Walking into Flow on my first day as an intern was quite overwhelming. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, finishing off my honours degree and entering the “big bad world”.
But those apprehensive feelings waned as soon as I met Flow project managers Kevin Collins, Gail Cameron, Riefkah Adams, Thabs Royds, Kat Fouché and Gianluca Tucci.
Thabs’s warm and bubbly personality made it difficult for me not to like her. She was always willing to fill me in on anything she was working on, teaching me all she could. I would say my knowledge has grown extensively with regards to the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) and all its social and digital media. I must admit, I feel like I am a Pinterest pro now!
Being so close in age and both Flow JHB newbies, Riefkah and I hit it off right away and I feel we became fast friends. Thankfully Riefkah felt the same, telling me it was an absolute pleasure to work with me. “You’re a hard worker and receptive to learning new things, and have been very adaptive to the technical side of Flow Comm.”
Over the weeks, listening to Gianluca and Gail’s friendly banter kept me entertained, but they both offered great business advice and showed me what working your butt off is all about.
Special mention must go to Kat, an exceptional and open woman who treated me as a fellow employee as well as a daughter. She entrusted me with writing South African Airways Facebook content, which was a truly great opportunity as I channelled my creativity and discovered my love for writing. Of course she would only have good things to say: “Jessi is an engaging team player, who applies a creative zest to everything she does. She was an absolute asset to me on SAA, creating Facebook posts that delighted the client and went viral. I would work with her any day of the week, and twice on Sundays!”
I played musical chairs and soon moved to the exciting world of Flow PR. Working on great clients such as Nando’s and Hollard (Daredevil Run) was a wonderful experience, and I thank PR account executive Shaun Demmer and head of PR Caroline Smith for welcoming me into the team.
This opportunity would not have been possible without Kevin, Flow CEO Tara Turkington and Flow MD Tiffany Turkington-Palmer, so I thank them for hosting me at Flow Communications for the past month. Being immersed in this exciting world of pink dazzled me, and I hope that one day my path will lead back here – a wonderful environment where business and family meet.
The “big bad world” is not so bad after all.
