With its rooftop views, wild parties, and artist-friendly programming, Shoreditch House is more than a members’ club—it’s a creative engine fuelling East London’s cultural heart. Whether it’s mentoring young talent, spinning vinyl late into the night, or curating spaces that feel more communal than exclusive, the club’s ethos is unmistakably East. At the centre of it all is Gabriel Godfrey-Janni, Head of Memberships, who makes sure the club stays in sync with Shoreditch’s ever-evolving energy. We caught up with Gabriel to talk collaboration, community, and what’s next for Shoreditch House.
Shoreditch House is known for its creative energy. How do you cultivate a membership that reflects and evolves with East London’s cultural scene?
You’re right. Shoreditch House has always had a really unique energy throughout the years, from its beginning in 2007 all the way until now. Something we do at Shoreditch, and across all our houses, is we try to make the offering – the food, drink, events and so on – reflect the area the house is in. For Shoreditch House, for example, our menu across the club floor has dishes that take inspiration from a classic East London ‘caf’ or diner, whilst being really affordable. We are constantly listening to our local members, understanding what they’d like to see more or less of, and taking action on that.
In an effort to continually reflect the cultural scene of East London, we also invest a lot in our late-night programming. This year we’ve hosted rooftop parties with Seth Troxler, Bicep & Giles Peterson, to name a few. We’re punchy, loud and unapologetically ourselves – much like East. By doing this, you naturally cultivate a membership base that is representative of the area that you exist in.
What does a ‘typical’ day look like for you—if such a thing exists in a space as dynamic as Shoreditch House?
It’s a cliche, but it really is true that no two days are the same looking after membership at Shoreditch House. Firstly, my day always starts with a coffee – obviously – from the Square Bar on the club floor of the house. We use GRIND coffee – some of the best in London.
I try to make my days a mix of admin and in-person work. My Soho House career began 6 years ago, on the reception team, and so I’ll always value the importance of real-world connections and conversations – and I don’t like to get stuck behind a screen for too long. I’ll start the day with admin; we look after all the membership applications for the house, so managing this flow is a big focus. I also oversee the resident DJ booking for the London houses, so I’ll regularly check through this to make sure everything is looking good. We book DJs in 7 of our London houses, so there’s always a vibe going on somewhere!
Nothing can engage you in your community more than those real-world, in person conversations, so I’ll try to speak to at least two members face to face per day, even if it’s just a brief chat in passing! Ideally though I’ll have an arranged coffee, meal, or phone call with members. This could be to hear some feedback, talk through an idea they have – or simply just to catch up.
It’s really important to have Shoreditch House represented in the local creative scene outside the house, so my work evenings are spent attending events. This could be anything from a store launch, to a pop-up party, to a restaurant opening. I try to get out there as much as possible to connect with the local creative scene. On the nights of our big parties, though, you’ll find me at the house!
From rooftop DJs to pop-up exhibitions, Shoreditch House is constantly buzzing. How do you balance exclusivity with accessibility in your programming?
It’s a fine line to tread. I do think it’s useful to recognise the importance and value of exclusivity. Much of the allure of Soho House comes from that. That being said, for us it’s never been about blocking people off, or cutting people out. It’s a bit cliched, but in our programming there really is something for everyone.
For example, we know that some members will love a ticketed, limited-capacity album listening party from one of their favourite artists. We know that for other members, remembering to book and sign up to events is a hassle and that they prefer a big party they can just show up to. On the other end of the scale, we also know that some members want to unwind and restore themselves at the houses with morning wellness events. All of these exist within our current programming schedule.
On top of that, very few of our events actually cost members anything, and if they do, they usually get that ticket price back on a drink at the bar. Our founder, Nick, was passionate about money not being a big barrier to entry, and we have a lot of initiatives to provide access to those that may not otherwise be able to afford it.
Members are allowed to bring in up to three guests with them to the house, and many of these guests attend events with their member friends. We’d hope that this allows everyone an insight into the amazing programming that happens at Shoreditch House, and all the houses.
Community has always been core to the Soho House ethos. How are you fostering connection among members in a post-pandemic, increasingly digital world?
This is something we are incredibly committed to at Soho House. As a group of members clubs, I feel it’s our responsibility to create space for our members to connect and collaborate in real, meaningful ways. We do this in a number of ways – I’d say the main one is our events programme. As a member, you could honestly find an event to attend 7 days a week across our houses. This could be a member mixer, a panel discussion, a workshop, a run club, a supper club, or a party. The list goes on! All of these events are curated with the intention of getting our members talking to each other.
Outside of events, in the membership team we try to be a bit like a member-directory, if that makes sense- it’s our job to know the community at our house inside out. With permission, we’ll often directly put two members together who we believe could benefit from the connection. Few things make me happier than connecting two people who go on to do something great together!
I think the sense of community at the houses is one of our biggest selling points, and is quite unlike most other clubs. There are countless members I know who have made business partners, friends for life, and sometimes even romances from within the walls of a Soho House!
Shoreditch is changing rapidly. How do you ensure the House stays relevant and rooted in the local creative culture?
By listening. Listening to our members, listening to the creative scene, and listening to the local community. With something as big, dynamic and fast-paced as Soho House, it can be easy to get stuck in one way of doing things, and to adopt a ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’ mentality. You can only stay relevant by being curious and open to feedback and ideas, and by being willing to take the risk of getting something wrong. In my role I feel really empowered by my leaders to try things out – and if they don’t work? Cool! We learn and move on.
Accepting that you don’t know everything about everything is also important to staying relevant. Shoreditch House is a true melting pot of industries and disciplines; it’s not my job to be an expert in what is relevant in all of them, but it is my job to know and listen to the people that are.
What advice would you give to someone looking to become part of the Shoreditch House community—not just as a member, but as a contributor?
Come and chat to us! We’ll never decline a meeting from someone with a genuine idea, or someone who is interested in membership. I feel confident in saying that we welcome anybody who wants to contribute meaningfully to the community.
Shoreditch House often collaborates with emerging creatives. Can you share a recent partnership or activation that you feel truly captured the spirit of the House?
Keeping in touch with the next generation of creatives has always been really important for us, and we run a number of different schemes to ensure we remain accessible for people in that category. For example, we run a program in collaboration with the Creative Mentor Network, where we partner a young creative with a member who is established in their field of interest. The member mentors the young creative for 6 months, and all their meetings take place around the houses. It’s a great way to introduce emerging creatives to the houses and give them something meaningful from it.
Another thing we do at Shoreditch House, is have a monthly actors workshop session, run by established Actor Deobia Oparei. This is a chance for any member and aspiring actor to come and workshop their ideas, practice their skills, and connect with like-minded members.
Congratulations on being on the map for the first edition of foldthe.word how did it all come together?
Thanks! The conversation began between Eulan, the founder, and our Hotel Manager at Redchurch Townhouse – a public hotel, with our fantastic Italian restaurant chain Cecconis, that’s part of the Soho House Group. It seemed like a no-brainer to be involved with the map, and it’s a real honour to share the space with all the other iconic Shoreditch spots. I believe that collaboration is one of the best ways to achieve success in anything, so I’m really happy to be working with foldthe.world on this.
Looking ahead, what are you most excited about in Shoreditch House’s evolving vision for 2025 and beyond?
There’s so much to look forward to at Shoreditch House. In the most immediate future, we’ve obviously got summer coming up. Our rooftop pool and dining spaces are among the best in London, and the house really comes alive in the summer months; you simply can’t get that offering anywhere else in Central London. Thinking more long term, I’m really keen to develop Shoreditch House’s relationship to the local area. As we’ve spoken about, the Shoreditch area, and East London in general, is constantly evolving, and it’s still really at the forefront of the creative scene in London in many ways. I’ve also chatted about the importance of collaboration. On that tip, I want Shoreditch House to be a true hub for the creative melting pot of East London, and I want our relationship to local businesses to be at the forefront of our vision and strategy for this year and beyond.
xxx
This interview is part of Foldthe.world series. Foldthe.world is a collectable art poster distributed around Shoreditch, combined with curated insiders map helping you to shorten distance and time made by TOANDPARTNERS productions and supported by Made in Shoreditch Magazine.
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