As Office Administrator, day-to-day tasks really vary – so a ‘typical day’ is a tricky one to cover! Some days you’re on your feet checking supplies, overseeing maintenance and contractors, greeting visitors and keeping the office nice and organised for the rest of the team. Other days you’re at your desk handling calls and emails, processing accounts and finance, or assisting the design team with quality checks on projects. This kind of work doesn’t really touch on client projects – but I do also work as one of Spiral’s production quality controllers, which is a great way for me to connect with the broader team and keep up to speed on what’s happening in the studio. The best days are those that have a nice balance of everything, really. I’m a big fan of variety in work so it’s a great fit for me, plus all the stairs here at Spiral keep me active between desk stints.

I think it’s one of those ‘wearing many hats’ situations. Prioritising tasks, being conscious of timescales and deadlines, and multitasking are all key factors in how I approach things. Boiling it all down, I’d probably say ‘agile’ is the right word to describe it! Having the ability to hop from task to task while retaining accuracy and quality is a vital skill for me, really.

This comes down to effective communication – either with team members or our clients. I recently coordinated a time-sensitive delivery to Gran Canaria for one of our clients’ events. Even though the courier assured us of costs and lead times, chaos at customs became a big problem. I kept Jacob, our Project Manager, and the client updated every step of the way – and in the end, we got the package there on time and under budget.

Pierrefonds. It’s a tiny village in the North of France. There’s essentially nothing there but a bakery and a bar, but just on the outskirts is a huge mediaeval castle that was rebuilt with historically-accurate methods in the late 1800s. It’s really special to walk around and it looks just as you imagine it would have at the time! You might have even seen it before – it’s the setting for BBC Wales’ legendary production Merlin starring Colin Morgan.

This is actually a really important part of my role, and possibly the most fun. I have to ensure the office is a safe, suitable and well-organised space for the team and visitors, but it’s equally important to find ways to make it a positive and upbeat place to be too. So far I’ve found the best way to keep the Spiral team motivated is biscuits. Particularly the fancy ones on Wednesdays when the whole team is in the office. I just finished decorating the office for Halloween too. There’s nothing like a fake severed hand on your keyboard to keep you happy and healthy in the workplace.

Gherkins. I honestly don’t know what it is, they just have a hold on me and are appropriate at all times of day in my opinion. I wouldn’t say it quite goes as far as ‘often’, but they are occasionally the first thing I eat in a day. Even before coffee. I just love ‘em.

I recently read The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, and by Chapter 3 it was already the best book I’ve ever read. It’s a mix of deep, moralistic allegory and absolutely ludicrous, comical chaos. The kind of novel that makes you feel drunk as you read it. As a lover of folklore and fairytales, any story where the Devil turns up to cause mischief is going to be my bag. In case anyone takes this recommendation seriously, I won’t say any more – it’s best to go in knowing nothing at all. But one big tip is to avoid the audiobook – Russian names are incredibly hard to keep track of unless you’re looking right at them.

I’d love to say Amy Winehouse, because I’ve adored her work and undeniable talent since childhood. For me, she was that artist that I discovered of my own accord as a teenager, loved deeply, and then lost again all too soon – like Kurt Cobain for my Dad, or Freddie Mercury for my Grandma. However, the thought of actually sitting across the table from her is quite terrifying! So maybe David Attenborough, for obvious reasons.

Mostly just for the sake of settling an ongoing discussion with our Creative Director, Rob, I’d like to try out ‘transforming into a balloon on cue’. We’re trying to work out what scenarios it would be most useful in, but there’s so many variable factors involved it’s a tough one to call. You could save yourself from drowning, but only in fairly shallow water so the pressure doesn’t burst you. Do you fill with air or helium? Can you choose depending on the situation? Decisions, decisions.