#BehindtheSelfie with... Jess Mouneimne

Will 2017 be the year of the JAMpion?

1. Where do you live, work and play?

Mouneimne: Cape Town as in town, town. I love this hood! I am fortunate enough to call my work and play the same thing. I live and work and hang out with family and friends within the CBD of Cape Town. Besides my passion for communication, marketing and entrepreneurship, I am also a keen boxer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner.

2. What’s your claim to fame?

Mouneimne: I launched Jam Media in 2013 after being asked to stay on as digital marketing director at one of South Africa's leading PR agencies. It was a bold move and a lot of people thought I was crazy. The next big claim to fame was publishing my first book – Being Boss – in August this year.

3. Describe your career so far.

Mouneimne: It has been a rollercoaster for the last three years! Surviving the first 1,000 days as a small agency has been a big achievement for me in itself. I have had the privilege of working on a number of amazing accounts. Our focus is within the SME space and I have loved seeing startups thrive and grow while with us.

4. Tell us a few of your favourite things.

Mouneimne: I love all things creative: writing poetry, producing and editing video, watching live performances of music and theatre, reading a good business book, boxing, chocolate and coffee!

5. What do you love about your industry?

Mouneimne: I love the fast-paced and ever-evolving nature of my industry. I love that in digital marketing in particular, you can never stand still thinking you know it all. It is a never-ending pit of knowledge and that keeps me interested. I am also truly passionate about helping entrepreneurs thrive and through working within the SME space in Jam Media I am able to do this. I also do this through my other business, Being Boss, where I have created a community of like-minded entrepreneurs who teach and support each other.

6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.

Mouneimne: The only thing that is consistent with it is that it starts at 5am and ends after 8pm! The days are long but very rewarding. Besides the client-facing stuff, we spend a lot of time in creative brainstorming for clients. This takes a lot of time from the day but creating strategy and campaigns that render results is a big passion for the entire team.

I place a lot of value in an effective team that is living their passion at Jam and so regular check-ins with the team forms part of the daily grind.

Another focus for me is in the business development role and so a large part of my day is also consumed with this.

7. What are the tools of your trade?

Mouneimne: As a 360-degree agency, our tools are everything from a media list to social media managing and reporting tools. Above all though, I would say that the most important tools of our trade are our relationships that we nurture with media and influencers.

8. Who is getting it right in your industry?

Mouneimne: I admire marcusbrewster's ability to withstand more than two decades in the PR industry. This space is all about evolving and I think twenty years is pretty amazing. On an international level I am a big fan of Gary Vaynerchuck.

9. What are the biggest pain points/challenges/areas for improvement?

Mouneimne: I think as a small agency who opted to bootstrap, cash flow is always a challenge and so is managing the cycle of promoting to sell and capacity to deliver.

10. What are you working on right now?

Mouneimne: We are super excited to be working on Red Nose Day SA. As a kid I think of the campaigns with fond memories and am excited about working on a campaign for Child Welfare. Under Being Boss, I am also working on a second book as well as entrepreneur workshops called 'School of Boss'.

11. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.

Mouneimne: We are not your usual creative agency, we don't bamboozle our clients with buzzwords I am so anti-buzzwords, I wouldn’t even be able to give an example of a buzzword! I mean, we have a foosball table and swing in our reception area and consume popcorn as a team daily, but we really are not like other agencies.

12. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

Mouneimne: As soon as I get home from work or when driving home from work. Thankfully, my creative manager and I are the same and so we regularly message each other with very odd lightbulb moments.

13. What’s your secret talent/party trick?

Mouneimne: A good rear naked choke (RNC) on an unsuspecting victim.

14. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?

Mouneimne: Too many pictures of my kids and screengrabs of quotes and client photos.

15. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?

Mouneimne: Just keep swimming... and read a lot!

Simple as that. Click here for more on JAM Media and be sure to follow @IAm_MrsJam, JAM Media and Being Boss on Twitter.

*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.