As the director of successful PR agency, Media Jam, Janelle Brunton-Rennie is one busy lady. We stole five minutes to quiz her on her business, background and success.
What inspired you to get into this business?
I love people! Its great building relationships and friendships with good, genuine, honest and authentic people. Working in PR means that I get to interact on a daily basis with great people. I’m really passionate about my clients and their amazing brands (I wouldn’t work with a brand if I didn’t feel that way). I’m so lucky that I get to work with and represent some of the best companies in New Zealand, and the world each and every day. Couple this with the fact that I get to work with some absolutely terrific editors, fashion and beauty editors, media and bloggers (many of whom are now close friends), it means that every day is a great day at Media Jam.
What was your background before starting your business?
I moved to Auckland almost ten years ago for my first big job in the beauty industry as the national marketing manager for the Caci Group. I learnt a huge deal about skin and the skins function, conditions, products and appearance medicine treatments. I was also fortunate enough to be guided by a boss who kept me answerable to targets and made me very numbers and goals oriented which has served me very well subsequently. I then switched from beauty to fashion and managed the PR for Pandora Jewellery as mentioned above. The Pandora role was a very creative one, working to editor briefs to create bespoke statement jewellery pieces for shoots, and doing a series of collaborations with some of the most revered designers in the country. I left Pandora to start Media Jam – having built a better than average understanding of both the beauty and the fashion industries, with some national, and now global corporate company experience behind me. I have also been a spin instructor, marathon runner, triathlete and competitive body builder. I was very busy! I’m extremely passionate about the fitness, health and wellbeing industry too, thus Media Jam specialise in looking after clients in the beauty, fashion, fitness, health and wellbeing space - it’s what I know best!
What has been one of your biggest successes with your company?
Starting it! It’s a really scary thing to give up a salary to chase your dream. When I started Media Jam almost five years ago I left a pretty great role managing the PR for Pandora Jewellery – and it was a little terrifying to be honest. But when you’re passionate about what you do and the brands and the people you work with, and you work really, really hard every day, only good things can happen. When you go out alone there are a lot of naysayers and a lot of challenges, and I was often reminded that 80 per cent of small businesses fail within the first two years. I also remember the day that Media Jam turned two, I was standing in the shower, and realised it was our second birthday and I burst into tears purely out of pride, relief, happiness, and many, many other emotions, it felt like a huge pressure lifted that day.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I get up about 6am and I either head out for a walk with my husband Kurt and our Shihtzu Daisy Boo, or I head upstairs to my yoga mat and I try to start the day with some yoga, or meditation (note, this doesn’t always happen, but I try!). Then I make a coffee and sit down and go through the online space. Sometimes I read the news, and sometimes I head to my Facebook newsfeed which is always full of articles posted overnight. I’m a big fan of Elephant Journal, The Mind Unleashed, Spirit Science, Mind Body Green and a few other soul food kind of pages which are a great way to start the day.
Kurt will head off to work and then my working day starts. I tried working from an office again recently, and I’m just not an office worker. I love the freedom to be able to work from anywhere and everywhere, so I’m often working from my home office, at a café, a business centre or in the summer I might head to the beach. I’m really passionate about creating a working environment that I don’t need a holiday from, and so both myself and my staff work wherever we feel like it. I schedule my meetings from 10am – 2pm and try to keep them specific to three days of the week. I don’t schedule meetings for a Monday as it’s my planning day with the team and we get a lot of work done. On a Friday I try to only work a half day – Friday starts with Yoga, tying off any loose ends, and easing into the weekend. Having a good work-life balance is my priority.
