From Supper Club to Global Production Studio: The Story of Mam Sham

On Of Course You’re Invited, host speaks with Mam Sham founders Maria Georgiou and Rhiannon Butler, childhood friends since age 11 who grew a London supper club into a creative storytelling studio spanning events, food, design and film, known for immersive, narrative-led experiences and using packaging and physical design as storytelling tools. They discuss meeting at secondary school, building their bond through shared humor and creativity, and how “play” became central to their process and a practical tool during stressful client moments. They trace early career detours through art-world and hospitality jobs, lessons from years of graft, and key moments in learning pricing and negotiation with brands. They explain the shift to positioning Mam Sham as a studio offering cohesive storytelling across media, critique content-farming brand events, and describe partnering with Asahi to support their existing supper club.00:00 Welcome and Introductions01:21 Meeting at Age 1106:30 Childhood Fears and Sleepovers08:21 Early Creative Collaboration12:47 The Power of Play16:41 Finding Courage to Start18:11 First Paid Gig20:46 The Graft and Growth21:30 Learning to Negotiate25:20 Social Media vs Events28:21 Becoming a Storytelling Studio32:25 Creating Authentic Brand Events34:38 Brands Back Creatives36:19 Why Events Feel Same37:01 Mini Eggs Satire38:21 Funding Community Events38:33 Asahi Supper Club Win40:09 Studio Storytelling Dreams43:25 Pricing Confidence Advice46:25 Imposter Syndrome Pitch48:16 Confidence Perception Trap51:20 Friendship Builds Confidence54:58 Brazil Spider Survival58:58 Gratitude And GoodbyeVanessa 📩 Join the mailing list: https://vanessamaria.os.fan/mailing-list Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nessamariaw/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nessamariaw Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessamariawilson/ OFC, You're InvitedInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofc.urinvited/