Project Fogg is YAP Global’s travel sponsorship programme, named after the tale of Phileas Fogg, who travelled around the world in 80 days. As part of the programme, a Yapper can apply to work in another hub, such as New York, London, or Singapore, for three months. The idea is to give us a chance to immerse ourselves in a different crypto market, collaborate with the wider team, and challenge ourselves professionally.
From The Big Apple To The Big Ben
This past summer, I flew across the pond to work for three months from YAP Global’s main hub, based in the bustling financial district of London.
This was my third time travelling to London, but admittedly my first visit to Big Ben.
Our New York team is only a little over a year and a half old. In that short period of time, it’s rapidly grown from just me and Debra Nita, our Associate Director and Head of Growth, to a tight-knit clutch of five public relations professionals. London, by contrast, is a sizable fifteen-person crew, also home to our operations and marketing teams.
It was a wonderful experience to get to work with and learn from people I usually only interact with over Slack and Google Meets! Here are my key takeaways from the three months I spent working from YAP Global’s London hub:
Working IRL
It was wonderful to not only see my colleagues in the office but also get to experience the hustle and bustle of working PR in London.
During my secondment, I was able to partake in several crypto events, team events, and coffee catch-ups with European journalists (much more reserved than American journalists). From SheFi dinners to MonDAO, to my first visit to Brewdog, I was able to get a glimpse of what the crypto community in London is like.
I’ve met most of the team at the two off-sites since I joined YAP, but in London, I was able to learn from them in their element rather than a single training or workshop.
Bank District, London, around the YAP Global office.
Being based in NY, I also usually have to go out of my way to speak with our APAC team, but in London, I was able to more easily chat across our global hubs and learn from diverse experiences.
It was helpful to have so many heads to bounce ideas off of, I’ve definitely brought more of that collaborative energy back to our NY office. I do miss post-work pint on a Thursday!
Wealth Whispers?
If the quiet luxury hype has gotten through to you and you live in New York City, you must find crypto quite brash. Ads for Gemini, Ripple, Uniswap, and the like plaster the streets and subway lines of the city.
From August to October, I saw only one ad for a crypto company anywhere in London. Being in the financial hub of England, this was a surprise to me, but the missing ads are a symptom of an incredibly different regulatory environment.
During my time in the London office, I was able to do a lunch and learn session on this! It was great to be able to exchange information in person with the team rather than virtually, and pass on important American cultural tenets like the Schoolhouse Rock “I’m Just A Bill” music video.
Uniswap ads in New York City.
It was only as I was leaving London that the UK Financial Conduct Authority lifted its four-year regulatory ban on retail access to crypto exchange-traded products. The environment is certainly evolving, and I am grateful to have been able to witness the tide shift first-hand.
by Emma Murphy
