My imposter syndrome reached new heights last Friday. I got to go to Digital Podge (I take no credit, it was all Liv’s merit). Liv designed our intake’s Christmas party invite, so Marc told her she could come to Podge with whoever she was partnered with that week. It happened to be me, hehehe …

Podge is a day when some of the best creatives come together for a fancy lunch and drinks. There’s always some surprises sprinkled throughout the day as well. It’s the one industry event that Marc gets genuinely excited about, so naturally I was super curious and excited too. What happens at Podge??? 

First off, for an event that is exclusive to those who bought a ticket, it didn’t feel that way at all. Maybe it was the fact that behind this big event is a family of 3 good people, just creating something out of creativity. Clara, her father Phil, and her mother Barbara, are the people who make Podge possible, and it feels like they really pour the warmth they exude into the event. 

I was also thinking about how most of the people who attended are actually competitors outside of these doors. But that day, on a crisp Friday in London, on the rooftop of The Dilly hotel in Piccadilly, creative people had paid to hang out with each other and basically shmooze the enemy… Humans are strange and funny. Also, as an ECD, there has to be something quite humbling and vulnerable about having to wear a lanyard with your name and occupation written on it for the entire day. 

It was also disarming and fun to be sat at the table of people who had either volunteered or were hired to help (like the @Brand42 creatives who made the posters, place cards etc). 

It meant there was a couple of degrees of separation with some of the guests who might consider Podge a “work function”. It was a little like being on the outside looking in, in the best way and it felt like maybe there was a little less pressure on our table, even though most guests seemed to be having a lot of fun.

Some more things that made me smile throughout the day: 

• The 2 opera singers disguised as chefs who broke out in Italian song mid-meal. 
• Marc being seated next to a Tik Toker (although there’s no Tik Tok to show for it, a missed opportunity for some salient content creation there Marc) 
• Mike Reed was going to be attending. Mike is one of the founders of the Reed Words agency. I’ve loved so much of the work they’ve done, but it was the copy Sam Pollen wrote for Penhaligon’s that struck a chord in me. I got to introduce myself to Mike and told him that I love the work they’re doing. The day after he reached out to me on LinkedIn, saying he appreciated what I had said and that we should stay in touch. 

PS: Also, this was one of the posters that were part of the invite, so I was fully expecting a surprise performance from Marc. Sadly, it did not happen.  

Baby creatives Liv-ing their best lives 😉

@taratabbara4