Meet The Team: Maddie

The Quiip team is fully remote and based around Australia and in other parts of the world. Today we’re heading over to Berlin, Germany to meet Senior Community Manager and Marketing Coordinator, Maddie Duke.

Tell us about you and Quiip.

I joined Quiip back in 2019, initially working with just a couple of clients alongside a freelance career in copywriting, content and social media. I had been living in Berlin (still am!) and was drawn to the opportunity to reconnect with digital spaces back home in Australia.

Over the years, my role has expanded to include many more clients as well as marketing and communications. I enjoy the diversity of our clients, but I particularly value having been able to work in mental health spaces, such as with Turning Point, Movember and The Black Dog Institute. I value the broad spectrum of communities I’m able to work with thanks to Quiip, and that so many of them provide opportunities for us to have real impact as community managers.

What were some of your previous roles or projects?

Prior to and alongside working at Quiip, I’ve held various marketing roles across some rather interesting industries — from automotive, to adult toys, to chocolate and confectionery, as well as with a number of my own clients as a freelancer. Through these roles I’ve been able to work across a wide range of different projects, from presenting at new car launches, to hosting and producing a content podcast, to planning Australia’s largest adult industry trade show.

I like to balance out the work-from-home aspect of Quiip by picking up short-term gigs in events, some recent highlights of which have been the UEFA Euro 2024 and the Special Olympics World Games.

What are some of your favourite places on the internet?

I could try to think of something more sophisticated but my screen time data would definitely say Instagram. There are a few comedians whose content I love, like Tina Friml, Tim Collins or Megan Stalter.

There’s also a small handful of newsletters I look forward to landing in my inbox — one in particular for the “terminally curious” is The Whippet, by McKinley Valentine. Highly recommend!

Tell us something about your life outside of work?

It’s jam-packed with hobbies. I play and am Vice President for the Berlin Crocodiles footy team (yes, there is AFL in Germany!), I take dance classes, and I enjoy hiking and cycling. My most recent adventure was a bike-packing trip in the Outer Hebrides. 10/10 would do again.

I often take work with me when I travel, too, which has allowed me to say yes to things that I’d otherwise have had to skip. Some recent examples include a spontaneous trip to the snow and being able to step in at late notice on a short tour with a friend’s band. While remote work is much more common now than it was when I started in 2019, I do appreciate that at Quiip we are actively encouraged to utilise the flexibility afforded to us by a fully remote, distributed workplace.

What do you think the future of community management holds?

I think we’re at a curious point where the use of AI in community tools and platforms is rapidly becoming more common, more accepted, and more reliable. I’m expecting to see a spectrum of things, from brands leaning in too much too soon, to organisations being overly cautious and perhaps losing out on potential improvements to efficiency. I also expect there to be a phase of detachment and scepticism from audiences or community members — to varying degrees based on age or generation and other factors — as it becomes harder to know what’s AI, what’s human, and how to define what it means for something to be “real”, when it comes to interacting in digital spaces. Ultimately, community management has to do with facilitating connections between people and between people and organisations, so while it’s exciting to think about what new technology may allow us to achieve, I’m also curious about how we ensure online spaces continue to feel rich with genuine interactions.

Do you have a question for Maddie or the Quiip team? We’d love to hear from you! If you’re interested in joining our team, explore current opportunities on our jobs page.