Who Exactly Are We Dealing With Here?

An interview with co-founders of Unlabelled.
By Lily Richards

What’s the difference between Fyre Festival and The Commercial Bay Opening? Many colourful responses spring to mind but the answer is actually pretty simple; the people running it.

When I was asked to interview the co-founders of Auckland based event company Unlabelled for an industry mag, I became curious about how creatives are forged, I mean, what didn’t Billy McFarland have that these two women do?

Apart from honesty, integrity and compassion, obviously…

I met Jess and Rebecca at the top of their spiral staircase in a shared office space conveniently situated between their two homes: one in the CBD, the other in a rural area north of Auckland. This split in locations is indicative of the two different personalities at the helm; Rebecca calls Jess the ‘creative one’ and so, by implication, Rebecca becomes the ‘organised one’.
I imagine one dancing around a farm, the other getting shit done in the city.

A perfect mix of measured strategy and talented frivolity.

Some years prior, Rebecca left New Zealand for Ballet School in London, which explains her ability to use structure to create beauty. Familiar with being on stage, Rebecca became curious about what was happening behind the scenes and pivoted into events and theatre.
Working with Mike Mizrahi and Marie Adams, known for their work on World of Wearable Arts, at Inside Out Productions for 20 years, Rebecca learnt how to flood venues, blow up tonnes of pyrotechnics, move productions around the world and generally make possible the seemingly impossible. Big names she’s worked with include Louis Vuitton for their Cup Balls and their worldwide 150th Celebration and the Auckland opening for the Rugby World Cup 2011 which included New Zealand’s largest fireworks show.

Jess on the other hand started out with structure and got more wobbly as she went on - that’s a jelly reference for those of you who know her business the Jellyologist. With a degree in Spatial Design and a Masters in Architecture Jess has worked in New York as a set designers assistant Off Broadway, in London as a graphic designer and as a Creative Director for a small PR agency. She’s exhibited at the Architecture Biennale in Venice and created TV sets entirely out of jelly. Which is much harder even than it sounds. As well as co-founding Unlabelled, she’s the owner of Jellyologist, a successful FMCG brand now available in supermarkets.

Eventually their paths led them to a PR firm where they collided (I imagine some kind of kinetic spark occurring) and realised in each other the perfect counterpart. Both creative entrepreneurs have in common an abiding love of, and ability to design, mind-blowingly great experiences, so they set about starting their own company to do just that. 

Unlabelled is born.

When asked about the favourite events they’ve attended Jess mentions a friend's wedding in Poland “the best people, mostly professional musicians, in a beautiful location playing great music and drinking vodka out the bottle until the sun came up.”

Rebecca says, what with organising being her day job, she loves a spontaneous happening like that time her and her husband found themselves surrounded by couples dancing in the ancient square of Merida in Mexico. Or recently when traveling in Cuba the outburst of amazing musicians on street corners - a soundtrack that now underpins all the other sensory memories: the smells, the colours, the food…

All this considered it’s no surprise that when asked what Unlabelled does better than anyone else, they had this to say:

“We put emotion at the centre of everything. We ask our clients to shift their thinking away from selling goods or services and start thinking more about staging experiences. Instead of thinking in ‘mechanics’ or in commercial terms ie:  ‘how can we increase spend at Christmas time ’ we think ‘how can we tell a unique Christmas story that engages people on an emotional level?’’

And their approach is certainly not form over function, most often their kind of thinking results in better commercial returns. They’ve learnt that by putting experience at the centre of everything, the rest will follow.

They convincingly argue that their approach isn’t any different to traditional agencies using emotional storytelling to craft the ads we’ve been watching on TV for decades - they’re just doing it in the real world. With tangible and immersive experiences.

I wondered what it would be like to be a client of theirs. Their process is so liberal and thoughtful, the outcomes so unique, it must be a little like watching an artist create blown glass - a mystery, but right in front of your eyes.

For each client they research widely; scouring the artistic, scientific, technological and fringe to uncover the perfect idea to stimulate the senses, send the right message and all within financial and strategic parameters.

Their overarching goal is to bring experiences back into the lives of New Zealanders by exposing them to new performance and technology that wows them, moves them, wakes them up. These emotive responses have a tangible ROI for companies too as they help with brand recognition and alignment, revenue generation and customer retention.

And who or what would be their dream commission?

For Jess it’s the work they’re already doing, helping to develop community spaces, contributing to the cultural fabric of Auckland city on an architectural scale using emotional storytelling and theatrical techniques. But, you know, throw in a client with an unlimited budget whose open to anything, and that would probably sit toe-to-toe with her work helping reshape the commons. 

For Rebecca it’s pretty straightforward: a brave client, who wants to do something different and trusts them to get it done.

So much of what Unlabelled does is related to sensation, what then, is the after effect - how does one feel walking away from an Unlabelled happening?

There are a variety of metrics used here, all of which I’d like to feel: a tight face from smiling, eyes over-exposed to wonder, a tingle down the spine, tired legs from dancing, a well-spring of joy still bubbling. 

If someone gets stopped in their tracks, on an otherwise ordinary day, because they’ve become lost in the sublime, even just for a moment, then that’s a job well done. 

Jess says she often hangs around if they’ve installed something in a public space just to watch and listen to people discovering and engaging with it.

An example, after installing the Magic Mail Machine in Commercial Bay, Jess watched as a middle-aged businessman rushed through the atrium, late for something. The Magic Mail Machine was billowing steam which caused him to look up. He stopped, walked over to the mailbox, wrote his letter, entered his name and watched as his name appeared on the big screen. “Gah!” He said. “That is so cool”. Before carrying on to his meeting - massive grin on his face.

And the ‘organised one’ adds that she loves being on time and on budget.

The perfect couple then. The opposite of The Fyre Festival. The ideal people to call and say: “I have this thing, I want it to stand out, but I haven’t the first idea where to start…”

Then stand back and get ready to be awed.