In our latest edition of the YKRA Faces series, we talked to Jennifer Királyfalvi—a mom, wife, digital strategist, and boutique agency owner—about home office life, her days working in advertising, and making time for her family. Read on to discover what she keeps in her backpack! 

Hi Jenny, could you tell us a little about yourself and how you decided to co-found your own company? 

I’ve been in advertising for over 10 years, and since my junior years, I've always worked on the client relations and strategy side, which is a mix of everything, a bit of PR, as well as organising events. 

Ten months ago, we decided to launch our own small boutique advertising agency. It’s been a huge learning curve, but I love it. Two of us are the core of the team, and we both worked at a big agency that closed its doors last year, and it just so happened that some of our clients were keen to continue working with us. So we decided to found our ad agency—Various Arts—in just 2 days. My colleague and co-founder is in charge of the creative aspect, while I’m responsible for strategy and client relations. It’s a tiny agency, so we get involved with each other’s tasks as well, and I don't just do project management in the classic sense—I also like to get involved in the creative brainstorming process. 

What does a typical day of yours look like?

Covid brought along a lot of changes, and for the past 2 years, I’ve been working from home. It’s completely different to my previous lifestyle. I usually wake up at 7am, when our daughter Bella comes over to our bed—it's definitely a kickstart to the day. My husband takes Bella to the nursery, while I have breakfast at home and then I start to work in the living room. Eventually, it would be nice to have an office to work from a few times a week, but I’d want to keep it a familial atmosphere. Besides social media and strategic planning, when I’m super focused on a specific project, most of my day revolves around solving problems, with constant phone calls, emails, and delegating tasks. 

I usually schedule my meetings in the morning, and if there are photoshoots I’m usually on set, or if there’s a shoot, then it starts super early in the morning and I’m there the whole day—but these are very specific work days which are well planned out in advance. We take turns picking up our daughter from the nursery with my husband. I collect her at 4pm and then the fun starts. Our afternoons are spent playing at home or outside. Bella loves books, so we’re frequent visitors at Pagony (a children’s bookstore on Bartók Boulevard), the library, as well as visiting our favorite patisserie, where we have ice cream in the summer and cookies in the winter. At the moment, I’m really enjoying the balance of focused work alone and then having a break and spending it with Bella. Being with kids is so refreshing, and I don’t like having to deal with work in that 2-3 hour time frame.  Although, on really bad days I sometimes have to go through work and emails in the evening as well, but usually we spend the evenings relaxing, just the three of us.

Your backpack is a limited edition oldie, where’s it from? 

It was a surprise gift from my husband, but I had already heard of the Bobo Choses brand through my daughter—I love the hand motif and I was super interested in getting the bag, so it was a sweet gesture from him to order it for me. I could fit my whole life in it. 

What’s in your bag?

Card game - It’s a lifesaver when we’re on the road with Bella, or if she needs some cheering up.

Book - It’s a new poetry book, with a super nice design, and we love to talk about the illustrations besides just reading the text.

Earrings - These are a Hungarian designer piece, durable, waterproof, and can withstand anything. Unfortunately, the designer is no longer in the design business, so this is a special piece.

Water Bottle - I forget to drink enough water if I don’t have a bottle on me, so I carry it with me everywhere. 

Horse Whistle - We got this whistle as a present from friends when we were at a small fair with several families, and one of the parents came back with 5 kids and 5 whistles in hand. Thankfully, my daughter loves horses and unicorns.

Glasses - I got these glasses in Barcelona last autumn when I went on a girls' trip with my friend. There are stores there where you can choose a frame and they make your dioptric glasses in two hours!

Lipbalm/Lipstick - I always have them on me, I like to stay hydrated after I’m out in the wind, plus it's always nice to add some color to my day. 

Apple Watch - I switched to it when Bella was younger, as my phone wasn’t always on me, but with this watch I could still answer calls, but I also use it while I go out running or do yoga, so I can leave my phone at home.

AirPods: It works great with my watch, and both are everyday essentials for me.

Scarf: We bought the scarf when we were on holiday in Portugal about 10 years ago, and I haven't worn it for years. One day, while I was packing, my daughter saw it and she’s been wearing it ever since. 

Photos by Botond Wertán