Mom Spotlight - Emma Payne

Emma Payne with son, Angus.

1) Provide an overview of your company and your role within the company; how many hours you work.

I started At Large Media Ltd. in the UK in 2000 and relocated the business to Vancouver in 2002 in order to be closer to friends and family, while at the same time providing world-class new media consulting services to clients here in Canada. I’m the President of At Large but we’re just a small company, so really I do a bit of everything. I’m responsible for the financial management of the company, I do sales for the business, and I also provide strategic consulting and account management services for our clients. I work about 40 hours a week (sometimes more), but am very lucky to have a lot of flexibility in when those hours take place. I can choose to work an evening or two a week, if I want to take an afternoon off to do something special with our children.

At Large Media is a strategic consulting firm, with extensive experience in traditional & new media - including television, radio, web broadcasting, video games and new media development. This means that our clients receive deep business and strategic advice, combined with nimble, forward-thinking media and technology expertise. We work with publishers, broadcasters, corporations and non-profit organizations to develop meaningful and profitable online businesses that can help them to truly engage with their clients and audience groups.

2) Provide an overview of your home life, how many children you have, childcare arrangement, if married your husbands career and how you share the responsibilities at home.

My husband, Bryce, is an artist and animator who has worked in video games for nearly 20 years. He’s a wonderful father who is always happy to share the work load when it comes to raising our two children, and looking after the home. He’s a great cook, so I’m very lucky. He works a lot of hours, and doesn’t have the flexibility I have, so certainly I am the primary parent, responsible for all the organizing and shopping and day-to-day tasks. But Bryce is always home for bath, story & bed time, and we really treasure our family time on the weekends. Our son, Angus, is two and Pippa, our daughter, is 9 months old.

At the moment I have a friend with children the same ages as ours, who is looking after Angus & Pippa during the week. It’s a fantastic arrangement, I love it. It’s certainly a busy house with four children here, but I prefer to see them, help out with nap times and be part of the chaos & fun, even if this means that I miss out on an hour or two of work each day.

3) Are there certain organizations or individuals who have been the greatest influence and support in terms of assisting with your career and business decisions.

I had lunch a few years ago with Don Tapscott, someone I’ve known since the very beginning of my time as an entrepreneur, and who I respect very much. Don is an author and authority on business strategy and organizational transformation. He’s the Chairman of nGenera Innovation Network and is also an Adjunct Professor of Management at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management. He has authored or co-authored over a dozen widely read books on the application of technology in business.
At that lunch he gave me some incredibly valuable experience about how to value my own time and knowledge, how to structure my business as it grew, and what the things to think about might be, as the business evolved. His ideas have had a great influence on me.

4) Can you offer insight into ways that “professionally minded moms” could be supporting each other.

I’ve always valued the advice and support of other working women, and have spent years volunteering my time to create networking opportunities for women working in technology. Now that I’m a Mum, I am also really thankful for the new network of working Mums that I’m meeting and spending time with. It is critical, I think, to brainstorm parenting ideas just as we’ve been used to brainstorming work ideas. I like to chat regularly with other women who have great ideas about everything from business opportunities to toddler-friendly events!

5) Can you offer any advice for achieving a balance between your family life and your career.

Being an entrepreneur has its pros & cons when it comes to achieving balance. I didn’t have access to a maternity leave with either of my children, which meant I had to return to work sooner than I would have chosen. That said, being self-employed does mean that I’ve been able to return to work part-time at first, and have had some control over WHEN and HOW MUCH I work. I’m thankful for this flexibility, as I love to spend time with my children everyday rather than being away all the time. I do work a few evenings a week, so that I can take Angus & Pippa on some outings during the week. I’m also trying to make sure that Bryce & I have a regular “date night” each week, because with two careers and two kids, it can be extra hard to make time for each other. The challenge is staying awake past 10:00, but it’s worth it