Building a Megaphone and Network: A Women's Thing's Founders Irene Huhulea and Saskia Ketz on Media, Art, and Representation

By Julia Gamolina

Irene Huhulea and Saskia Ketz are two of the founders of A Women’s Thing, a digital publication launched in 2014 that focuses on reshaping what society thinks of “women’s things.” Challenging the media landscape and its propensity for focusing too often on physical appearance and topics like beauty and relationships, the magazine aims to shift the spotlight of women’s media towards the complexities of women’s professional and personal lives. Placing differentiated storytelling center stage, it features women and underrepresented minorities—writers, illustrators, photographers, artists and designers. Distinctive typographic treatments are applied to each article, serving as a metaphor for the range of topics covered by the magazine.

Saskia is also the founder of Mojomox—an online logo builder that allows startups and creators on tight budgets to create dynamic, professional-looking brand identities—and branding agency MMarch NY.

Outside of A Women’s Thing, Irene is a content strategy director focused on developing unique and innovative programs in the finance and lifestyle spaces. Together, Saskia and Irene share a passion for helping women see new possibilities for themselves. In their interview with Julia Gamolina, Saskia and Irene talk about navigating the evolution of media and representing diverse voices, advising those just starting their careers to take risks and reach out for mentorship.

JG: Tell me about your foundational years — where did both of you grow up, what did you like to do as kids? How did your focus in art come to be?

IH: One of the things we discovered when we first met about ten years ago is that we both grew up in Europe. I was born in Romania and Saskia was born in East Germany, so we have a shared experience related to our backgrounds. I moved to New York when I was eight and have lived here on and off ever since. As a kid, I loved to read and write stories, and while I didn’t exactly have a knack for drawing or painting, I’ve always had a deep appreciation for the arts.

SK: That’s right—Irene and I share the Eastern European experience, ha! We’re great at doing things the lean way together. We both also have a down-to-earth and technical approach to our work.

Growing up, my family shared a passion for the creative fields. My great-uncle was a painter, and my parents had a soft spot for drawing, so while I wanted to get into martial arts, they sent me to art school when I was four. Later, however, I went to college for advertising and design because I had grown to be interested in design experiences, buyer personas, and the strategic side of branding.

How did you get your start in your respective career paths?

SK: I’m a designer with an entrepreneurial heart. We were a community of freelance creatives when I lived in Berlin during my 20s, working on projects for Ikea and building websites for brands that needed them in the early 2000s. I came to New York after meeting my now-husband in Berlin. He introduced me to the startup scene here, and I enjoyed some great learning experiences.

IH: I initially wanted to be an academic and I got my PhD in English literature. Knowing the challenges of the academic job market, I decided to explore other opportunities and I fell in love with being an editor. I’ve been lucky to move between media and tech over the years, and I’ve learned so much in both fields while also getting the chance to explore new areas of interest.

Tell me about how your career has evolved and some of your main individual projects.

SK: After being employed for a couple of years and getting my Green card, I founded my design studio, MMarch, working on startup design projects and show branding for Netflix with a small team of awesome women. Around the same time, when the Lean-in movement started to shape up, we started A Women’s Thing as a quarterly newsprint to amplify women’s voices. We were thrilled when we received the Red Dot Award for communication design and the Gender Design Award iGDA for the category “Revolution” the year after.

I also had been thinking about working on a website idea for a while. It started with giving out free branding advice to small business owners as part of my agency work. I found that many founders spent too much on branding—so, during Covid, I built Mojomox, an app that helps founders create a professional logo and brand identity.

IH: I moved into tech and media after spending several years in higher education, and I quickly learned about the ins and outs of content development and being an editor. That path led me to join A Women’s Thing, and also to my parallel role as a content strategy director for a media company. Both roles have allowed me to tell powerful stories and meet incredible people along the way. I’m also always on the lookout for new projects, and I’m currently exploring one related to personal finance — my other passion.

“I admire everyone starting over. The longer you have a project running, and with every year you grow older, it gets more challenging to cut a body of work or even a profession. Chapeau to everyone who’s not afraid enough to continue.”

— Saskia Ketz

How did A Women’s Thing come to be? Where is it today and what are both of your roles in it?

IH: We founded A Women’s Thing with a group of like-minded women nearly ten years ago out of a desire to have more representation for “women’s things” and the incredible women we know. While our focus has shifted over the years, that desire for representation is the same. My role as editorial director allows me to connect with artists and writers from all over the world, and Saskia and I work closely together to come up with the best ways to tell their stories.

SK: When we started in 2014, we wanted to connect with women and underrepresented minorities doing great things by telling their stories and showcasing their work. In the design space, in advertising, much of the storytelling happens through great images. In relation, artists produce works that mirror our times; they can point out issues that we as a society need to work on.

When we moved from printing quarterly to publishing solely online, we slimmed down, our team changed, and we decided to hone in on what interests us as volunteer contributors most. Our direct network is from the arts and culture fields, and for us, it’s been rewarding to go deeper. For example, when Covid hit, we quickly moved to initiating online exhibitions, because creating things online with the community in mind is something we’re good at.

What are you focused on these days?

SK: The art market has opened up over the past decade—galleries and art events are plentiful, inviting more people from all walks of life to see their works on show. Coming from the side of the artists and people who work in the arts, women and underrepresented groups are finally coming to the forefront of the conversation, which results in more interesting, diverse viewings.

IH: Echoing Saskia, we’re excited to meet a variety of artists and share their stories in an authentic way. There are so many wonderful art shows happening at the moment, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to bring those to our readers.

Social media design for art history features. Instagram story above shows The Cultural History of Witches and Deadly Creatures—and Why It Still Matters Today. Link to feature. Article by Yassana Croizat-Glazer.

Looking back at it all, what have been the biggest challenges? How did you both manage through perceived disappointments or setbacks?

SK: I’m one of those who always see the silver linings in what others might call setbacks. Of course, it isn’t very reassuring if a promised story doesn’t come through or if an interview partner you’ve been meaning to meet and emailed too many times is not responding, but if you’re a) not experiencing this and b) are still disappointed in these moments, I know I don’t have enough or enough other exciting projects on my plate.

IH: A positive outlook is something we have in common and I also try to look for a silver lining in every challenge. For the most part, those challenges have proven to be great learning experiences and they’ve opened up new paths that I wouldn’t have otherwise discovered. Moving away from print and into digital was one of those moments for AWT, and although it was sad to put that part of our work behind us, we’ve been able to do many things over the past few years that have been just as rewarding.

What have you also learned in the last six months?

SK: I learned that I love the nonprofit art space. At times, people may be slower in responding and getting things finalized than in my regular profession, but there is so much warmth, gratitude, and politeness that you receive from the people you work with—the artists, art advisors, curators, galleries, and publishing partners like Madame Architect.

IH: The people we work with are one of the best parts of what we do and those connections are so meaningful. For my part, I’ve learned that there are many aspects of the arts we can explore and new avenues for growing our readership and the breadth of content we provide to our readers.

“One of the best pieces of advice I received when starting out is to not be afraid to reach out to people I admire and ask for advice...those connections have been some of the most important of my career. I would encourage others to do the same, and I would especially encourage women to feel confident in doing so.”

— Quote Source

What are you most excited about right now?

IH: Media is an ever-changing landscape, and that comes with a lot of opportunities. While the current moment seems somewhat fraught due to everything happening in the industry, I’m excited about the potential for new things—and new platforms—that are likely to emerge as a result.

SK: We’re just starting to dip into arts and AI. We want to explore AI’s role in the future of fine arts and have two fun pieces in the pipeline that I’m excited about.

Who are you admiring now and why?

SK: With nobody specific in mind, I admire everyone starting over. The longer you have a project running, and with every year you grow older, it gets more challenging to cut a body of work or even a profession. Chapeau to everyone who’s not afraid enough to continue.

IH: I have a deep admiration for those who take chances and pave their own path. Trusting your gut requires courage and confidence, and those things aren’t always easy to come by. Some of the most incredible artists and writers I’ve met have this in common, and it can lead to unique and valuable work.

From the series “5 women who changed …” Illustrated by Cloudy Thurstag. Design and layout by NatalieAnn Rich.

What is the impact you’d like to have on the world? What is your core mission? And, what does success in that look like to you?

SK: At present, gender and racial parity have not been reached when it comes to publishing, museum acquisitions, gallery showings, and film and theater works. We want to change that trajectory and tell the stories needed to build an equitable future. We’re on a good path, but more needs to be done.

Success for me is when our readership grows, and the community is at its best. When our work spreads through word of mouth, and people reach out to us because someone told them that AWT is an excellent megaphone and network for innovative, underrepresented work. When like-minded people want to contribute so they can do their share of supporting their network.

IH: I couldn’t agree more. Our mission is about amplifying diverse voices and helping our readers discover them. For me, success is knowing that we’re highlighting a wide range of artists and that we’re building a community that shares our values.

Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their career? Would your advice be any different for women?

IH: One of the best pieces of advice I received when starting out is to not be afraid to reach out to people I admire and ask for advice. This can be anything from a coffee chat to an informational interview, and those connections have been some of the most important of my career. I would encourage others to do the same, and I would especially encourage women to feel confident in doing so.

SK: I’m a risk taker, but I’ve seen men dare more. Sometimes, it might be because they grew up knowing they get away with being lazy, and sometimes it might be because they know life is too short not to fail and learn faster. But most successful people I’ve seen are not afraid to take the obvious shortcuts, cut out perfectionism, and are okay with developing their projects in public.