Cat's Mother of the Month - Jade de Robles

This month we had the absolute pleasure of hearing from CM Jade De Robles - Jade is not only an incredible voice over artist, keen writer and presenter, she also takes on the role of Creative Director at the renowned Collective Films. With experience working from pitch to execution across brands such as VICE, Refinery29 and i-D, Jade knows a thing or two about drawing on creative inspiration to come up with exciting ideas that captivate audiences and bring messages to life. In this interview Jade shares with us an insight into her professional day-day life, what a career defining moment was for her and what aspiring creatives should be thinking out at the start of their journey.

What do you typically get up to as Creative Director at Collective Films?

It's so varied! Which is what I like most. Sometimes I'm drawing up treatments for adverts and videos, other times I'm sitting in on an edit or directing, and other times I'm working up pitches. In between all of these moments I'll be having meetings, talking to our designers, editors, directors etc. My job is to oversee everything that comes out of the studio creatively, so It's pretty non-stop!

How did you break into this area of the creative industry?

I originally wanted to be a painter but ended up going into graphic design. Whilst I was studying design I realised that I wasn't really cut out to sit at a desk all day and work on one project for a really prolonged period, I felt I was so curious about so many parts of creativity, from writing, to concepts, to designing, to drawing, to editing, filming, etc. I wanted to try so many mediums and didn't like the idea of sticking to one. Back then I used to feel bad about it because the industry doesn't really favour those who have fingers in many pies, but that's changed slightly now and people are beginning to realise how valuable it is to be multifaceted! But yeah I spent a long time wishing I had that one "niche" and now I've realised not having it is my superpower!

Where do you tend to draw your creative inspiration from?

Everywhere really! It sounds like a standard answer, but it's true. That became so apparent to me throughout the first lockdown, when I was like "oh even the tube is inspiring!". I also find I'm most inspired by my friends and family. A good debate and I'll wake up the next day with a ‘light bulb’ moment.

Can you tell us about a career defining moment for you?

To be honest, the first thing that came to mind was this one time that I went to present an end of year project at university and it was so bad I was crying before going to present. I knew that it wasn't up to scratch, and that we hadn't worked as part of a team (there were 3 of us) - the teacher who was known for being extremely brutal, was - extremely brutal- with her feedback, and I remember thinking "never again" and I guess that's pushed me to work super, super hard and to really value team effort. What someone else does is also a reflection on you so you have to work together as well as you can. Tbh, It was an awful, humiliating moment, but I learnt so much from it. I even thanked the teacher years later!

What’s the most interesting project or brief you’ve worked on?

A personal project would be my own podcast (because why not) called Deathbed Discs, I've just started it and it marries my love for music, death and life. I ask my guests what five songs they want played at their funeral. So far I'm loving it and it's really one of those project babies that I've been pouring my heart and soul into.

A commercial project I worked on with my fam at Collective Films is one for Diageo and UNITAR (research and training arm of the UN) on this responsible driving campaign. It's a microsite that simulates real zoom calls that you can have with people who have been involved in drink driving accidents. Finding these stories was especially difficult and so so delicate. Hopefully it well help a lot of people to reconsider not driving whilst drunk.

What challenges do you come across working with brands (if any) and how do you overcome them?

The main challenge is when a brand wants to tick a thousand boxes in one with a super tiny budget. I always think it's good to start first with one good message to get across, and then work on building that messaging and branding. But it's just the nature of the game always.

What advice would you give to someone who would love to work in this field?

Try as many things as you can and don't be afraid to fail, and if you do, start again. Do it until you find something that you can't live without. It's important if you want to be a creative director to know how all the different areas of the industry work, and to have a passion for them.