Q&A: Interview with Faye Williams, creative marketer, DJ and founder of Flabbergast

‍A social media, paid, and IRL marketing agency for visionaries, Flabbergast is part of Stakked, the world’s first collective of “creative boutech” companies. Their team has extensive experience nurturing and expanding fan bases at industry giants such as Universal Music, Island Records, Warner Music, and Broadwick Live.

In this fast-paced, over-saturated world we find ourselves in, it’s never been more important to find ways to cut through the noise while simultaneously protecting our energy, staying grounded, and remaining authentic.

Meet Faye, a dynamic creative marketer, DJ, and energy practitioner. As the founder of Flabbergast, a cutting-edge social media agency, Faye brings a wealth of experience from her work with major music and culture brands. Join us as she shares her journey, insights, and tips for navigating the worlds of marketing, music, and energy healing.

‍Please introduce yourself:

I’m Faye, the MD of the creative social media agency Flabbergast. 

After developing my creative and digital marketing skills over the last ten years, heading up campaigns for music and culture spaces such as Island Records, Warner Music, Potato Head Bali and Broadwick Live (Printworks, Field Day etc), I recently launched Flabbergast as part of the Stakked collective - the first collective of its kind, built by design to power four specialist agencies across earned, social, paid and digital with the latest AI tools to deliver creative excellence for start-ups and scale-ups through to global brands.

I am also a DJ and play house and electronic music as ‘Trudy Knight’. In 2019 I won a competition to be mentored by Peggy Gou, it was an honour to learn from one of the best electronic music artists in the industry. This incredible experience opened up many opportunities, and my recent gigs have been at Drumsheds, Pikes Ibiza, a Soho House rooftop session, and a Rankin photo shoot. 

I’m based in London, but in 2020 I spent a year living in Bali exploring the world of ‘energy’  and am a trained reiki practitioner, angel card reader and sound bath host - which is a fantastic balance for my agency life! 

Bali was great, but I love being back in London working with some of my pals and familiar faces in the artist marketing world, as well as helping consumer brands learn how to build fanbases in a similar way.‍

How was your experience working with Universal Music’s Island Records and Warner Music Group?

Working with major labels early in my career was like attending finishing school. During this time, I built my network, learned invaluable marketing skills, managed teams, and gained a deep understanding of professional standards. I had the opportunity to work with major artists such as Post Malone, Giggs, and Mumford & Sons, as well as help develop emerging talents like Sigrid.

I gained a deep understanding of business standards and how things should be done to a world-class standard, which is something I have brought to Flabbergast. We’re a boutique agency, but we punch way above our weight which is ideal for smaller brands and artists, as well as global giants.  

During this time I also founded Island Co.lab, an events-based networking initiative to connect the label’s artists with KOL and creators, so there were also a lot of parties! Looking back it all sounds very glamorous, but it was also hard work and fast-paced. No day was ever the same.

‍What did your roles involve?

I have always been focused on digital marketing, even before the rise of social media (Instagram had only just launched when I started at Warner). My roles have always involved staying ahead of digital trends and exploring how they can be used to cultivate fanbases for artists.

At Warner, I saw an opportunity to set up an in-house advertising agency department and led eCRM campaigns, managing data and messaging for major artists like Ed Sheeran, Jason Derulo, and Sean Paul.

Wanting to work more closely with artists to nurture their online growth, I moved to Island Records. There, I headed 360 digital marketing campaigns, covering social media, eCRM, websites, creator partnerships, and innovation. We worked to understand each artist's story, developing their brand using the latest trends and tools, and identifying super fans to spread the word.‍

Tell us more about Flabbergast:

Flabbergast is a social media, paid and IRL marketing agency for visionary brands, events and artists, using data and AI-powered analytics to grow fanbases online and off. Flabbergast is part of Stakked, the world’s first collective of “creative boutech” companies.

We’ve applied our rich background in nurturing and growing fame and fan bases at industry giants like Universal Music, Island Records, Warner Music, Broadwick Live and more to build powerful followings for brands of all sizes, from startups to global giants.

Our team takes a creative and insight-driven approach to connect artists and brands to their audiences. We’re social natives who are tapped into trends and culture, as well as geeking out on the stats!

Our services span social media strategy, social-first content ideation and production, social media management, paid media, creator partnerships, merchandise production, IRL event activations, outdoor media and everything in between. 

We’re growing like crazy, which is very exciting. And we’re actively looking for talent to fuel our expansion, so if there are any creative social media experts passionate about work at the intersection of data and culture, I’d love to hear from them at hireme@flabbergast.uk! 

How did you become a DJ?

While working at Island, I noticed some of my colleagues could DJ. As a huge fan of house music and aware of the underrepresentation of female DJs in the industry, I was eager to learn myself.

After a few serendipitous events, I enrolled in a course at London Sound Academy, which I highly recommend to anyone wondering where to start.

Soon after, I won a DJ mix competition with Smirnoff, earning Peggy Gou as my mentor and a gig at Printworks. There, I met many people who are still good friends today. More gigs and radio shows followed, and the rest is history.

What is your most memorable set?

There’s been a few! But most recently I played after a secret Jungle set at Soho House Greek Street. 

I was so nervous going on stage as the room was packed and the crowd was supercharged after seeing Jungle, so I really didn’t want to let them down. We went on a journey through old school house, afro house, disco and garage. People were literally climbing up benches at the back and hanging off the roof to see the decks. It was mad, such an amazing feeling, and my best friend even cried at the end!

How do you balance work and music?

Music fuels my work, so it never feels like I'm balancing the two. I only take gigs that excite me, as I’m conscious of being careful with my energy and not burning myself out. 

Listening to new tunes for my sets keeps me motivated while working on pitches or reports. Collaborating with artists who share my love for music is also a huge plus, and I see DJing as a way to keep my energy high, which benefits my day job.

I also don’t drink, and I see playing out as a way to keep my energy high, which only benefits the day job!  

Favourite song in your playlist at the moment?

My pal Shizz has made a deep house-y dub of Boston Bun’s ‘Missing You’ which I’m actually obsessed with! Hopefully it will be released for the world to also enjoy it soon.  

What are your top 3 tips for social media marketing for artists?

1. Create a strategy based on your audience: Understand the differences between Gen Z and Millennial audiences. Gen Z prefers short, organic-feeling videos, while Millennials favour polished, aspirational, longer-form content.
2. Confidence and consistency: The more you post, the more natural it will feel to you and your audience.
3. Inspire with your content: Consistency with your brand and delivering a strong message is key. Utilise platform tools like subtitles to enhance engagement.

Follow Faye / Trudy Knight 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faye_williams/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fayewilliams4/ 

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/trudyknightmusic  

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