In Interview with Claire Choe

Old Girl And Marketing Executive

What was your career trajectory from student to current role?

After finishing up my BA/BCom degree with Honours in Marketing, I spent a few years working in Marketing for brands like Orcon, BP and Wild Bean Cafe.

I then moved over to London and landed an amazing role working for a creative agency called DTV Group which specialised in making fundraising TV ads, films and social content for charities. This was my first client services' role and over the course of 5.5 years, I progressed from Account Executive up to Account Director.

In early 2021, it came time to move home, and since then I’ve been working as an Account Director at Daylight - a creative and digital agency which is part of The Spinoff Group. We have a cool office space in Morningside, complete with dogs!

What are some of your favourite campaigns you’ve worked on?

There have been so many! Here are just a few examples of campaigns I’ve worked on since working at Daylight:

• World Health Organization: we created a tonne of content for the WHO throughout the pandemic, from the early stages of understanding COVID-19, managing risk, vaccine preparedness and then through to addressing the issue of global vaccine inequality. It was crazy creating work that would be viewed on social media by millions of people in just one day. One project that stands out was creating a mixed-media video for the Global Health Summit. Voiced by Gordon Brown, the video appealed to country leaders to invest their fair share towards the global pandemic response and was viewed by some of the world’s most influential leaders.

• NZ Vaccine Facts: we helped the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation during the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine by creating an animated series that covered all sorts of educational topics; things like how does a vaccine work, vaccine safety and side effects. We created a range of diverse Kiwi characters to make the videos super fun and engaging.

• Drawing Science: off the back of the impactful work that Toby Morris and Siouxsie Wiles did together during the pandemic, we organised an awesome workshop called Drawing Science. The event brought together 15 scientists and 15 creatives from around the country to learn how to better work together and strengthen the way that science is communicated. Toby and Siouxsie were there to share their experiences, and it was a great opportunity for people to network and meet people with whom they would go on to work.

• Fred Hollows: had the opportunity to create Fred Hollows’ Christmas campaign, which was about giving the gift of sight. I really loved being able to work with such an amazing charity doing such life-changing work in the Pacific.

Do you have any advice for students interested in working in a creative agency ?

I would say start doing a bit of research into the types of agencies you like the look of and follow their work on social media. Keep an eye out on what’s happening in the industry, the types of creative work that you like and don’t like and think about why that is.

How long did you live in the UK for? Would you like to share more about your life there, where you worked, and your overall experience?

I lived in London for almost six years, and absolutely loved it. It was really fun making such a huge city feel like home. Saw hundreds of shows and concerts (lived out my lifelong dream of seeing The Spice Girls at Wembley Stadium), did loads of travel, and made some awesome friends. They also have a great website called “Borrow My Doggy”, where I made friends with some awesome dogs and people.

As mentioned above, I worked for a creative agency called DTV Group which specialised in making fundraising TV ads, films and social content for charities. We had our offices on boats which sat on Regent’s Canal, and I was really lucky to do a lot of travel for work, as I had clients all over Europe. I even had the chance to go to Ethiopia and Zambia to help film the amazing work of two of my clients for our TV ads.

I also experienced the first year of the pandemic in London, which was a very surreal experience.

It’s wonderful to see your long history of volunteering. Could you please tell us more about your volunteering activities, why it is meaningful for you, and how volunteering makes the world a better place for all?

I’ve always volunteered from a young age - whether that was collecting on the streets, or playing the violin and piano at retirement homes.

One charity I’ve been volunteering with for a long time (15 years now!) is Radio Lollipop, which provides care, comfort and play to children in hospital. I go to Starship Hospital once a week to play games, make crafts and chat with kids on the wards. When I lived in London, I also volunteered at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Radio Lollipop has a big team. It’s a wonderful charity, and the volunteers are some of the best people. The children and families we meet in hospital are so amazingly resilient and it’s really rewarding to be able to bring some smiles, fun and laughter to their day. Kids often say they’re going to miss Radio Lollipop when they go home, which is really sweet, because why would you miss anything about being in hospital?! I’ve also done a lot of work with Radio Lollipop at the management level and I’m currently a team leader for the Radio Lollipop 2025 project, which is a multi-year project designed to gather knowledge and grow leaders within the organisation. I was also able to fundraise $8k for Radio Lollipop running a half marathon - which was supposed to be in Vancouver, but due to lockdown, I ended up running around a completely deserted central London.

In London, I volunteered with a group called GoodGym, which is a community of people who run, walk or bike to a spot where we’d volunteer for a community organisationhelping spread woodchip in a park, tidying up a youth centre or making up beds for homeless people in the winter. It was fun doing something physical and helpful, with many hands making light work.

During the pandemic, I also volunteered with our local community group by taking an elderly, vulnerable neighbour’s dog for a walk regularly. Not only did I meet a lovely dog who lived across the road, but it was nice to be able to chat with our neighbour from a distance, who lived alone and I don’t think had much contact with others during that scary time.

I think giving your time to worthwhile causes is one of the greatest gifts you can make. You can never underestimate the difference you can make through your interactions with people, and by giving a helping hand.

Could you please tell us more about your role with Asia New Zealand Foundation? What do you enjoy about participating in the Leadership Network?

I’ve been a part of the Asia New Zealand Leadership Network since 2010. It’s a professional network focused on developing and maintaining links between New Zealand and Asia, and I’ve met many super smart, passionate people through it. Being part of the network has allowed me to learn so much about different aspects of Asia. I’ve had the chance to travel with network members to Vietnam and Taiwan, and have participated in hui closer to home on topics such as wellbeing and social entrepreneurship.

What types of involvement have you had in the world of music? I see you were nominated as the National Young Performer of the Year in 2006, which was great to read!

I started learning the violin and the piano from the age of 3, so music has always been a big part of my life. I made my way through all the exams and now I just enjoy playing the piano for fun, as well as listening to and going to loads of music concerts.

I loved being part of the St Cuthbert’s music department during my time there - the Blackwatch Orchestra, Sebastian Squad and being in the band for musicals too. We had such a talented group, and performed to such a high quality, so I have really fond memories of that experience.

What does By Love Serve mean to you?

To me, By Love Serve means being kind to people, and caring about others. Whether that’s people with whom you have daily dealings, or reaching out further into the community. I really value people who go out of their way to always try to be kind.

What are some of your favorite St Cuthbert’s memories?

I have so many good memories from my 9 and a bit years at St Cuthbert’s. There was something really magical about spending solitary time in the photography darkroom amongst the weird-smelling chemicals. Studying photography in year 12 and 13, was a bit of a tangent for me, but I absolutely loved being able to engage creatively and learn new skills.

I loved playing in the orchestra for the school musicals, which were such amazing productions! I’ve become a bit of a musical theatre junkie since then. I also appreciate the way school challenged us to try new things - I remember having to train for the duathlon (I was not a sporty kid!) and being one of the most improved students; and of course, all the wonderful teachers who taught us so much, and friendships that were made at the College and have lasted over all these years.