Jack Nunn is the Creative Director at Special Group, an independent creative company that marries the philosophies of communication and design.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
I stumbled into advertising 11 years ago in a last ditch attempt to avoid having to get a job at a bar like most of my mates.
But I very quickly became passionate about ideas, creative opportunities and being in an environment every day where I could soak up stuff from great creative minds like a sponge.
I’m now a Creative Director at Special Group Sydney and National Co-Head of AWARD School (the industry’s creative ideas course).
2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
I’m currently working from home, occasionally going into our office for client meetings and presentations.
Wake up 7:30. Gym 8-845. Shower and online for the first Zoom call of the day 9. First instant at coffee 930. First decaf at 10. Lunch around 1pm. Second instant coffee 2pm. Second decaf 3pm. Third instant coffee 4pm.
Okay wow this has made me realise I have a coffee addiction. Dinner 7pm. Final emails and bits around 8pm depending on how busy it is. Replay of NRL 360 or a WW2 doco or something on couch. Bed at 11pm.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
Yeah it does and that’s one thing I love about our agency and management team.
4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
It means having enough time and energy to wake up in the morning and exercise and also not having to regularly apologise to friends and love ones with “So sorry, not gonna be able to make it tonight, have too much work to get through.”
To be honest, I’m really not someone who should be dishing out time management tips but what often works for me is writing down lots of to-do lists with mini tasks on post it notes and making sure by the end of the day I’ve physically ticked them off, one by one.
5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?
Working from home and the cruel mistress that is the year 2020 has seen me take up mid-week drinking which I never really used to do. I’m going to rein that in. Otherwise, well, clearly I have some kind of instant coffee addiction brewing too. Pun intended.
6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
My friend Anthony Dever is creator of the best newsletter in the world called Fanbloodytastic. He wakes up early and reads the entire internet everyday and then curates the best of creativity, culture, music, and more, and pops it in your inbox at 9am for you to start your day in the know.
7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?
iPhone.
8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
I reckon the best investment you can make in life is 30 minutes of fairly intense exercise at the start of each day.
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