In this series, we’re taking a look at some of the most creative faces in Melbourne with some help from our friend Kathleen Gunther, who partners with independent agencies across Australia and New Zealand to scale their brand presence and drive sustainable growth. This week, we spoke with Dr Marion Piper, senior creative.
1. How long have you been in Melbourne? If you weren’t born here, did you choose it or did it choose you?
Melbourne has always been a place I’ve dipped in and out of my whole life. I was born here but after my parents split, mum moved us up to the Gold Coast (which in the 90s was a total vibe to grow up in).
I moved back in 2004 after high school and went to Monash Caulfield for visual art. After that, I got bit by the travel bug and became obsessed with seeing the world, including stints living in both the UK and the US.
My curiosity always gets the better of me but Melbourne continues to steal my heart, time and time again!
2. What’s the most Melbourne thing about the way you or your team works?
I work part-time in media, and freelance as a copywriter and creativity coach; what’s more Melbourne than having a finger in many pies?! I find collaboration addictive, especially with the insane talent we have here. And as someone who’s proudly ADHD, my brain is wired for that level of variety and change.
3. Who in the local industry has shaped the way you think about leadership or doing business? Tell us about them.
I’ve been so fortunate to be embraced by the industry, even though I didn’t start out in it (I was in academia and the visual arts for the first eight years of my career).
Marty Drill from Luminary is the most generous. Jason Soultan from Soul+Wolf put me on my first big stage to speak. Ryan Kelly from Creative Natives championed my neurospicy brain and let me yap on various webinars.
Then there are the WOMEN.
Susan Cowan from Weave Web gave me my first paid copywriting job. Nat Khoo from Avion Agency gave me a taste of being the boss. Anna Gowers, Prue Jones, Jasmine Parasram, Mages Ruiz Diaz, Suz Chadwick, and so many others have had my back (and you too, Kathleen!).
That’s what I love MOST about being a creative in Melbourne: the people.
4. Where do you go in Melbourne to inspire your best ideas?
As an artist first and foremost, art galleries continue to be the church of ideas for me. They’re such sacred spaces. When I feel blocked or need a hit of inspo, I’ll take myself to the smaller galleries, like Sophie Gannon or Daine Singer, because it’s where you’re guaranteed a good chat and to be surprised by the unexpected.
5. If you were a Melbourne walk-up song, what would it be and why?
My current hyperfixation hype song is Charli XCX’s Talk Talk with Troye Sivan. He embodies the best parts of the inner north in my mind, at least when it was a little less gentrified.
It’s matched only by the niche classic The Sunshine Drive by The Spazzys. What’s more iconic than including Melbourne Bitter in a pre-chorus?! Reminds me of $2 pots at The Espy and talking about Art until the wee hours of a weekday morning while at uni. Simpler times.
Kathleen Gunther is the founder of Gunther Consulting, partnering with independent agencies across Australia and New Zealand to scale their brand presence and drive sustainable growth. With expertise spanning digital marketing, brand strategy, PR and communications, she brings the pragmatism, specialist connections and industry know-how to help agencies market their most important client — themselves. Kathleen also serves as a Board Member of AWIA, actively shaping Australia’s digital landscape and championing inclusivity in the industry.
