is for your creative professional life – never the two shall meet!” Brillant.

Their website is really well designed, easy to navigate and simple to use. You can set up your resume, portfolio and a showreel in a matter of minutes and the best part is that it’s completely free. {What a bargain!} So go on what are you waiting for?! This is a fantastic platform for all Australian creative folk to demonstrate their point of difference.

A big thanks to Pip for her time, and for her wonderfully infectious energy and enthusiasm. I know that it’s only a matter of time before her and her business partner, Matt Fayle, are multi-billionaires. And so they should be. I applaud them on their fantastic business idea and a brilliant initiative. Way to go guys.

x dana

p.s. You can stay up to date with The Loop by following their tweets here.

Tell me a little about your background – how did the idea for The Loop come about? How long did it take to get it off the ground?

Both me and my partner in crime, Matt, used to work at MTV; Matt in Digital and me in marketing. The idea for The Loop was born out of my frustration in finding fresh creative talent – we were overly dependent on word of mouth and incredible people were slipping through the net.
On the flip side Matt, being the digital guy, was constantly being asked by other creatives for advice on the best way to build their own websites to showcase their work online and promote themselves to potential employers and clients.
We brought these two frustrations together and The Loop was born.

What was the single most important goal behind The Loop? Have any of your goals evolved since launching the business?

Without doubt – bringing better connectivity between creatives and employers. At the moment there is limited opportunity to see what other creatives are doing outside the office, studio or industry body event. We wanted to create a space where people could be inspired to collaborate and showcase their work to others, with the eventual aim of securing that dream employer or client.

I remember hearing about The Loop somewhere on twitter only two days after it had been launched. I registered the same day and I was shocked at how many profiles had already been created at that stage. Were you at all surprised at how quickly The Loop was embraced by the creative community?

Completely! We knew there was an appetite for professional self-promotion and networking but we had no idea it would take off so quickly, I still pinch myself every day on that one!

Photography by David Finnegan

Do you think that there is an emerging conscience amongst the creative community about the importance of networking and marketing – which can often be one of the most difficult things for creatives to get their heads around? Do you feel that The Loop has a role to play in this change in consciences?

Definitely. The Australian creative industry is going from strength to strength. Growth is outstripping most other industries and we have more and more students graduating in creative minded subjects than ever before. But with this growth comes a greater amount of competition, both locally and internationally. It’s becoming increasingly important to develop networking and marketing skills to ensure you keep developing your skills and seize opportunities.

Whilst we are on the topic of networking and marketing, how did you approach this side of the business from the very first day – did you have a strategy in place that you could share with us?

To be honest we’ve done very little marketing. Partly because being a baby self-funded start up we had to be watching the dollars but also because the take up has been way faster than we expected, so it hasn’t been such a high priority. However, what has always been core to our business is looking after the existing community, developing the site in line with their feedback and trying to get companies they love to advertise on the site. Unlike big corporate sites I respond to everyone, it’s actually one of my favorite parts of the day. I guess it’s this that has inspired our community to spread the word for us.

What does your role as a Director of The Loop entail? What does a typical day involve for you?

I’m so lucky in that Matt and I have completely opposite skills. I’m more marketing and creative, so I’m responsible for the site design, maintenance, looking after our personal users and getting new people onboard. Matt’s the tech wiz and is also fantastic at getting companies onboard, so he’s sales and web development. For both of us, there never seem to be enough hours in the day – with thousands of users and hundreds of companies on board already, it doesn’t take long for the hours to fly past!

What is one of your biggest lessons learned since starting The Loop?

Never underestimate the support of strangers, and to understand that everyone is important! Since we launched there have been so many people who have gone over the odds to support us. The team at Moon Communications {you can also view Moon’s profile on The Loop}, especially Chris Laws & Robbie Powell, who loved the vision of site from the start and donated their time and energy to build the brand, look and feel. Our incredible web developers Vision Tech Digital {view their profile on The Loop} who’ve worked tirelessly to make the site a reality – there have been more than a few all-nighters! Our friends and family who supported us and helped us test the site, the companies who agreed to advertising jobs even before we had a functioning product (incAnimal Logic, MTV, Discovery Channel) and every user who’s helped us spread the word and have taken the time to give us feedback.

Photography by Peter Brew-Bevan

Styling by Sibella Court

Where do you turn for creative inspiration – books, travel, websites/ blogs etc?

Oh so many places, I’m an information junkie! My favorite blogs at the moment are UHH, It’s Nice That, Two Thousand, Lifelounge, Lost At E Minor. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
I just finished “Lovemarks: the Future Beyond Brands”, which is a must read for anyone looking to build a brand people respect. Also Time Out Sydney is my monthly bible of goodness.

What are you most proud of so far?

About three weeks after launch a graphic designer on the site emailed us to say they had just been headhunted by an amazing agency through the site. I can’t tell you what a buzz it was to know that not only was the site up and running, but it was working – people were getting jobs! Now we get emails like that all the time, I can’t tell you how incredible it feels!

What’s next – can you share with us your vision and some of your goals for The Loop?

A big thing for us is continuing to improve the site in line with feedback from members. We’ll be introducing more and more community elements; like messages boards, allowing people to follow other peoples’ work, appreciate that work and make comments.
We’re also out pounding the pavements trying to get as many amazing companies onboard as possible.
The overall vision will always remain the same, improving connectivity in the industry and trying to secure people more and more opportunities to share, collaborate and secure that dream job.

Illustration by Chrissy Lau

Let’s Get Personal.

What is your idea of a perfect day?

Wandering aimlessly around a music festival from stage to stage. I’m about to head of to Playground Weekender, a fantastic festival on the banks of the Hawkesbury River. It will be my first weekend off in months – I can barely contain myself!

Apart from your work, what other interests or hobbies do you have?

I’d probably call myself a jack of all hobbies master of none! I’ll give everything a crack – festivals, gigs, galleries, photography, travelling, camping, surfing etc. My husband and I are eternal explorers – love nothing more than to find new places to hang out and get stuck in!

What are some of your favorite local shops and galleries?

I love auction houses and markets! After we moved to a bigger place, my Saturday routine used to consist of a morning spent scouring the Mitchell Rd Auction Rooms, which has sadly closed down. Now I flit between Rozelle Markets, Raffan & Kelaher, Bondi Markets and Flemington Markets.

Your favourite cafes/ restaurants/ bars?

Bondi Massive on 3 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach, is hands down my favorite coffee shop. I love it when a shop knows you by name and always remembers your order – it’s been great to watch Byron and the crew there grow the place from an unloved disused unit. Closely followed by the Coffee Cup on Crown, great food and free Wifi – best place to hang between meetings.
Bar-wise Bondi FM is my new favorite but nothing beats an evening hanging out at The Lounge in Surry Hills.
Current food favorite – Beach Burrito, Campbell Parade. Mexican and buckets of corona, who wouldn’t.
I just realized most my top tips are in Bondi – note to self – get out more!

What is your most treasured belonging?

My husband. However, I’m not sure he’s appreciated being called a belonging. Oh and my ipod, it’s with me everywhere!

What makes you laugh?

Way too much makes me laugh, I have an ummmmm distinctive cackle – anyone who knows me can find me in crowded bars way too easily! It must do peoples head in!