#BehindtheSelfie: Natasha Goosen, business unit director at One-eyed Jack

Natasha Goosen is the business unit director at One-eyed Jack. Source: Supplied.

What do you do on a daily basis?

The environment at One-eyed Jack is fast-paced and dynamic, everyday looks different to the next depending on our clients’ needs. For some clients we’re conceptualising communication campaigns and strategies and others we’re deep in the trenches on a festival site setting up brand activations and entire events.

For our corporate clients we come up with the big idea to launch their next product.

For our own events (The DStv Content Creator Awards and the Savanna Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards) we’re scouting new talent, looking at the latest technology and design trends and generally just nailing it.

Describe yourself in one word.

Passionate

What inspires you lately?

Working on new clients and new projects that give me the chance to flex my creative chops. I’m a very visual person so design and creativity get me going.

How do you deal with conflict in the workplace?

We’re a diverse team so we always find ourselves in intense (but caring) debates about campaigns, socio-economic issues, the news cycle – basically we debate a lot. This helps to understand where people are coming from and eliminates any potential undercurrent issues.

We have created a work environment that is built on trust and respect. Everyone gets an opportunity to say their piece without judgement.

What did you want to be when you were a child?

South Africa’s Sports Minister. I’m super competitive and love all sports. I played a lot of sports at school and thought I’d do a better job than the then minister.

What would you have done differently in your career?

I’ve been very fortunate to go from an incredible career in the music industry to now being the business unit director for one of the coolest agencies in SA. I wouldn’t necessarily do anything differently or change the trajectory too much. I would however be braver and trust my instincts more.

Any advice for young people who are starting out?

Be curious, and learn as much as you can about the entire industry you’re in, if you’re in marketing, sit in a finance meeting, and understand the full business flow. Don’t be scared to ask for help.