271: "This Is and Will Always Be the Best Place I've Ever Worked", with Gemma & Xav from Studio XAG
Truth, Lies and Work
Why Great Work, Not Perks, Creates Culture
Gemma and Xavier argue that delivering brilliant creative work is the foundation of culture alongside fairness and fun.
What happens when two art students fall in love, start freelancing together, and accidentally build one of the UK's happiest creative brand agencies?
In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, we're joined by Gemma Ruse and Xavier Shariff, the husband-and-wife co-founders of Studio Zag, a 60-person agency that designs and builds experiential installations for brands all over the world.
- STUDIO XAG: https://studioxag.com/
- Gemma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-ruse-646979a
- Xavier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xavier-sheriff-49091132
- Ellie Glason PR: https://ellieglasonpr.com/
They met at 20 in a house share at Central Saint Martins. They've been together for over 20 years, running Studio Zag together for 16 of those. They've clad a 35-metre boombox onto Diesel's Carnaby Street facade, become a certified B Corp, and built a business where people regularly say: "This is and will always be the best place I've ever worked."
This isn't a story about having it all figured out. It's about trusting your gut, knowing when enough is enough, and building culture through brilliant work — not ping pong tables.
What you'll learn in this episode
- Why they never planned to work together (and why it works anyway)
- How complementary skills matter more than identical visions
- Why "disagree in the room, commit outside the room" is their partnership rule
- The difference between forced fun and authentic culture
- Why they don't want to grow from 60 to 600 people (and what that says about sustainable business)
- How trust your gut feeling actually works as a leadership strategy
- Why great work IS culture (and how they keep that red thread of attention to detail at scale)
- What it means when people say your agency is, "the best place you've ever worked"
Gemma and Xavier are brutally honest about the realities of building a creative business with your life partner: the complementary strengths, the stubborn moments, and why sometimes the best business advice is to ask yourself: "What does this feel like in my stomach?"
-
💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work
-
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
-
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
-
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work
-
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork
-
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/
-
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/
🧠 Mental health support
If this conversation brings anything up for you or someone you care about:
-
UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org
-
US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | https://988lifeline.org
-
Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au
-
Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com
The AI-powered Podcast Player
