Newsletter
#WFH Diaries: Betsy Jemas of Organic New York
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage across the globe, we’re checking in with people in the creative industry to see how they’re doing. Here’s an update from Betsy Jemas, executive creative director at Organic New York.
Give us a one-line bio of yourself.
Creative director who normally lives in Manhattan and is lucky enough to lead, manage and collaborate with awesome people creating cutting-edge work for rad clients at Organic NYC.
Where are you living right now, and who’s with you?
Coming at you LIVE from escaping to the mountains of Northern Vermont with my ride-or-die Colin and Aussie Shepard, Maggie.
What’s your work situation like at the moment?
Organic’s done such an amazing job to make transitioning to an all-remote office as seamless as possible. Super collaborative, understanding and inclusive. So mostly business as usual, just less free coffee.
Describe your socializing strategy.
Scheduled video wine nights with my girlfriends, tons of group text threads, and some pretty cutthroat games of Draw Something.
What are you reading?
How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan, Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and a bunch of email subject lines from brands that REALLY want me to know they’re being safe.
What are you watching?
How is this answer anything but Tiger King?
What are you listening to?
The Dead—particularly the ’89 Alpine Valley and ’80 Warfield shows—and Phish (Vermont, right?). Nugs.net has been streaming some free shows, so that’s been filling my concert void. I’ve also been queueing up podcasts on the fluffier side (Fat Mascara and Sexy Unique Podcast are in heavy rotation) as well as Cat Marnell’s Self Tanner for the Soul on Audible (which is as close to traveling abroad as things are going to get right now).
How are you staying fit?
Trail running in the mountains every day. My road-runner, sea-level body hates me. Hot tubbing. I’ve become pretty good at it.
Any tips for getting necessities?
Buy/support local whenever you can and don’t take much more than you need. We’re in this together.
An awkward moment since all this started.
Colin making an oblivious cameo on a Zoom call while watering the plants shirtless (background not for sale).
Best work email you got since all this started.
There’s been so much encouragement, especially from our leadership, I can’t choose just one. So, I’ll replace “email” with “Slack” and say any message in our newly formed Slack channel dedicated to pets, the unsung heroes of social distancing.
An aha! moment since all this started.
Maybe Settlers of Catan isn’t THAT dorky … ???
What’s your theory on how this is going to play out?
I’m hoping there’s going to be a revived sense of community and shifted priority in everyone’s lives, including how we value each other—not just our friends and family, but humankind as a whole.
