London Creative: Fran Gamble

We caught up with Francesca Gamble, founder of Twenty-Nine London to talk about the what it’s like running the agency to her favourite places in London to hang out in.

1. HOW DID YOU START TWENTY-NINE LONDON?

To be honest, it evolved very naturally. It wasn’t something I sat and thought I wanted to create, I think that’s the beauty in it, I never over thought it. I found myself juggling too many clients and not being able to service them all on my own and gradually that has developed in to Twenty-Nine London. I started out working from an ipad at home as I couldn’t afford a laptop or office space, and within my first year I grew the business considerably and now have a lovely office on Shoreditch High St and a great network of people I work with.

2. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT RUNNING TWENTY-NINE LONDON?

I love the challenge of running a business and being able to wear so many hats; from Financial Director, to HR, to CEO, to Manager, to the office cleaner at times! Whatever the job is, I will always ensure I have done it first before asking anyone else to do it. I have found myself in meetings with a Princess, flying to Austria for a workshop, to launching a sports brand. The diversity in the job is like no other, no day is the same and this is what keeps things exciting.

3. WHAT FUTURE PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE AGENCY?

Keep working and collaborating with great people, agencies and brands. We love working on special projects, as we’re a nimble agency we can hit the ground running fast and cover a lot in a short space of time. We scale teams according to budgets and deliver great results.

4. WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN?

Write everything down. Don’t make any quick decisions. It isn’t always easy to follow, but the more you do it, the more it becomes second nature.

5. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE PLACES IN LONDON TO HANG OUT IN?

When I started Twenty-Nine London a coffee shop would be my sanctuary, I used to always be in Clapton Sq 119. I love to chat to people in there and find out what they were working on – yes I can be that annoying girl you want to walk away from – but I find when you meet people in coffee shops during the day, they’re usually doing the same as you and looking to hustle wherever possible. Still to this day, I will tell my team to go and work from a coffee shop when possible, either Protein Studio’s cafe Creame or Allpress, just for a quick hour of creativity and change of scenery.

6. WHAT WOULD YOUR IDEAL SUNDAY LOOK LIKE?

Spending time with my family out of London, an ever growing clan of little ones who are so fun to be around. Otherwise I’m all about lazy Sunday’s spent walking down the canal near my flat to Victoria Park, pick up breakfast and a coffee from Pavilion cafe and then continue to wonder to broadway market. If I’m feeling energetic I’ll head to Columbia Rd, but I find myself getting so frustrated with tourists it becomes a trip to The Royal Oak, for a G&T and a bite to eat!

Website: www.twentynine.london

Photography by Nyla Sammons