Introducing Georgette, Community & Events at Croissant

We recently welcomed the wonderful Georgette Eva to our team. Many of you have met her already at one of our happy hour events or coworking meetups. She's heading up our community building efforts at Croissant. That means she will be working on a ton of exciting new initiatives to help you meet one another. We are so excited to have her here!

We wanted to learn more about her, so we spoke with her recently to learn more about why she loves community building, what she does on the weekend in New York City, and some of her very favorite books.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Sure! I feel lucky to say that I’ve followed a lot of jobs that were always interesting to me. I moved to New York to write, so I did a lot of freelancing initially. I wrote about everything from the New York dating scene, travel, architecture, healthy eating, to celebrities and entertainment. I also got to work in fashion and marketing— I loved to organize shoots and think of new campaigns. And I’ve had some really interesting retail experiences. I used to work at a museum’s gift shop and then I worked in a luxury lingerie store. I’m chatty and I like making people laugh, so connecting with people was always my favorite part about working in retail.

I’m a big reader— I’m part of a Y.A. bookclub— and I love finding new food and desserts around the city. I’m trying to learn how to cook, but in the meantime, when someone gives me a recommendation or when I see something delicious on Facebook or Instagram, I add it to my Google Map and it’s filled with pins of all these places I mean to go.

I’m really loving how Filipino food is having it’s moment. I see ube ice cream more often now which makes me so happy. And there are more restaurants in Brooklyn and the city. The best ones are in Woodside though.

What do you love about community building?

I really like bringing people together and, specifically with Croissant, the fun part is making someone’s day-to-day better— helping them be productive by coworking, introducing them to new members, listening to their feedback. I’m part of really strong communities on Facebook and it’s this great support system. I can ask for work advice, personal recommendations, or just post something I’ve been thinking about. Think of it as a group chat with your friends.

More importantly, I can provide support or learn something new. It really comes down to creating that space and encouraging people feel open enough to sound off.

What excites you about building Croissant’s community?

I worked a regular 9-5, and found that it can get a little too formulaic. In the office, I was part of the marketing department, but I naturally became that person who tried to fix things in the office, planned the holiday get togethers, and made a big deal for someone’s birthday. I knew I wanted that culture to change and I wanted to turn someone’s day around. 

I also used to freelance so I know the stress and loneliness of that work life. With Croissant, I think the best thing about my role is that I can bring a lot of people together and reformat what a freelancer’s work day can be. 

When I first stumbled on Croissant, I thought it was so clever. I saw it as a way to really change the way someone could work. And the members feel it too— I’m always energized by them. Everyone comes from various backgrounds, have different interests, and they definitely know what they want out of their professional lives. With their workspace and their careers reworked, my hope is that I can change work culture for them too.

Tell us about some of your favorite books, podcasts, and blogs!

I read this a few months ago, but I can’t get over how brilliant The Hate U Give is. It’s a Y.A. book that’s relevant and so full of heart and humor. I’ve passed my copy along and am probably tricking my friends into a book club now that I think about it. I’m also slightly manic for books so it’s not uncommon to find me carrying three around— one’s probably by Jane Austen or Elizabeth Gaskell because I like classic female writers. I love reminding people that women invented the novel. Men used to disregard it as frivolous. Just sayin’.

That being said, my favorite podcasts center around female voices— Strong Opinions Loosely Held and Radio Cherry Bombe are my top favorites. SOLH talks about pop culture and feminism and Radio Cherry Bombe is based off the magazine that centers on women and food. They’re both really inspiring, funny, and their hosts are really pursuing their passions.

I’m really all over when it comes to reading online. I’m always on sites like The New Potato which focuses on the world with a food lens. I love Reductress, McSweeney’s, The New Yorker because they have the best headlines and humor pieces.

What are some of the things you love about your favorite workspaces? Hustle and bustle, quiet spaces, lounge chairs, etc?

I like the influential energy— I always call it buzz. I hope this makes sense, but basically just being around people working, having a little bit of discussion in the background, seeing people come together to joke or say hi. I think that’s really good energy to be near and I always love seeing it around me. It’s so encouraging and makes you feel part of something larger.

Oh and coffee and tea— haha. A space that has good coffee and tea and great energy. I’m trying to lay off coffee, perhaps a little unsuccessfully, but when I really need it I love a space that puts that extra consideration on their coffee.

What do you enjoy most about living & working in New York City?

There’s so much to do, even if it’s just laying in the park to read which is usually where I’ll be when the weather is nice. 

It can get overwhelming— and I do this myself— because you can overextend yourself to meet with friends, or keep up with the latest restaurants, or the latest trendy thing. But I think that everyone understands that and being here has helped me prioritize and figure out what I want to do. I’ve also met really interesting people just by reaching out and wanting to meet for breakfast or coffee and that’s always a lovely way to start the day and keep inspired.

Thank you Georgette, and welcome to the team! Follow Georgette's eating and reading adventures on Instagram @georgetteablyso. You can also check upcoming the Croissant NYC meetups to see if she'll be there (spoiler alert: probably!).
 

Photos taken by Lizi Myers