Hello, I'm Emma. After learning all about ideas on the Watford creative course, I joined a startup called Sunshine where I was employee number six. Then I moved on to Google's Creative Lab, where I spent my days working on great briefs with some very lovely, talented people. I've worked on lots of things – VR, immersive experiences, audio, editorial, events, film treatments, adverts and brand books. I'm currently freelancing. To get in touch, email me on emmadurgan@gmail.com or call 07889 969 668.
Projects
- BACK TO LIFE IN VIRTUAL REALITYGoogle joined forces with the Natural History Museum and the Museum für Naturkunde to spark people's interest in Natural History. Working with a wonderful team, I was lead writer on the project – writing the script for the experience, working on the strategy, coming up with the name and end-line, as well as writing briefs across internal and external comms. You can experience Rhomaleosaurus and Giraffatitan for yourself on YouTube (please watch with Google Cardboard and a smartphone).
- REFUGEE.INFO HUBIn 2015, thousands of refugees were landing on the Greek islands every day. Information on the ground was scarce, so Google came together with the International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps to build Refugee.Info Hub – a mobile site giving refugees vital information. Working as part of a tight-knit team, we created two short films telling the incredible stories of NGOs, and Google’s ongoing partnerships with them. I wrote the storyboards, narrative and subtitles, as well as being creativel
- THE NIKE FOUNDATION: GIRL EFFECT LIVEThe Nike Foundation lobbies governments to support the potential of girls in developing countries, which results in breaking the cycle of global poverty - they call this The Girl Effect. Our challenge was to communicate The Girl Effect with a multi-venue street festival in east London. We told the real stories of girls living in poverty through a programme of music, spoken-word, immersive theatre and art, collaborating with an array of creative talent including Jessie J, George The Poet, Punch
- EQUALITY NOW: MAKE EQUALITY REALITYOne of my first projects, ‘Make Equality Reality’ was a steep learning curve for a very worthwhile cause. Working with international women’s charity, Equality Now, and in partnership with Skype, we were commissioned to create a hardback coffee table book which brought to life the inspirational stories of Equality Now’s work around the world. As well as collaborating with acclaimed international photographer Stephanie Sinclair, I worked side-by-side with Sunday Times journalist Jessie Brinton wh
- KICKSTARTER: MY BEAUTIFUL BROKEN BRAINThis was a project particularly close to my heart. My Beautiful Broken Brain is a feature-length film documenting the inspiring journey of Lotje Sodderland, a young woman who suffered a massive brain haemorrhage at just 34. Working with Lotje herself and award-winning director Sophie Robinson, our team created a social and PR campaign that helped successfully crowdfund the film via Kickstarter. I devised pledging incentive ideas, such as ‘A Word for Lotje’ and followed these through production and circulation. As well as writing the film poster’s endline, Kickstarter page, press releases and updating social media with daily tweets and facebook posts. The project won IndieWire’s Project of the Week.
- THE SKYPE COLLABORATION PROJECTI was part of the editorial team on The Skype Collaboration Project - Skype’s new online editorial platform designed to empower and inspire a younger audience. It aimed to demonstrate how Skype’s range of lesser-known technology can help support young creatives and their ambitions in the fashion industry. I came up with editorial ideas, researched them and wrote them up into articles. I also interviewed influential fashion figure Jen Mankins and worked with up-and-coming photographer Jonnie Craig. After The Skype Collaboration Project was established as a credible editorial platform, it became the vehicle to tell Victoria Beckham’s story of her rise in the fashion world. All in all, the project gained 400 million social media impressions and the site had more than 4 million visitors!
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Projects credited in
- Woman Will: Lead, Create and InspireThis is the inspirational story of six musicians from across Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa - Teni the Entertainer and Simi in Nigeria, Sho Madjozi, Lady Zamar and Shekhinah in South Africa, and Muthoni Drummer Queen in Kenya. Famous as singers, songwriters and performers, they are also businesswomen, mentors and sound engineers. Their journeys show that to succeed in any industry - the skills of leadership, entrepreneurship and digital literacy are universally important. By sharing how they o
- Women Will Lead, Create, InspireWe created a short film that showcases the stories of inspirational entrepreneurial women across the Nigerian (Simi, Teni the Entertainer), South African (Sho Madjozi, Lady Zamar, Shekhinah) and Kenyan (Muthoni Drummer Queen) music scene. Their diverse talents include being singers, songwriters, performers, rappers, event founders, mentors and sound engineers. Told through the lens of the music industry and creativity, it explores the Womenwill themes of entrepreneurship, digital literacy and le
Work history
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Senior Freelance WriterVarious clients and agencies
London, United KingdomFreelance
Delivering against various advertising and social impact briefs. Writing, editing and proofing film, website and social media copy.
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Senior Creative WriterGoogle Creative Lab (through Adecco)
- London, United KingdomFreelance
Senior writer at Google Creative Lab, working with a multidisciplinary team of
art directors, designers, UXers, filmmakers and developers. Lead writer on campaigns ranging from virtual dinosaurs with the Natural History Museum to Google’s refugee crisis initiatives. Involved in The Dots mentorship scheme, mentoring and working with graduates.
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Skills
- Strategy
- Writing
- Concepting Ideas
- Client Presentation
- Communication
- Editing
- Copy Proofing
- Proofing
- Ad Copywriting
- Audience-facing Copywriting
Education
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Professional Development Diploma In Art Direction and CopywritingWatford Ad School
- Watford, United Kingdom
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BA (hons) English Literature and LanguageUniversity of Leicester
- Leicester, United Kingdom
Achieved first-class marks in all my specialist subjects and dissertation, for which the subject was ‘Aestheticism and Morality in Oscar Wilde’s short-story The Picture of Dorian Gray and his play Salome’.
Awards
Wood Pencil / Branded Content & Entertainment / Immersive / 2017D&AD
Google Creative Lab were asked to create a way for people to discover Natural History on Google’s Arts & Culture platform. Working with Natural History museums, they created ‘Back to Life in Virtual Reality’ - two experiences where prehistoric beasts come back to life from museum fossils. These can be viewed anywhere using Google Cardboard, as well as in the museums themselves. Users can come face to face with extinct animals and see how our actions impact species today - giving people a new way to experience the past and motivating them to help preserve life on our planet for the future.Graphite Pencil Graphite Pencil / Digital Design / Digital Installations / 2017D&AD
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