From nursery worker to Ogilvy creative strategist

Russie Miessi: I was working at ASOS in fashion – essentially doing quality control on clothes – and I posted on Instagram saying I was bored and wanted a change. A photographer friend said, have you heard of D&AD? Do a short course. I'd never heard of it, but I've always loved advertising, so I thought: sure.

We had to submit three pieces of work, and I had nothing in a portfolio. I wrote a bit of poetry, did some makeup artistry on the side, edited things on my phone – I didn't even have a laptop. So I mocked up some images from hair shoots, changed the backgrounds, and that was my three. I thought, they can only ask me about what I've given them.

I got through to the task day, where we were given a brief: here are two items, make something. My group ended up creating an app – a tracking service for sex workers so they could make sure a friend got home safely, accessible only by invitation. I think I dominated with that idea, so that was fun.

Then came the interview. I said to the interviewer, 'If I get onto this course, I'll do a backflip.' I got in – and at the Christmas drinks she looked at me and said, 'So, where's the backflip?

Russie Miessi: Honestly, I'm not sure I had one single moment. I did hair and makeup on the side – I learned to do my own hair because my mum wouldn't, and I learned makeup from RuPaul's Drag Race. But what I've always been drawn to is the craft, not the finished product. I'll see a great piece of work and appreciate it, sure – but what I really want to know is how they got there. For me, everything interesting is underneath the iceberg.

That curiosity shows up in my work too. I've had a lot of conversations around people of colour and makeup brands – the fact that finding my shade in a Superdrug is genuinely rare. It always comes back to the journey for me, with any craft. When a project's done, it's done – it becomes an archive. What I love are the nuggets you unlock along the way.

Russie Miessi: That every skill is transferable. My mentor at D&AD sat down with me, looked at my CV, and said, 'At ASOS you were doing quality control – assessing things from the consumer's perspective first. That's exactly how it connects to strategy.' And I was like – I'm just one step away, different industry, same instinct. I've always been nosy. I've always wanted to know why people do things, what they feel, how many people share the same opinion. At the time I wasn't solution-based – I just wanted to platform people's insights. That's still what I love most.

I also worked in childcare for three years, and I always say that's where I learned empathy – because I genuinely didn't think I had it before. I was a nursery worker, changed a lot of nappies, made sure the kids could slide down the fireman's pole. I'm not going to lie though – I really hated glitter. I hid it on the top shelf where none of the staff could see it, and it stayed there for about a year. Glitter gets in hair, in sand, in clothes, in mouths – and this was very fine glitter too, not even the chunky kind. Lawless times. One time someone asked for it and I was like... magic, it's just gone.

Russie Miessi: It varies, but predominantly I'm working with brands on influencer strategy – unpacking briefs, developing insights, translating them into creative executions. I help unlock the goal, whether that's talkability, awareness, or something else entirely. After that, I hand over to the accounts team, who identify the specific creators we should be working with. And I'm grateful for that division, because even though I'm very online, remembering an influencer's name? Tough. I can barely remember my friends' birthdays.

Russie Miessi: I always give the same answer. It was at McCann, working with L'Oréal for NYX on a partnership with Stonewall and UK Black Pride. As someone who's queer and lives within that community – to do work that represents my community, that isn't rooted in negative sentiment, meant everything. Because so often, projects around underrepresented communities are heavy and triggering. This wasn't that at all.

The campaign was called 'Proudly Pro You' – shoutout to the creative Ben for that strapline – and what we landed on was simple: the community already has its own representatives, we just need to give them a platform. As a brand, step back, say here you go, and let people be their authentic selves. That will always be one of the best pieces of work I've ever been part of. Personally, it meant so much to give people – people I know, people I don't, people who might see something like it in the future – a platform.

I don't think anything will top it. There are other pieces I'm proud of – working on George at Asda when I was at Born Social, for one, which I loved in every way. But 'Proudly Pro You' is in a league of its own.

Russie Miessi: As an introvert, I've had to force myself to be a social butterfly. I said to myself: new job, new hair, new me – no one knows me here, I can grow into this. Like buying a baby clothes that are a size too big. They will grow into it, simple as.

So whenever I met someone new, I'd find out what accounts they worked on, suggest a casual coffee, build rapport. If something sounded interesting, I'd say, 'I'd love to put my two cents in on that.' Next thing you know, someone's asking if you can cover them on a project. You get a little here, a little there, and before long you've got three or four briefs on an account and you're presenting directly to clients. None of that happens if you're not nibbling your way forward.

One to ones, using my strengths in conversation, face to face time – that's what's helped me most. Every time.