Member Spotlight: Amy Jung
I'm Amy, a creative and operations specialist. I build bridges for talented individuals and early stage startups to grow through their community. As a Creative Strategist, I design human-centered experiences for brands. Day to day, I wear lots of hats- I’m the co-founder of Raw Haus, the organization supporting emerging creatives in art, design, and technology; consult for early-stage startups under Shared Realities, head community engagement at the incredible non-profit Open Style Lab, and previously the Program Director at the retail accelerator, XRC Labs.
Tell us about your journey to founding Raw Haus!
Raw Haus began as a small breakfast idea, to introduce a couple designers with my colleague and now co-founder, Gabi Steele. Between the two of us, we made a list from our network and when over 112 people RSVPed, we realized there was a real need beyond ourselves. After six events, our mission from day one has never changed- we’ve always wanted to provide a collaborative platform for sharing ideas, opportunities, and resources amongst the greater creative community.
How do your events support creative communities?
Aside from connecting individuals with each other, our event series introduces emerging roles and topics in the creative field. Gabi & I recognize that design & technology are maturing fields and there’s a huge desire to explore. The experts we bring in are always extremely down to earth, and aren’t afraid to talk about the unknowns they face. We also always end our events with an opportunities shout out, where anyone can come up to mention call out, whether it be filling a role, being hired, asking for feedback, or looking to collaborate.
How do you see Raw Haus expanding over the next few years?
We have tons of growth plans for the near future and beyond! In addition to our monthly series, Raw Haus will be having a Summit early next year to deep dive into some of the emerging roles from our past events. This will be workshop style -- which means more active than just sitting for hours listening—we will actually be engaging in real time with the skills being taught! A few other things in our pipeline: A Raw ‘HAUS’ office for our community members to host events and work/hang out, global expansion to Toronto, London, SF & LA, grants to invest in our community, and a secret project that will be released next year.
Do you have any advice for entrepreneurs who want to connect with other creators and industry leaders?
Search and connect through the why. I don’t mean what you need from someone- find out why they’re interested in doing what they do, and make it easy for people to know your why too. It’ll create a genuine relationship that stems from something more deep rooted.
What do you think are the best parts about working remotely?
Flexibility. I’m genuinely an avid user of croissant because it solves my need of having workspaces close to wherever I am at the moment. When I travel between boroughs, cities, and even states, I’m able to choose any workplace!
Thank you Amy! You can find her on Instagram @amyjunggg and @rawhaus and Twitter @itsamyjung and @raw_haus.