Ben Knight, account director
A desire to be involved in the London Olympics led Knight to Pretty Green's door in 2010. Before this he worked as a freelance event manager for brands such as BMW and O2.
How have you developed at Pretty Green?
I came in when the agency was young. It was good because I was able to grow with it. In the beginning I was very comfortable with live delivery but the client management side of things was still pretty new to me, and I was in at the deep end with the Cadbury Olympic project. I then worked with John Lewis and sportswear brand Under Armour, which gave me the skills I needed to move up to account director.
What sort of clients does the agency look to work with?
It's exciting because you never know what brief is going to drop through your door. It's not about the brand, it's about the opportunities you can have with that brand. Sometimes, a project doesn't initially seem all that exciting, but you end up producing some of your best work for it. I've done everything from putting football shirts on turkeys to dropping Andy Murray off by helicopter on One Canada Square. It's such a varied landscape.
Which brand experience that you've produced would you love to relive again?
The time we created a 5.5-metre-high party popper for Cadbury and filled it with Olympic tickets. I've never been so nervous. We were at Westfield in Stratford - thousands of people were waiting for tickets - and I was thinking: "What happens if it doesn't go off?" It was an intense production but really memorable.
Sian Baker, managing partner
Baker boasts a varied career history: running club nights, doing PR for XFM and working client-side at Diesel. After a long stint at agency Making Waves she joined Pretty Green in 2009.
What does your job entail?
Managing the events and experiential team, as well as our studio arm. The job is very creative and allows me to get my hands dirty - plus I get out of doing the heavy finance stuff.
Pretty Green Studio launched last year. Why did you decide to set up a dedicated creative services division?
Historically we have outsourced most creative work to illustrators, artworkers and designers. But more of that work was coming in to us, so we decided that we would benefit from having a team in our office. It's now such a massive part of what we do - every campaign has to have some sort of creative output.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I would love to be on a beach, surfing and working remotely. Failing that I would like to be on a film set. One of our ambitions with Pretty Green is Pretty Pictures, our film production arm. We want to be producing our own content in the next couple of years.
I have designs on writing and directing, but I would still like to be involved with brands, because we do amazing work for them and it's very gratifying.
Emily Koppit, account manager
Koppit joined Pretty Green nearly three years ago as the office runner. With a background in theatre production and performance she quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to account manager in 2014.
What are the biggest challenges for you?
Keeping my sense of humour. When you've been up for what feels like 58 hours it is important to not let things get on top of you. It's a high-pressure environment, but you have to keep staying reactive and responsive.
What is the working culture like?
We're really supported to progress and are always listened to - the leadership team takes our opinions into consideration. Working on projects is like when friends go on holiday together: you know there will be dark times, but you'll all still be together at the end of the day. And we have an office bar (The Wonky Flamingo), so we tend to stay here for drinks on Friday then go across the road to the pub.
Have you ever been tempted to leave account management and explore a different events role?
Our roles are hybrid, so I'm also an event producer. I'll be on site sorting out generators and waste pipes, but will also be there making sure the client is happy. I feel very spoilt.
Full-time staff: 42
Established: 2008
Longest-serving client: Nando's
Turnover: £7m
Sectors: Retail, food and drink, fitness, telecoms
Around the Corner
Pretty Green will continue to invest in its studio and content arm. It has recently taken an equity stake in a new technology start-up and become its business marketing partner. This will launch in the coming months.
Future events
The agency is coming out of the development stages of campaigns for the likes of Lego, John Lewis, Pandora and Virgin Media.
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