Wellcom is Encouraging Staff to Pursue Drumming, Fashion Design and Dancing

A drummer in a band called Polish Club. A technophile who loves tech because “it’s the one place where my disability doesn’t matter”. A dancer, fashion designer and a photographer.

“At Wellcom, we are encouraging our teams to never say ‘no’ to an idea and we are creating a culture where we constantly share our creativity,” says Marnie Darren, Wellcom’s general manager, of her team’s hobbies and side hustles. 

John-Henry Pajak, a senior designer, is also a drummer in the Australian band, Polish Club. He believes there is “always an advantage to having a side-hustle.” 

“It’s something that has given me so much joy and I really can’t exist without it. But I actually enjoy the work-life balance of being a musician and working in advertising/design,” he said. 

Taneia Ke takes her passions for fashion and dancing, and her role as a digital designer, equally seriously, with each discipline complementing the others.  

“Over the years, dance and crafts has introduced me to amazing people, deepened friendships, and even inspired my design work,” she says. 

“When I dance, I get to embody a different persona – dressing up, changing how I move, even how I think.” 

Keiryn Bailey, graphic designer and technophile, has been fostering her love for technology since she was a child. “Being dyslexic, tech has been my secret weapon - it’s the one place where my disability doesn’t matter,” she said. 

“Curiosity drives everything I do with tech, relationship building, and design. It’s what gives me the confidence to tackle projects and learn whatever new feature or program a client might need.”

Marnie told LBB her team’s pursuits build a different kind of confidence and encouraging their outside passions makes for an incredible group of interesting and talented people who bring so much more to our agency culture,” she said. 

“We are all happier when we do things we are passionate about and doing the things we love.”

Hannah Spence is another Wellcom-er doing the things she loves. A senior photographer with the business, she is obsessed with capturing the perfect image and discovered her niche of still life while studying at RMIT. 

“A lot of creativity and excitement in my work has come from working with inspiring art directors,” Hannah explained. 

Oliver Hammerton Wellcom’s creative director said “This is more than just people doing interesting things; it’s about embracing the interests that inspire you daily, having something that makes you feel you. And yes.., it is about sharing that with others and giving space to it. It offers a wonderful and perhaps more honest insight into who people are”

“With how we work at Wellcom, it’s vital we know each other more personally. We look to build unique and collaborative teams around projects; This way of working works best when we know each other as humans and not just colleagues. This is where Yes And… comes into play”