It’s time for another edition of our Faces of AWNY, where we introduce you to wonderful Australian women in our community and hear their stories. AWNY’s Communications team lead, Sarah McLellan Mee, has lived in NYC for over two decades—and has incredible adventures and stories to show for it! A true creative, Sarah’s NYC career spans Broadway, music, magazine publishing, and digital media consulting in travel and food. We loved sitting down with Sarah to learn more about her journey and the wisdom she’s gained along the way.
Where are you from originally, and what led you to move to NYC?
I am originally from Bundaberg, Queensland, but I moved to New York 23 years ago (when I was 17) to work as a dancer and singer on Broadway. I grew up with a single mother who ran her own dance studio and directed the local theater company, so my childhood was filled with many performing arts activities. It was also filled with all those incredible Aussie things we dream about, like days at the beach, backyard barbecues, and lots of fun with cousins who felt like my brothers and sisters.
I always talked about moving to NYC to chase my dream of performing on Broadway. As a teen, I was lucky to have started traveling to the US to dance at Disneyland and compete in international competitions. During those trips, I was further inspired to make the move and had some amazing mentors here encouraging me to make the leap. I couldn’t have done it without my mum, though, as she inevitably made many sacrifices to help me get to the States as a 17-year-old. On June 30th, 2000, I landed in New York with two suitcases and began an incredible 24-year adventure.
During my time in the U.S., I have lived mainly in New York City but have also done small stints residing in Las Vegas and San Francisco. I’ve traveled to 23 countries and am lucky to share my love of travel with my husband, Chaz, a born-and-raised New Yorker. We live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, near McCarren Park, and we love it.
Tell us about your career and what you’re doing now in NYC?
I was lucky to dive into my performance career quickly once I landed in NYC. I first toured the US (and then Japan & Australia) in the 100th Anniversary Harley Davidson Open Road Tour. I was in their house shows—one was a tap show with Stomp-style percussion and the other a rock show wearing the Harley leather goods, and I was the lead singer. It was wild as we got to tour with crazy acts like Aerosmith, Bob Dylan, and Kid Rock.
I then made my Broadway debut as a swing in the revival of “42nd Street” when I was 20. (For those who may not know), a swing is a performer who covers and understudies the ensemble tracks. It was my first major musical, and I covered all 24 women in the ensemble. It was one of the wildest and most challenging roles I’ve entered. After a year, I moved on to perform in the original U.S. company of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” musical in Las Vegas, where I understudied (and got thrown on during previews) for one of the lead roles, Killer Queen. This show was a dream, and because we were the first US company, we worked closely with Brian May and Roger Taylor—which, as a 22-year-old from Bundaberg, basically made my head explode! A real “pinch me” moment, for sure!
I then toured through 10 countries performing over 300 shows for crowds of up to 40,000 as lead singer in an all-female Led Zeppelin tribute called Lez Zeppelin. That was an epic experience traveling and working—though I will say the glamorous “touring life” is not as glam as people think, haha! When I left the band, I wanted to incorporate things I was passionate about—like food and travel—into my next role. Here I found myself naturally gravitating towards storytelling, writing, and sharing through social media. In the past 10+ years, I’ve worked in-house for restaurant groups, at agencies on the strategy side, as an editor (I was branded content editor at Bon Appetit for three years), and I now run a digital media consulting business for small brands in travel and food.
Which neighborhood are you living in now, and what inspired you to move there?
I moved to Brooklyn seven years ago and was lucky to find this gem of an apartment right in the heart of Greenpoint. I love that this area (for the most part) still feels like a bit of a village or smaller neighborhood in many ways. While there’s some development happening by the waterfront, it’s still primarily lower-rise buildings, lots of folks who’ve lived here for decades with a mix of new young families and other recent transplants from different areas of the city. It’s mostly quiet, and there are fantastic restaurants, bars, parks, and green spaces by the water. There’s still a lot of history here from Greenpoint’s Polish roots, including family-run stores, restaurants, pharmacies, and more. Chaz and I love that we can walk to the park or up to the water at Transmitter just to take time out and get some fresh air. We’re also SUPER lucky to have a backyard with our two building neighbors where we can grill, garden, and relax.
You’ve been living in New York for two decades; how have you noticed the Aussie community in New York evolve?
I think the biggest change was when the E3 became prominent–so many more Australians were able to come here. On a grand scale, so many incredible Australians have come here to take what they’ve done at home and escalate it to the next level. I think it’s really inspiring to see so many different industries represented here, whether that be fashion, theater, music, acting, business, or finance.
Why do you think a city like New York is conducive to success, specifically for Australians?
The type of person who decides they want to come here, I think, is already hard-wired to be very dedicated to what they do. I don’t think Australians move here because they don’t like the Australian lifestyle, but there’s just something about New York that’s alluring. It’s the best city in the world, after all. Having said that, I’m still a proud Aussie girl, and I know that I wouldn’t necessarily have come here with the same mindset had I not had that upbringing and the support of my family.
How did you manage the transition from performing to working in digital media?
I was always dabbling in other things while I was performing. When I was doing theater, I wrote a column in a dance magazine in Australia bi-monthly. And while touring in the band, I was always posting our adventures to our MySpace page (I know, showing my age here, haha!) I started working in restaurants and eventually worked my way up in a restaurant group as director of marketing, social, and events.
I always loved writing, and while at the restaurant group, I started my own blog. I was writing there and doing some freelance work, too. It was a great creative outlet. I then spent 14 months as editor-in-chief of the luxury travel and lifestyle site Infinite Legroom, where I wrote over 1100 stories. That role—reminiscent of a start-up “wear all the hats” environment- solidified my interest in writing as a career.
I spent about a year and a half in San Francisco, where I spent a lot of time in wine country. While there, I got way more into the food and wine scene, so after about a total of 14 months doing that job, I left and started a consulting business. That’s when I stumbled upon writing for Condé Nast.
Was it the editorial or the culinary side that interested you most?
It was a combination. I naturally gravitated toward food culture; I loved cooking and writing about food. I started working at Bon Appétit a few days a week, and shortly after, I moved into a full-time role in branded content. I worked there for two and a half years on all kinds of custom content across print, digital, video, and experiential.
What’s been one of the bigger challenges or triumphs of living in NYC?
Becoming a mother, 100%. It’s strange because it’s actually the most incredible thing I’ve ever done, and with that, continually the one that challenges me (and my husband) the most. It’s also tough having my family back in Oz and not being able to have that constant grandparent connection (in person). Our daughter Alula is going to be two in October, and she’s at a stage right now which is equal parts exhilarating and exhausting—so much energy, so many words, and emotions. But seeing the world through her eyes is just magic!
What’s been a highlight for you as an AWNY community member?
Being here for so long, I’ve always been in and out of my involvement with the Australian community. After I had a baby, I felt like I was craving a deeper connection with other Aussie women, so I ended up at last year’s AGM. What started as me putting my hand up to help out here and there for social media posts grew into me helping to lead AWNY’s communications team, where we create content, help to promote our upcoming events, and share fun posts on social. It’s been fun to share my knowledge and experience and help mentor some of our younger members who are just discovering their voices as writers and storytellers.
I’ve loved connecting with a large group of women with diverse stories and backgrounds. I’m also happy to say I’ve made some dear friends. AWNY really is the best!
If you’d like to stay in touch with Sarah, follow her adventures on IG @sarahmclellanny.
AWNY | Australian Women in New York 