Taylor Martin

Taylor Martin’s (‘10) career in Marketing, as well as participation in the AADC and She Creates, has her wearing many hats in her industry. She explains how Loreto taught her the confidence to always back herself as a woman.

Taylor in her own words:

It’s a strange thing reflecting on life since graduating in 2010. I’ve done so many things I never thought I would do, and none of the things I would do. Life’s funny like that!

I remember in Year 11 we had to write down what we wanted to do when we were older, and my heart was always SO set on opening a nightclub called “space”. I’m lucky to have had parents who have always supported me and backed 99% of the decisions I’ve made, though I have this vivid memory of them being less-than-impressed at how I saw my post-school years panning out. Ha! 

Fast forward to Year 12, and my nightclub dreams were well behind me. Instead, I looked forward to every Accounting class with Ms Harman. Naturally, I thought my love for Year 12 Accounting transitioned perfectly to studying it at uni, and was stoked to receive a letter of acceptance from the University of Adelaide to do so. 

I lasted six weeks into Semester 1. Numbers were my thing, though micro/macro economics and I didn’t get along and so that was the end of that.

For the rest of the year I put my new-found hours every week into my job, and saved up enough money to head overseas and live the good life for a couple of months. 

Upon my return to Australia, I was ready to give uni another crack. I was accepted into a Bachelor of Visual Communication, specialising in Graphic Design at UniSA and instantly I knew I had found my place in the world, and found my people.

At the end of my degree, I wanted nothing more than to be part of the “creative” industry, though I realised that being on the tools everyday and designing wasn’t for me.

I was fortunate enough to be accepted into a 12-week course called AWARD School, which opened my eyes to a variety of roles that exist within the creative industry, and taught me how to come up with, and recognise good (and bad) ideas in response to creative briefs. 

At the same time, I was working as a Business Manager across two of the Cibo stores in Adelaide. While it wasn’t necessarily the industry I wanted to be in, I learnt invaluable business and people management skills— many of which I still use in my day to day, all these years later.

One day I decided it was about time I put my degree to use. I researched design studios and advertising agencies in Adelaide, and really dug into the types of roles these places offered. 

That’s when I learnt about ‘Account Management’. It’s a role that exists in so many creative agencies and studios, though it isn’t one that you find on the uni curriculum. Not yet, anyway! 

To make it as an Account Manager you have to be able to foster authentic client relationships, you have to be a problem-solver, you have to be able to feed into the creative solution, you have to be comfortable with wearing multiple hats and most importantly you have to have a can-do attitude, always. Perfect.

For me, work has always been like a romantic relationship. There needs to be passion for the role, and the creative output of the business, and a real, genuine connection with the people you spend 5 days a week with. 

After interviewing at an agency called Simple, I knew they were my people. The connection was instant and like any good relationship — it went both ways! 

I wasn’t quite ready to step straight into an Account Manager role, so I was offered the role of Account Coordinator and spent my first 6 months cutting my teeth on so many different projects. 

I was thrown in the deep end and loved every second of it. I worked bloody hard and was soon promoted to Account Manager, meaning I now got to be responsible for my own clients and own projects. 

The agency was steadily growing, and I recognised the need for a new role within it; Studio Manager. I wrote a job description and shared it with my Managing Director, keen to own the role and make it my own. 

In a few days I’ll be celebrating my fifth year at Simple, two and a half of which have been in the Studio Manager role.

I find it really hard to sum up what being a Studio Manager is, though I have recently come to realise it’s exactly like the role of a Symphony Conductor. I’m surrounded by a group of hugely talented, and incredibly passionate people, and it’s my job to make sure the environment is such that they get to do what they do best, so that as a team we can deliver strategically and creatively excellent project outcomes for our clients, and continue to grow as an agency.

Working for an integrated marketing agency means I’ve had the opportunity to play a part in projects big and small, for local and national clients. There’s never a dull day in the studio and alongside the team I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in projects for the likes of Rundle Mall, Weber BBQs, the Royal Adelaide Hospital, the City of Charles Sturt and countless others.

Simple’s my Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm. When the night shift kicks in, I play the role of Co-President for the Adelaide Advertising & Design Club (AADC).

The Club inspires, connects & promotes Adelaide's advertising & design industry through a range of initiatives, events, educational activities and an annual awards program.

I’ve consistently given my time to the Club over the past four years —all of which has been in a volunteer capacity— though every minute given has paid out in double. I’ve been able to connect with, and learn from, the best in the business, give back to an industry and community that I feel so passionately for, and help those just starting to find their feet in this fast-paced industry.

As a committee, we knew women made up more than half of the industry’s workforce, though there wasn’t a forum to come together, recognise and celebrate each other.

As such, in 2019 myself and a small group of other women who were already part of the AADC brought She Creates to life, with the sole purpose of inspiring, connecting and empowering the women within our industry.

As a committee we work hard to share the stories of the incredible women who make up Adelaide's creative industry through their ambassador stories, and produce a number of events each year, ranging from large-scale events with hundreds of attendees, down to intimate gatherings focusing on niche pockets of the industry. 

Between Simple, the AADC, She Creates, the best partner I could ask for and a bunch of wild and wonderful friends — life’s busy, but I love it.

All in all, I can’t thank my parents enough for moving me to Loreto in Year 9. While I was kicking and screaming at the time, sad to be leaving my friends from my old school across the other side of the city behind, Loreto taught me the value of hard work, the importance of genuine relationships and gave me the confidence to always back myself as a woman. 

Thank you Loreto, and go McGrath!