WeTransfer Editor in Chief Isn’t Just Telling Stories—She’s Earning Oscar Nods

For many working professionals, WeTransfer can be another site on their browser history used to complete a task. But thanks to editor-in-chief Holly Fraser, it is rapidly evolving into a global creative powerhouse, most recently earning the platform its first Oscar nomination for the short film ‘The Long Goodbye’ in collaboration with actor and musician Riz Ahmed and director Aneil Karia. Acknowledging its homepage was prime real estate with which to tell stories and share creativity with creatives, WeTransfer created WePresent, their digital arts and editorial platform. This is where Fraser and her team of 10 shine as they work closely with artists from all over the world to tell unexpected stories on the platform across film, music, art, photography and literature (notable names include Solange Knowles and Marina Abramovic). Fraser shows no signs of stopping, as seen in her natural ability to identify emerging talent and plans to make their content more immersive. How WeTransfer Went From Tech Service to Oscar Qualifier How did you get to where you are today? By keeping my head down and working hard, saying yes to opportunities when they presented themselves and by having a keen eye for artists and work that will make an impact. I started interning at theaters and culture magazines when I was still a teenager—and continued doing so alongside my journalism degree when I moved to London. It was hard, the hours were long and I was paid little to nothing in most places—but it allowed me to make connections that helped me progress at each stage of my career. I really think that having an enthusiastic can-do attitude, making yourself indispensable (without being overly eager), being curious and having a healthy dose of self-belief were all factors too. But there's been plenty of setbacks too—you just have to pick yourself up and keep going. I quit a job in my 20s because of the toxic work culture. It was starting to affect my wellbeing and at the time I had basically no money and no other offers on the table. It was a particularly low point but by recognizing how damaging it would have been to stay and quit, I was able to concentrate on finding something new. Sometimes those leaps of faith really do pay off. Can you share a situation in which you've been unfairly characterized in the workplace, due to conscious or unconscious bias? How should women address these microaggressions and slights when they occur? There have been multiple times throughout my career when I’ve walked in to interview someone and have either got, “oh, we were expecting the journalist would be a man,” a comment about my appearance or some general derogatory aside about being a woman. For far too long women have been made to feel that we should just be grateful for being in the positions that we’re in, or learn to ‘suck it up’ when we’re confronted with bias. But the more that we speak up, the more people will realize how unacceptable it is. It’s great to see these conversations happening, but there’s still a long way to go. Changing course felt to me like giving up before I’d even started. What's one thing we can start doing today to help close the wage gap between men and women? Pay women more. There should be no great science to it. And if companies still can’t get their heads around that, then there should be more education and discussion around the Equal Pay Laws, which might lead to more companies actually being prosecuted for discriminating against women. The past two years have proven to be challenging for our mental health. How have you prioritized your own mental health? Our mental health has taken a massive hit in ways that we probably won’t even realize for months or years to come. I’ve always been a bit of a workaholic, but during the height of the pandemic I completely threw myself into work. Along with other inevitable distractions that weren’t particularly healthy either, those two things added together made for a rather frantic few months until I realized that I didn’t need to have my time—or my mind—filled 24/7. Allowing time to just reflect and digest what was happening was necessary. As we’re still adjusting to a new way of working, it’s important to set healthy boundaries to get away from this feeling of ‘living at work.’ Communicate your preferred working hours to your team to avoid meetings being scheduled out of hours (especially if you work across different time zones) and put away your laptop at the end of the day, instead of having it on and lingering near you like some kind of evil magnet! I’ve also found that creating times in my day when I’m completely free of screens of any kind has been healthy—whether that’s by going to the gym, going for a walk or reading a book before bed instead of mindlessly scrolling on social media. What’s one effective way you’ve seen companies address the existing need for diversity-related initiatives? By less talking and more doing. The way that we address a lack of representation is by actually hiring more people from different races, genders or sexualities and ensuring that leadership teams in companies are diverse enough so that there’s a top-down effect. The companies that are addressing this issue better than others are also the ones that are looking inside themselves and not just relying on outside initiatives; the ones that are taking this opportunity to create a better culture, more inclusive teams and a safe place to work. Tell us about one major setback you've had in your career—how did you handle it? The biggest setback of my career was probably the very beginning of it. I graduated in the middle of the recession in 2008 when new roles in journalism had largely dried up and our professors’ advice was to look for alternative employment. It was a really anxious time for my entire graduating class, but changing course felt to me like giving up before I’d even started. I had built up a wealth of contacts through interning and reached out to one who helped me land an entry level position where I then worked my way up. When you’re starting out, never be afraid to ask for help—the worst someone can say is no. What’s one way you’ve broken the rules and challenged the norm in your career? I’ve always had a good eye for talent spotting and knowing who is going to be the next big thing before they break. This was put to the test in my previous role when I went against the advice of my then boss to choose someone other than who he wanted to be on the cover of the magazine. It worked out—by the time the issue was released a few months later, the artist I’d chosen to put on the cover had the number one selling record in the country and had skyrocketed in popularity, which led to our cover selling out. That wouldn't have happened had I not trusted my gut. Listening to our instincts is something I think we tend not to do enough, but I find it’s rarely wrong. What’s the single best piece of advice you’ve ever received? My boss (our CCO) Damian Bradfield always says, “ask for forgiveness, not permission,” which I think is a pretty good way of ensuring that we keep making work that gets people talking! Why Carla Hassan of JP Morgan Chase Always Begins with Empathy