Genevieve Day is the Founder & Director of Day Management, one of Australia’s first influencer talent agencies.
Today, Day Management represents leading social influencers, TV stars and media personalities, connecting talent with like-minded brands to bring innovative collaborations to life.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
I started Day Management back in 2015 after noticing a shift in the digital media landscape. I was working at a luxury travel PR firm, where I’d started as an intern and worked my way up to Senior Account Manager.
My hotel, restaurant and beauty clients were turning towards social media coverage and coveting this over traditional media.
We were engaging the very first of these ‘influencers’, or back then bloggers, and these creatives weren’t charging for the promotion – however our PR reports were placing a larger and larger value on influencer recommendations. Noticing this gap and need for a middleman, I harnessed my connections and PR experience and Day Management was born.
Now we represent leading talent, influencers and media personalities and arrange all of their sponsored work – anything from paid Instagram posts, event hosting, photoshoots, TV roles, book deals, podcast advertising and live show sponsorship.
It’s incredibly diverse and we feel that as an agency we’ve really transcended from just a social media agency selling Instagram posts.
2) What does a typical day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
While the job may appear very glamorous from the outside, it involves a lot of computer time on the emails and at the desk.
I spend around 8 hours a day on emails ensuring that all of our talent collaborations are tracking along nicely, schedules and deadlines are met and everyone has the relevant briefs to shoot their content.
I may pop into a talent photoshoot, most recently we were just on set with MECCA Maxima for a IGTV series, and it’s helpful for us to attend not only for relationships, but also to grab some #BTS content. I also spend a lot of my workday in coffee meetings with my PRs, ad agencies and of course our talent.
I may round out the day by attending an industry launch event, movie premiere or fashion show – or sometimes it’s just home to Netflix and a glass of pinot.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
Absolutely, this is something I’m incredibly passionate about. Although I mentioned that I spend a LOT of hours in my day emailing, this is done from my desk, my car, my phone on a shoot or on my couch at home.
Flexible working hours wasn’t a luxury I was granted in my last job and I found it stifling, so this is definitely something I want to offer my staff. We do a set number of hours in the office together, and then the team can decide how they want to divvy up the rest of the working week.
Especially in a job like social media where there is no ‘off’ switch, it’s important to offer flexibility to make up for the fact that we need to be contactable most weekends/after hours.
4) Do you have any tips, tricks or shortcuts to help you manage your workload and schedule?
Organisation is key! I am not naturally a details person, and have had to learn this one the hard way, but the devil is always in the details.
I write everything down and have a running spreadsheet for our monthly jobs. This also accounts for any key dates talent are travelling/on a shoot/unavailable. Everything gets written down and tracked so I feel in control and on top of the hundred moving parts.
I’m a huge fan of my iCal, and schedule everything in there as well. I’ve found that being this hyper organised also helps me avoid any feelings over overwhelm or anxiety.
In terms of tips, I always say that assuming knowledge is dangerous. Never assume anything – you need to be confident and know the answer.
This goes for talent and clients, if you’re unsure and assume the answer – just ask. Send a simple text or email to confirm small details that could become big problems later. That way you always have all the information (and of course, it’s all in the spreadsheet and calendar to manage).
5) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries. This is one that I struggle with and it goes in waves. Especially as we are in such a growth industry and there are so many opportunities.
My boundaries start with the acknowledgment that I’m the one setting the crazy expectations on myself – most people don’t expect a same day reply/instant call back.
I also have started trusting in the fact that if I don’t reply in the first hour, it doesn’t mean we’ll lose out on work. Once I relax those expectations and trust in our relationships and capabilities, it’s easier to set the boundaries.
For me, that means trying not to work on weekends unless we have a firm deadline/post going live. It also means trying to stop the laptop work at home by 7pm.
Recently I’ve begun starting my day a little earlier to work in a gym class as well, so it feels that more of my day is devoted to ‘me-time’ as opposed to everyone else which has helped.
6) What do you think are some of the best habits you’ve developed over the years to help you strive for success and balance?
As I mentioned earlier, scheduling. This also goes for personal appointments or just time-out. I lock in appointments and block them out, so the team know I’m not available.
This could be for a hairdresser appointment or a big media buying meeting – it’s scheduled the same and with the same importance. That way I don’t flake on myself, just as I’d never flake on a work meeting!
7) Are there any books that have helped you improve over the years?
When I first started out back in 2015, I read a lot of Lisa Messenger books. I found Daring and Disruptive really inspiring and motivating. I love her tone in the books, as it acknowledges the hard work but also encourages you to think outside the box and not to limit your goals.
If I’m really stressed, I often turn to reading before bed. It helps get my sleep back in check and gets my mind completely off any work troubles at hand. Lianne Moriaty books are my favourite as they’re easy to read, page-turners and cover a range of interesting female characters.
8) What is the number one thing you do to make sure you get the most out of your day?
Write a daily to-do list and ‘triage’ my inbox. That way I can be present and focus on the most urgent things first, and shift around other tasks so that they don’t take up valued time when it could be a tomorrow job. This helps me know when to switch off once the list is complete, whether that’s 4pm or 8pm.
Also, turn off app notifications! For example, that way when I’m not on Instagram for work, my down time isn’t interrupted by constant updates and I can watch Netflix in peace!
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
Don’t underestimate the value of time off. I used to really resist breaks, weekends off or holidays, but embracing this saw so much more mental clarity, a better holistic view of the company and intuition. I’ve made some of the smartest career moves after time out of the company.
Holidays are great! If your staff are entitled to annual leave, why shouldn’t you! Having time/space to recharge away from the business pays off within the business in dividends, so it’s a win/win.
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