Creative Careers: Turning anthropological skills into big business

The start of the journey

Following her study in Anthropology at UCL, Deana wanted to explore different interests before deciding on a specific career path or industry. As Deana says: “I think it’s quite common for anthropology students to go back and forth on how they can apply their knowledge in the real world, and I guess I was always grappling with that too”. 

She worked at a film distribution company in LA during a study year abroad at UCLA, as an intern with Amnesty International and took a year out to work and travel (she went to Brazil to learn Portuguese and is fluent in 6 languages!). Ultimately, Deana realised telling people’s stories was what she was really interested in and she began an MA in Film and Screen Studies at Goldsmiths University in London.

Whilst doing her MA and simultaneously working for a film production company, Deana realised she missed anthropological concepts and applying them to the world around her. However, she felt that anthropology as an academic discipline was often elitist, and she wanted to take it outside o of these academic confines. 

Then 4 years ago she saw a job post from Ipsos on LinkedIn looking for a visual ethnographer. Her mind was blown – a way to combine her passion for anthropology, research and film in a new, exciting environment. She has been at Ipsos ever since!

A day in the life of a business anthropologist

Ipsos is a large global market research company and the ethnography team, where Deana is now a Research Manager, is a very small part of it. The team consists of anthropologists, sociologists, ethnographers, market researchers, artists and filmmakers, all of whom are ‘geeking out’ on how to translate unfiltered human behaviour and culture into stories that meet the needs of businesses. 

Deana’s gets to work on a huge range of projects – from working on a car campaign, to talking about the culture of food, to working with patients who are living with different health conditions. 

No one day is like the next and Deana says she is always learning, something she considers very important in a career, and for anyone with an anthropological or creative background.   

Her role ranges from business development and relationship building, to visual ethnography and analysis. The latter involves producing a 20-minute documentary-style film, analysing the footage through an anthropological lens, and working out how to translate this film into something that the client might use.  

Deana explains:

“For example, let's say anthropologically, food is a ritual and food means love. But if I say that to a client, they will say “So what? Why in the world would I care?”. So, I would say OK, but this is what’s important to people and you need to adapt your communication, change your adverts so your business speaks to people. I’m showing the client how anthropology and social sciences can really be utilised effectively in day-to-day life”.

Deana’s top tips for a career in business anthropology

• Make LinkedIn your friend. If you find someone who does something that you want to do, stalk them! See what they have been up to, the companies they have been working with, and who they’re connected to.
   
• Buy people a coffee! It’s easy to think people are too busy, but if you find someone and you like what they’re doing, send them a message and say: “Hey, I’m really interested in your experience and would love to know more. Can I please buy you a coffee and take 20 minutes of your time?” Most people will say yes because they have been in the exact same position as you.  
   
• Explore your interests. There’s no one specific field. There is so much opportunity to work at the intersection of business and anthropology, but it can be difficult to navigate the many different names and roles. For example, you can be a business anthropologist in research, user experience design, services design, or creative strategy. These are all essentially made-up words, and any social scientist has the skills to work in these areas. 
   
• Paths are not linear. I think this is the most important. Look for internships and freelancing opportunities. Maybe it won’t be quite what you’re looking for but then you’ll meet someone who knows about something you will be interested in. Paths are not always linear. Internships are often not about what you're doing, but who you meet and where they take you. You can decide at any stage in life that you want to do something else, and you can do it.
   

Deana Kotiga is a Business Anthropologist and Ethnographer for the Ipsos Ethnography Centre Of Excellence, an award-winning, interdisciplinary team dedicated to understanding human behaviour for business needs. Alongside this, she is a freelance photographer, working at the intersection of culture and community.

Deana delivered this talk as part of our Creative Careers series with UCL Careers, which aims to highlight different career pathways and employment options through talks and learning from inspiring speakers and leaders in the creative and cultural industries.