After seven years, it’s time for us to say goodbye to social media tycoon Charlotte Gorzelak.
Perhaps some of you have seen our social medias. The Instagrams. The Facebooks. The Twitters. The LinkedIns. The TikToks. The YouTubes. Even the Pinterests.
Well, all of that has been run/wrangled by Charlotte. Alas, she is now taking her considerable skills elsewhere. While this loss has left us full of murderous rage, we should do the right thing and salute our comrade into the sunset.
Here’s to you, Charlotte.
Charlotte Gorzelak, we very much knew ye
Charlotte leaves behind a legacy. One of Mayonnaise Vodka. The Mama Guinness (2.5m people watched this, btw). The Whisky Championships. Taskmaster of Malt. She’s stood in front of the camera to do everything from cocktail creation to reviews and even creating an absinthe cask-aged whisky. She’s stood behind the camera and gestured mostly incomprehensible signals to yours truly for years.
Behind the scenes, there’s lots of stuff you don’t see that we appreciate. That bar you see in our videos? Charlotte. That database Batman has in the Dark Knight (2008)? Charlotte basically made one of those for us with results and statistics from every single post over the last four years.
Throughout all of it, Charlotte asked, “What if?”. And promptly did whatever mad nonsense she wanted anyway. She made the MoM social profiles have a personality, one that cannot be mimicked or bought, because who the hell else would think of half of this shit? Charlotte was a relentlessly collaborative, creative team member who made herself indispensable. I have no clue what we do now. If we could all agree here and now to bin off social media forever, that might help. Thanks xx.
Here’s a tribute to Char from other members of Team MoM:
A few words for Charlotte Gorzelak
“Crikey, where to start. The dry sense of humour? The withering stares? The unspeakable crimes against cocktail-kind? (Not the mezcal ones, they were yummy.) Charlotte is a legend, and I’m gutted for both MoM and myself to see her go. A creative who gets shit done. The empress of social media. A bad ass. And a really great friend. Excited for you, drinks soon.”
– Jake Mountain, doer of things and person Charlotte talks at while he’s trying to work
“While Charlotte and I had met at work before, I remember the moment we became true friends. It was the end of one of the now legendary MoM Summer Parties, stepping onto the coach in a haze of whisky, Champagne, and rounders. In line for the coach back, the usually reserved and quiet Charlotte grabbed me enthusiastically by the arm and declared to everyone that she would be sitting next to me. I feel like we’ve been on the same metaphorical bus ever since. Who will I sit next to now?
– Emma Symons, when not making sure you can actually buy products, is enjoying their promotion to rum privateer.
“Charlotte is extraordinarily creative, brilliantly talented, and incredibly patient – as exemplified by the fact that never once did she yell at me for repeatedly saying I would write her some copy and then immediately forget to write her anything. Half the time, I think I would just hand her a Post-it note with something about dogs written on it. She still made it work. Astonishing, really.”
– Sam Smith, yes, that one. Back by popular demand.
All the best, Char
A few more words for Charlotte Gorzelak
“It’s been lovely working with Charlotte for the past two and a bit years, and always entertaining seeing the fun and crazy ways she finds to engage with the world through social. I look forward to seeing how she adds her magic to the page of her next chapter”.
– Jodie Donald, head honcho in the campaigns team. Is said to have once wrestled a crocodile.
“Charlotte was one of the first people I met at MoM, so it’s going to feel strange not having her around, bringing her equally chaotic and calm energy. I’ll miss all the weird and wonderful ideas she brought to every campaign that we worked on together – absinthe cask whisky, mayonnaise vodka, and who could forget the giant Easter Egg? I’m so excited to see what’s next for her in her new role!”
– Faye Allen, helped end the fabled “Campaigns Curse”.
“Charlotte was an instant friend for me when I joined MoM, my go-to for drawing up blueprints, smashing pavement slabs, and creating outrageous cocktails. I’m so excited to see what absolute madness she gets up to at her new gig. But I will truly miss having her around to encourage and support me. Charlotte is a one of a kind who can do such a wide range of crafty and creative tasks, and I will miss her immensely.”
– Danni Coletta, still apologising for last-minute content requests.
Even more words for Charlotte Gorzelak
“Charlotte is one of a kind; she can do it all: have the crazy idea, write a brief that makes sense, and make it happen. I’ll miss the Friday 16:30 messages with another wild idea, I’m still figuring out how to 3D model a whisky-inspired chess board. She’s a constant source of creative inspiration and ideation. A fantastic person and a true creative force.”
– Steven Richards, the man they call “The Builder”.
“Char, you’ve been my helping hand for so much. The one with the wild ideas, the unstoppable creativity, and the kind of energy that makes even the toughest projects fun (alongside your dry sense of humour, of course). I couldn’t even begin to write the amazing (and slightly chaotic) things you’ve pulled off over the past few years, but honestly, just look at our socials! You’re the mastermind behind some of our biggest wins, and a total rock when it comes to supporting the team. It’s hard to imagine things without you here, but I’m so excited to see you go out there and keep absolutely crushing it. You’ll be so missed :heart:”
– Giovana Petry, returning from mat leave to this dumpster fire. Soz.
“I first met Charlotte a few weeks before her first day (18 July 2018). I saw a woman hopelessly lost on the old industrial estate in High Brooms that we used to call MoM Towers (the office). Having only joined the previous September, I was well used to that look. It was such a weird little maze of a place. I learned she was interviewing for a position at Master of Malt, and so walked her to the office. Then she spent the next seven years repaying the favour and showing me the way countless times. What the fuck do I do now?”
– Adam O’Connell, me again, and the unruly co-star/co-director/co-fool of Charlotte’s web of videos.
Here’s to you, Charlotte Gorzelak.
