Dynamic Duos: Connecting beyond the office on an unforgettable Bali trip
In this week's Dynamic Duos, First Page's head of content Jenna Gibson, and parent company Superist's global training and development officer Rhymney Mazza, discuss their blossoming friendship, ability to collaborate across teams, and an unforgettable management retreat to Bali.
In Dynamic Duos, Mumbrella each week asks two colleagues with a professional and personal affiliation to share with readers the importance of workplace relationships in an increasingly hybridised world of work.
Jenna Gibson:
I met Rhymney pretty early on when I started working at First Page. We had a couple of tricky clients that we were working on together that were quite content-heavy. I remember meeting Rhymney and thinking, “Damn, she’s on top of her stuff”. Her people skills and ability to articulate make her the great AM she is. Since then, we have both had promotions and have bonded over the fact that we view work quite similarly. We will often make eye contact across a meeting room and know exactly what we are both thinking (it’s usually the same thing).
Since then, we have worked together on a lot of client work and internal projects and I can honestly say, it’s always a pleasure. We have implemented new processes together, written templates to tighten up procedures together, and, overall, work really well together.
Agency life can be quite transient, and Rhymney and I have bonded over the year and a half that we have been getting to know each other while working together. Rhymney has actually had two promotions in the last year, which is a testament to her incredible work ethic and intelligence. She is 23 and absolutely killing it – leading teams of people, and helping start up another company – honestly, so inspiring.
I’m really excited by the prospect of being able to continue to work closely with Rhymney. I think that as a dynamic duo, we can get a lot of really cool things done!
Rhymney Mazza:
I met Jenna in May, 2022, when she first joined First Page. My immediate thought was, ‘yes! another amazing woman has joined our ranks!’. In the fast-paced world of agency work, our connection quickly blossomed as we navigated the intricate process of meeting our clients’ meticulous content requirements. Safe to say, there was a whole lot of backwards and forwards! To my relief, Jenna’s accommodating nature and her commitment to implementing client feedback with precision saved the day. Fortunately for us, her previous experience working client-side proved invaluable, as she skilfully performed the see-saw act of balancing optimised SEO content with the client’s brand personality and tone of voice.
Several clients and each a promotion later, I now have the pleasure of collaborating with Jenna at a senior leadership level. We engage in regular meetings to enhance content processes on both a national and global level, with the heads of content from across the branch. Jenna not only excels as a team leader, but also in crafting A-grade Google and Meta ad copy for our clients.
This year, we collaborated on launching a new client content questionnaire for our Australian and New Zealand offices- definitely a dynamic duo moment! This initiative has significantly enhanced the quality of brand guidelines we receive from our clients.
When it comes to improving agency processes, I find that Jenna and I apply ourselves in a similar fashion. If only the same could be said about our after hour activities (Jenna is currently preparing for a marathon, what a superwoman!). Our work synergy extends to group projects. With just a glance, I can tell that Jenna and I are on the same page, working collaboratively to achieve a shared vision.
Jenna on Rhymney:
Most memorable moment with Rhymney: I have had many memorable moments working with Rhymney, she is incredible at what she does, and it makes life easy for everyone working with her. She is super intelligent and very organised, which means that she manages a lot of the more ‘spicy’ clients we work with, and she does it seemingly effortlessly.
We recently spent time together at the Superist global management retreat in Bali and had a time we will never forget. One day we were on our way to white water rafting and thought we were about to get abducted because they randomly made us change cars halfway through the trip and didn’t give us a reason why. The car we were traveling in swiftly pulled over on a deserted road and then someone else came and ushered us into another waiting car. It was pretty scary there for a moment as the new driver started the conversation by asking ,“so, where are we going?”. All we could say was that we were part of a group going white water rafting, we didn’t even have an address! As it turns out we were fine and our original car just needed to go back to the resort and pick up more guests. By the end of it we both felt a little silly for being so overly dramatic but it definitely gave us a good laugh afterwards.
Best word to describe her: There are so many awesome things you could say about Rhymney. She’s organised, focused, intelligent, helpful, diligent, and kind, she’s really just an all-around boss lady, who inspires the people around her (myself included) to do better.
Most annoying habit or endearing behaviour she has: I’d say more endearing than annoying but definitely just how organised she is. It feels like she could be the most organised person in the world which can be motivating and also a little daunting at times.
Rhymney on Jenna:
Most memorable moment with Jenna: My most memorable moments collaborating with Jenna include enhancing our client content questionnaire and crafting client email templates. Trialing new email templates was a particular highlight, as it challenged us to personify our agency and the people working within through the lens of an email – that’s the professional response.
However we recently shared many unforgettable memories at a management retreat in Bali (who wouldn’t!). The retreat provided us with the perfect setting to connect beyond the confines of the office. There was one team bonding activity in particular that included a tall wooden pole, ribbons and a stuffed monkey. Our objective was to get one of our team members up to the top of the pole to save the monkey and collect our team’s coloured ribbons (picture Mulan and the arrow). I was way too scared to volunteer, but Jenna was up the pole in a flash, grabbing the monkey and ribbons in record time and ultimately winning the challenge for her team. Connecting with colleagues outside of ‘work mode’ is always intriguing. I definitely know now that Jenna is ready to give things a red hot go- no matter how high!
What I value in both our professional and personal relationship is the fact that we have each other’s backs. We share the belief that while we take our work seriously, we can’t always take ourselves too seriously! In other words, you will most definitely hear laughter when overhearing our conversations. As we both continue to lead our respective departments, I look forward to collaborating with Jenna on future projects!
Best word to describe her: Jenna is sincere and considerate. She works diligently, but is always up for a laugh.
Most annoying habit or endearing behaviour she has: Jenna’s foresight and empathetic approach to leadership is like no other. You can trust she has always carefully considered the implications of rolling out change, and how it is going to impact her team’s morale and productivity.
If you and a colleague would like to submit your story to Dynamic Duos, please email Lauren at lmcnamara@mumbrella.com.au.
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Lauren McNamara is a journalist at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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