Amy Still is Founder & CEO at Whisk. With over 15 years of experience in digital and social-first advertising, she’s witnessed the shift from mass broadcast platforms to niche community-driven spaces, where people seek more authentic and meaningful connections online.
That’s why she started Whisk; a network of over 150 of the fastest-growing and highest-engaged communities in the world, covering various passions, interests, and demographics. Whisk enable brands to connect with their audience through these communities, at scale, and deliver impactful and relevant messages.
We caught up with her this week to discuss her history, her role and her mission to redefine the future of social media and advertising.
Tell us a bit about your role! Is there a “typical” day?
As CEO of a growing media company my day is so varied – my role is to steer the Whisk ship and guide everyone on it. It’s cliché but that is everything from new business, HR, finance, client relationships, media strategy and everything in between. My day has recently factored in a lot of new business calls and relationship building with clients as we look to grow in the direction of “community media” in 2024.
What was the biggest challenge in getting to your current position?
Having the bravery to launch a company solo five years ago (without the safety net of a salary) was probably the biggest leap of faith I have ever taken in my career. From there waking up every day and believing in the future success of my business, making tough choices daily to ensure the company succeeds, and being humble and self-aware enough to listen to advice around you as you grow a business.
What is your personal background and what role did it play in your career?
When I was growing up my mum was an art teacher and a business owner, and she maintained that ‘only boring people get bored’. So, as a kid I was always doing different hobbies and activities to keep me occupied. This really allowed me the freedom to be artistic, creative, and never sit still – all of which has set me up very well for my career to this day!
After leaving university, I joined an amazing company called Outside Line, an early day digital and social agency. We helped brands create a presence on the (then infant) Facebook, as well as their owned and operated digital channels. Looking at it now that was the biggest shaping of my career – learning how brands create personalities and “shared interests” in the new era of digital and social.
Outside Line was acquired by Saatchi & Saatchi in 2012 and so I then faced the next big learning curve - how to integrate social and digital comms into a traditional “above the line” context. Those combined experiences have really shaped what Whisk is today.
What is your biggest career-related win? What is your biggest loss?
In early 2019 we worked on an innovative campaign for Puma. We installed hologram projection tech above cars in Chicago during the weekend of the All Star game and projected imagery of Puma’s new basketball shoe around the city. It was an incredible labour of love to pull off that campaign and got a lot of press headlines, as well as industry awards, but best of all it achieved some impressive business results for Puma.
There are plenty of losses to navigate along the way that are just part of the nature of this business. Staff members coming and going, clients coming and going, revenue up, revenue down. We are always pitching “new ideas” and one that I still think was a strong idea, but didn’t get sold, was for Snapple’s new favour launch. The idea was inspired by the astrological elements.
We wanted to partner them with a great Gen-Z astrology community called Sanctuary World, and give away free live horoscope readings. We had so many layers to that campaign, and I truly think it would have had an amazing impact, but unfortunately the client didn’t buy in.
Which individuals and/or agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
I get most of my inspiration from an incredible network of peers around me. My friend and (brilliant) strategist Sara Wilson is a pioneer in this space of “community” and always has insightful things to say. My ex-bosses from Outside Line (Ant Cauchi and Lloyd Salmons) remain friends and mentors while James Kirkham from ICONIC is a great positive force and culture hero.
Agency wise, I love what GUT are doing (led by another ex-boss Andrea Diquez) - they have a “trailblazer” energy. VaynerMedia are looking at media in a people-first way and I love that. I love EssenceMediacom’s Creative Futures team (led by Stef Calcraft) and their vision of making media much more relevant, inclusive, and meaningful – it aligns with Whisk so well. Greg James at Havas Media is also incredible at what he does.
If you could go back to your teenage years, would you have done things differently? Do you have any regrets?
I’d do a few small things differently for sure. Leave that relationship a little sooner, put money in an index fund a little sooner, be a bit more considered about career moves. But all things considered I have no regrets – I’m healthy, happy, love what I do at work, great friends, great family. I also live in the Caribbean which isn’t too shabby. Pretty lucky overall!
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
For sure I would either be in interior design (I’m not very good at it but I love it), a stage and screen make up / prosthetic artist, or a criminal psychologist. Pretty varied selection there but I love being creative with my hands and getting into the minds of people.
What’s your one big dream for the future of the industry?
That “reach” alone as a metric for measuring media becomes a thing of the past, and we focus more on the individual consumer then how many supposed eyeballs we are targeting.
Fraud in advertising is at an all-time high, destroying billions of dollars a year in advertising. And it’s all because brands with big budgets believe they need to meet a reach number to be successful. I think laziness takes over at this point but there is a better way.
What are your top tips for aspiring professionals in your industry?
Find the part of advertising you love the most and, even if it is outside of your current job role, get involved with it as much as possible. And network your ass off – this industry is all about who you know!
What are your top tips for other leaders in your industry?
I think what a lot of leaders don’t realize is we are all in the same boat… even if you are leader of a huge company, or a small one, the daily struggles are very similar. I find talking to peers regularly a huge help, just to remind me I’m not alone. Getting another person’s perspective on any problems we face is hugely beneficial.
When you think about your team, what is the thing that matters to you the most?
Communication skills. I’d say this to both my partner and my team, ha. Everything is made so much easier, and better, if humans can effectively communicate and be vulnerable with one another without the noise of ego affecting everything.
I’d say I have good honest relationships with everyone on my team and that’s what makes it work.
Do you have any websites, books or resources you would recommend?
I love the newsletter Future Social and Marketing Brew. I read the book “Adscam” over the Christmas break and that was an eye opener! Digiday is a great publication for future media trends.
