Ben and Donna

From birthday cakes to big ideas: How Ben and Donna found their creative match

Before Donna and I did AWARD School, we were in different positions.

Donna was working in experiential design and I was working in ordering-the-birthday-cakes-for-the-people-in-the-agency-I-was-interning-at. Our reasons for doing AWARD School were similar though, we loved ideas, and the idea of getting paid to come up with them seemed like a good one, so Donna did AWARD School in 2019 and I, in 2020 (COVID edition).

We didn’t meet until 2021, after Donna put up a Facebook status looking for a writer to join forces with, for a job she may or may not have landed. I was sent the post from someone I used to work with (the birthday cake job), and reached out, after stalking her Facebook all the way back to 2010. We got coffee in Newtown, we checked out a market, and it felt like a first date. I liked how curious Donna was when looking at things in the market, and that she had no ego, and asked heaps of questions, seemed kind, and had a sick sense of humour. She’s on holiday in LA and I don’t want to disturb her, so I’m not sure what she thought about me, but I imagine all very, very positive things.

We didn’t team up straight away. Donna went and taught at UNSW for a bit. I ended up teaming up with someone else at a different agency. Then when that didn’t work out, my CD, who was Donna’s tutor at AWARD School, got her onboard. Since then we’ve been working together really well. I think we work well because our relationship is more than work.

We look out for each other outside of work, we crack each other up about non-work stuff, we send each other memes and music videos that have nothing to do with work.

Having gone through it ourselves and tutoring AWARD School again this year, we know how hungry people are to find a partner and land a job. We get it! BUT, it’s important that you don’t jump into anything that doesn’t feel right. Be patient, be yourself, meet lots of people, and don’t settle — it’s a lot like dating.

Ten tips on landing a creative partnership:

- Finding the right one takes some dates with the wrong ones.

- Being a bit different is a good thing, being too different isn’t.

- You can make each other laugh, then knuckle down when you need to.

- There’s a mutual respect for one another’s opinions.

- You want similar things out of your career.

- They’d be one of your ten items on Alone.

- It might be years before you meet ‘the one’.

- If you’re not happy with the one you thought was the one, end it.

Plenty more fish in the sea!

- If you’re getting down by the process, be kind to yourself.

- Reach out to Donna or I for any questions at all.