Q&A with Jenna Fitch, Head of Digital with JSA Creative
Delving into the world of incredible Brisbane talent, Jenna Fitch certainly packs a punch when it comes to being a digital guru. Currently Head of Digital at JSA Creative, Jenna’s impressive career spans across the globe – you only need to look at her LinkedIn to understand how she’s made a name for herself overseas in the UK to here in Australia. We were lucky enough to chat about how she built her Brisbane network from the ground up and her journey to success.
Jenna, we have obviously done a little introduction before this to say who you are, but in your own words… who is Jenna?
So, on a professional level I’m Head of Digital at JSA here in Brisbane. I’ve lived in Brisbane for four years, moving here from the UK where I lived for over 10 years. I love all things digital, it’s the fast pace nature of the industry and how rapidly it impacts and we see change that I’ve thrived on through my career. Outside of the world of digital, I have a keen interest in the wine industry- on the side I’m working through the global WSET qualification, I love a good social event and also getting out into the beautiful QLD mountains for a trail run or hike with my German Short Haired Pointer dog 🙂
What are you currently watching/reading/listening to?
Listening to, I rotate between a few podcasts. For interesting stories: ‘ABC Conversations’. Of course there’s wine, ‘Wine for Normal People’, and I find Sydney Business Insights, The Future This Week, interesting for topical digital people as there are a lot of global insights from the big players.
Reading- I try to have a business book and fiction novel going at the same time. My current favourite read is- Ubuntu: One Woman’s Motorcycle Odyssey Across Africa. Its Heather Ellise’s story of her motorcycle ride on a Yamaha TT600 through Africa riding 42,000 kilometres through nineteen countries. I heard Heather’s story on ABC Conversations, just as I was setting off to ride around Tasmania in October last year, now I’m reading her book.
What’s on repeat with your work playlist right now?
Entirely depends on the type of work I’m doing- dictates the tempo!
What’s your most recommended Business/Marketing resource?
Blair Enns ‘The Win Without Pitching Manifesto’. Every person working in the creative industry should read this book.
What’s something about you that most people don’t know?
I love riding motorbikes. I recently toured around Tasmania on a Triumph Tiger.
From Auckland, to London, to Brisbane…. Your career has taken you to many different places. What brought you to Brisbane?
My career really has taken me to so many great countries! My now husband moved from the UK to Australia for work- 1x year later I still thought he was ok, so decided I’d move to Australia. I asked him to transfer to Melbourne, and he got Brisbane, so that’s how we ended up here! I’d been in the UK for over 10 years, so I thought why not start a new adventure.
What has been the hardest part about building a career/business in Brisbane?
It was quite a shock moving from a global career in the UK, into the Brisbane market. It was a big adjustment for me in terms of the types of relationships that people have, the pace of the work, and the type of work. Brisbane truly is about relationships, it is a small and very powerful network. So saying that, more and more talent is coming into the Brisbane market as they seek a different lifestyle and even in the time I’ve been here, the market is opening up to a more national market.
What has been the biggest thing you have noticed about Brisbane’s digital marketing industry vs. Auckland or London?
In London I was working at international agencies on global business, Brisbane it is not yet a global city so it’s a very different comparison. Initially I felt like the digital conversation was a lot slower and much less sophisticated than I’d been used too. Through time, I’ve learned that there are really smart global businesses in Brisbane at the fore of their digital offering, it just takes a bit longer to find them when you’re new in. Brisbane does a good job of hiding itself, and the people here should be proud to speak up!
What are your tips for those working in digital as they move to Brisbane and establish a career here?
Keep having the same conversations you’d be having in other markets- the Brisbane market is changing quickly and people have an appetite to bring experts into their teams. For me it was about finding the people I felt I fit in with both culturally and in terms of the level of ambition and passion for what they are doing.
What are 3 digital marketing trends you are seeing right now?
- Voice search & mobile natives- how these factors are affecting online consumer behaviour.
- Automation and machine learning – what is it and how can business leverage it?
- Tracking- the conversation around tracking with the upcoming changes to cookies.
What is your favourite thing about JSA Creative?
JSA has been operating in Brisbane for 20+ years, which says something! I don’t have one favourite thing as it’s a combination that makes it such a great agency- culturally JSA is a fantastic agency, the team is truly diverse, smart and fun! From a technical point of view, we’re a leading development agency working on enterprise scale builds- which for an independent is a demonstration of the collective teams expertise and level conversations we’re having with businesses, which I’m always impressed by.
What is on the cards for JSA Creative in 2020?
While we continue to work on really interesting development projects, we’re picking up more Augmented Reality projects and also expanding our Search Engine Marketing team. We’re actually bringing Google to Brisbane in a couple of weeks to host an event with ourselves and partners PPC Samurai looking at online marketing in 2020 and beyond, and key global and national trends. It’s a really exciting time at JSA and I’m excited for the next 18mths!
A huge thank you to Jenna for taking the time out of her hectic schedule to chat with us. If you want to find out more, she’s gracing the stage as a guest speaker at Women in Digital‘s International Women’s Day Global Careers & Game Changing Moves– make sure you don’t miss out on her pearls of wisdom and grab a ticket!