#BehindtheSelfie with... Verusha Maharaj

Maharaj was recently selected as one of 20 young managers from Publicis Groupe’s network of agencies worldwide, the only representative from Africa at that, to assist in mapping the future for the agency.

Maharaj hates that selfies don’t always give context to where you are. Here she is collecting memories in Ibiza, Spain.

1. Where do you live, work and play?

Maharaj: I live in the suburbs of Sunninghill, although I do sometimes miss the hustle and bustle of being deep in the city. I work wherever creativity takes me but when I do have to work from the office, it’s in Melrose – the giant space-ship-like building that can be seen from the M1 highway. I like to think that I play around the world! Having really been bitten by the travel bug, I managed to cover six continents within 2016.

2. What’s your claim to fame?

Maharaj: I can’t really say that I have a claim to fame. I’ve worked very hard along the way. Combine that with amazing opportunities and 'bam, here I am', just loving what I do and the people I get to do it with.

3. Describe your career so far.

Maharaj: I have definitely had an interesting ride so far. I found myself in medical school after completing high school – on the polar opposite end to where I am now, but I changed courses to explore my creative side. After university I started working at the largest agency in South Africa. In an age where job-hopping is the norm for millennials, my situation is more the exception than the rule. I have been with TCC for just under nine years now and staying here has allowed me to grow and become hugely skilled in my field. To a certain extent I subscribe to Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘10 000-Hour Rule’ that if you dedicate time to doing something you become an expert at it. I started as a junior assistant and over the years through hard work, dedication, making mistakes and invaluable mentorship I have had the opportunity to take on multiple roles. I was recently promoted to general manager of Africa, before turning 30. I can honestly say that I’ve loved every step of the way.

4. Tell us a few of your favourite things.

Maharaj:

• I love to travel.
• I love fashion – if this doesn’t work out, fashion would be the route I would take.
• I love music – listening to it, not performing.
• I love to learn new things – both academic and otherwise, as I believe you should never stop learning.
• I love trying new foods – especially spicy foods.
• Oh, and did I mention I love to travel?

5. What do you love about your industry?

Maharaj: I love the energy and innovation that comes with being a creative industry. It is always changing so you’re always on the edge of your seat waiting to see what we come up with next. I also love the fact that we work across multiple industries in terms of the range of our clients. Therefore you’re always exposed to different ways of doing things and always learning.

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

Maharaj: It really doesn’t exist. In fact, what I love most about my job is the fact that I’ve never had two days that have ever been similar. It usually starts around 6am, involves make-up on the go, lunch consumed in bites over a few hours, back-to-back client meetings, creative reviews and putting out fires as they arise. My day only ends when I’m done and at that point there’ll be a glass of wine in my hand.

7. What are the tools of your trade?

Maharaj: You definitely need to be tenacious and need to be able to work well with people – nothing about this industry requires you to work alone. You should also be able to combine creative with the business side. A Macbook (light) and WiFi/3g is a must!

8. Who is getting it right in your industry?

Maharaj: Hakuhodo – year after year I am inspired by them at Cannes. I really believe they’ve managed to decipher the art of creativity using technology.

9. List a few pain points the industry can improve on.

Maharaj: Tough one to say, but I do think there are many ginormous egos that can be worked on.

10. What are you working on right now?

Maharaj: On our first job for 2017 – strategy and creative concept for a local skincare brand.

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

Maharaj: Innovation, integration, targeted, Uber-like, disruptive, experience.

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

Maharaj: Usually between the hours of 1am and 4am. Usually in the comfort of my bed.

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

Maharaj: Karaoke queen – driven by me being the only person who thinks I can actually sing. Haters will hate.

14. Are you a technophobe or a technophile?

Maharaj: I would have to say somewhere in-between, I love new technology but sometimes it goes way over my head.

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

Maharaj: A large number of pictures – I love taking pictures of the places I visit and need extra iCloud storage just for these. Work email. Social media, photo editing, news and travel apps. An insane amount of memes.

16. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack it in the industry?

Maharaj:

• Love what you do – passion is everything.
• Don’t give up – every setback is a learning experience.
• Don’t be too hard on yourself – there are enough critics in the industry to do it for you.
• Lastly, remember to work hard but also play hard – this industry is nothing if not entertaining.

Simple as that. Email Maharaj at az.oc.lesnuocevitaerc@jaraham.ahsurev or contact her on Instagram or LinkedIn for more.

*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.