23 May 2025
Hi Elke! First things first—how’s the move into your new (and first?!) Eddie HQ going?
We’re finally feeling settled after two months of cleaning, fixing things up, and rejigging the space. It’s been so nice to be in the hustle and bustle of town again after working from home for two years. Getting our own space feels like a huge milestone. The building has so much character—high pressed metal ceilings, some botchy old paint jobs, a few holes and cracks… but it’s very us. We just installed our photography backdrops last week, and once the NBN (finally) gets sorted, we might even open the space up for co-working hot desks.
Can you take us through your journey as a creative—your studies, early projects or passion pursuits—and where you’re at now with Eddie?
Yes! Do I start from day dot? Growing up in Murwillumbah definitely shaped my creativity. The landscape has always been a source of inspiration – there’s just something about the drive out towards the mountains that sparks something in me. I’m so happy to be back working here (currently living in Kingscliff…best of both worlds!).
Creativity runs in my family. My mum owned the local uniform shop and was incredible at designing clothes and pattern making. Seeing her run a business made it feel natural for me to consider doing the same one day.
In high school, I thought I’d be an actress—which feels wild now because I hate public speaking. But it led me to a Bachelor of Creative Industries at QUT in Brisbane. I originally wanted to major in film and TV, but after a gap year travelling Europe and Southeast Asia and starting a jewellery label, as every graphic designer seems to – I found myself drawn to Interactive and Visual Design. I ended up majoring in that, with marketing and animation on the side. I even spent a semester in Amsterdam studying UX design, which got me totally hooked on digital design.
After uni, I worked at Art-Work Agency on the Gold Coast. I was mentored by some absolute creative powerhouses, Laura, Claudio, and the rest of the team. My role was super varied: video editing, illustration, web, and graphic design.
In 2023, at 27, I decided it was time to spread my wings. I launched Eddie alongside my biz partner (and longtime creative partner), Drew!
When did you decide you wanted to start your own studio, and what did that transition look like? What have been some of the highs, lows or learning curves along the way?
I’ve always wanted my own studio. I started out freelancing, and even while working full-time, I was spending weekends doing projects with Drew—we weren’t paying ourselves, but we loved it.
By the time I made the leap, Eddie had some savings and I felt confident enough to start paying myself. Drew still works elsewhere full-time but jumps in for interior projects when needed.
We’ve taken a slow and steady approach to growth, which I’ve had to keep reminding myself is okay. Building something sustainable is more important to us than scaling too fast.
How many people are currently connected to Eddie—freelancers, collaborators, team members? And how do you balance being both a creative and a studio lead?
That balance is something I’m still figuring out. The busier we get, the less time I seem to have for creative work. I’m often in client meetings, managing the team, or in my inbox (I do love project management, but nothing beats getting stuck into a brand project).
We currently have three casual team members. My partner recently left his job to join Eddie as a videographer and video editor—he’s also my unofficial PA (poor guy). Then we have Kayla, our graphic designer and illustrator, and Nina, our content producer who works across socials and marketing.
We also collaborate with other creatives regularly. For example, we brought in our friend Ian from Chaptr to help animate the Who We Are survey for Arts Northern Rivers. It was a tight deadline, so having extra hands made all the difference.
Where do your clients come from, and what does a typical client journey with Eddie look like—from brief to delivery? How do you make sure you’re capturing what they truly need?
Our clients are spread all over—Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunny Coast, and lots of local ones too. Funny enough, Facebook groups have been a great way to connect with people, and then it’s mostly been word of mouth from there.
We’ve put a lot of work into refining our processes.
I’m a total Notion nerd and we’ve built out systems to make sure we’re asking the right questions before we even get started. That upfront work really helps us nail the brief and avoid surprises down the line.
Can you share a bit about your creative process? What inspires your ideas and how do you go from concept to finished project?
It definitely varies depending on the project, but everything starts with a conversation. We want to understand what the client is after and, more importantly, who they’re trying to speak to.
If it’s branding, we always start with strategy—defining the audience and digging into their world. What do they love? What influences them? What’s recognisable to them? Then we work on messaging, moodboards, and some pressure-tested concepts to explore the look and feel.
From there, we go deep on the visuals – which is hands down our favourite part.
Has there been a particular project or client that really lit you up—one you’d love to do again?
There’s honestly been so many! Every year we seem to manifest a dream project and it just lands.
One that stands out is Konpak, a tiny home company. The client really trusted us, they gave us full creative freedom, which meant we got to do everything: naming, strategy, messaging, look and feel, a custom website, video, the lot. It was such a rewarding experience seeing the vision come to life, start to finish. And the Konpak team are just great humans.
That said, I really do feel like every project we take on has something that lights me up. I love that no two days are the same.
What inspired your move to the Northern Rivers, and how has living here shaped your work or lifestyle as a creative?
I actually grew up here! I left for uni but always felt the pull to come back. I used to think I’d want to move away for good, but there’s just something about this place. The creative community is growing, and it’s exciting to see more opportunities popping up. I’m really keen to make a mark here.
We have to ask about SOAP Social—such a fun initiative. What sparked the idea for a creative catch-up series, and what have you learned from running it?
After COVID, it was clear we were all craving connection. When I was studying in Brisbane, I loved events like The Design Kids and Creative Mornings, it was such a good way to meet other creatives and learn from each other. But after moving back, I realised we didn’t have anything like that here.
Through chats with Ian, Laura, and Charlotte (the other SOAPIES), we found we were all feeling the same. So, we gave it a go. Our first event in July 2023 had almost 100 creatives show up. That was the moment we knew there was real appetite for this kind of thing.
Following on from that—how important is building a local creative network to your practice and wellbeing as a studio owner?
It’s everything. No two creatives are the same, and there’s always something to learn from each other. Sharing knowledge helps you see your work in new ways.
I’m constantly inspired by my peers and really don’t believe in gatekeeping. I hope SOAP has been a space for others to feel the same.
And finally—what’s next for you and Eddie? Any exciting projects or plans on the horizon you can share with us?
Right now, I’m excited to sink my teeth into the projects we’ve already got on the go, and work on making our packages more sustainable and profitable (haha, the not-so-glam side of creative biz). I’d love to take on more local work and we’re dreaming up the next drop of goodies for the Eddie store… if we ever find the time!
