How I Got Here: PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Marketing Executive on how conversational skills can take you far
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LIZ SUNSHINE
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“Your talents shine through when you feel comfortable in who you are.”
Have you ever stalked someone on LinkedIn and wondered how on earth they managed to land that wildly impressive job? While the internet and social media might have us believe that our ideal job is a mere pipe dream, the individuals who have these jobs were, believe it or not, in the same position once, fantasising over someone else’s seemingly unattainable job.
But behind the awe-inspiring titles and the fancy work events lies a heck of a lot of hard work. So what lessons have been learnt and what skills have proved invaluable in getting them from daydreaming about success to actually being at the top of their industry?
Looking for a new 9 to 5? Head to our Careers page for new listings daily.
Welcome to How I Got Here, where we talk to women who are killing it in their respective fields about how they landed their awe-inspiring jobs, exploring the peaks and pits, the failures and the wins, and most importantly the knowledge, advice and practical tips they’ve gleaned along the way.
This week we speak with Bella de Almeida Reis, PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Marketing Executive. Growing up, Bella was unsure about her career trajectory and was often disciplined for being ‘too loud’ at school. Now working for Australia’s largest consumer fashion event, it was Bella’s extroverted nature and conversational skills that got her to where she is today.
After completing several internships in the editorial realm, Bella landed her first marketing position, which completely transformed her career trajectory. “I absolutely loved the duality of marketing, using both the creative and logical sides of my brain… The people I’ve met have crossed over into my personal life and I made lots of friends.” Below, Bella speaks on networking, authenticity and feeling comfortable in who you are.
What do you do and what’s your official job title?
View this post on Instagram
I’m the Marketing Executive at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival, Australia’s largest consumer fashion event. The Festival is held every year around February/March. I manage the website, EDMs and media partners (shoutout to Fashion Journal) and support the development of marketing strategies and the implementation of them.
Take us back to when you were first starting out. Did you study to get into your chosen field, or did you start out with an internship/entry-level role and climb the ladder? Tell us the story.
One thing about me is that I had no idea what I wanted to do growing up and I’m still figuring it out (quarter-life crisis incoming). When I was first applying to university, I picked a Bachelor of Communications (Media) simply because my mum and sister worked in similar fields and that felt safe. I started at Deakin University as I was living in Geelong, but I realised pretty quickly I needed to get out and discover myself. I transferred to RMIT in Melbourne, continuing with the same degree.
Although one semester in, I was itching for something new. I asked my sister, a magazine editor (find her at @aliwhittle_) if I could intern at her company to get a taste for writing. The lifestyle of working for a magazine was too good to be true and I didn’t want to wait any longer. An Editorial Coordinator and Junior Writer role at Who and New Idea popped up, so I applied and got the role. Bye bye degree, Hello new life in Sydney.
As a 19-year-old, I was beyond excited and thankfully, I had my sister and brother-in-law who took me under their wing so it wasn’t all too scary. Sydney was a major growth moment for me – I had no friends and no experience in the industry, so pushing myself to get out there was an incredible challenge. I was in the Editorial Coordinator and Junior Writer role for about a year, which included an incredible opportunity to travel to Myanmar and write about my adventures.
I had published articles in several print titles (Girlfriend, New Idea and Who), and attended events most nights of the week to hang out with industry creatives and writers. This experience lasted almost a year until I decided I wanted to move into a more PR-leaning field. I quit my role but then the pandemic hit, and I was left jobless with rent to pay in Sydney. A girl wasn’t going to last long.
View this post on Instagram
I moved back to Geelong with my family and thought I should focus on finishing my degree to keep me busy. The next thing you know, I’d completed a couple more university internships – one with Forte Magazine (under Furst Media) as a writer and another with Frank Green in the marketing team. Once my degree wrapped up, Frank Green reached out about a Marketing Coordinator role. I decided to go for it and started the job literally during the last week of my degree.
Working at Frank Green transformed my career trajectory as I didn’t intend to get into marketing. I absolutely loved the duality of marketing, using both the creative and logical sides of my brain. I had the opportunity to lead our influencer strategy, working with the likes of Riley Hemson, Jasmine Dowling, Maggie Zhou and Mack Horton, manage our content page and work closely with our PR agency to build the network I have today. The people I’ve met have crossed over into my personal life and I made lots of friends.
What challenges/hurdles have you faced getting to where you are now? Can you tell us about one in particular?
Building the confidence to speak up in group environments has daunted me in my career. Growing up, I was a boisterous, expressive kid and spoke my mind without fear, but I was disciplined by being ‘too loud’ at school. I think this experience made me think my voice wasn’t valued and my opinions weren’t important. I became terrified of public speaking and having attention focused on me – crazy considering I’m a Leo!
While I’m still working on feeling comfortable in bigger meeting groups, I’ve developed the ability to forge connections through my interpersonal relationships. If I get nervous sharing ideas in front of people, I write them down and chat with my manager one-on-one afterwards, or I chat with a trusted colleague and see what they think. The more you share, the easier it becomes. Remember your core values and what you stand for as it will feel more natural over time to speak your mind, as well as being rewarding.
What do you want people to know about your industry/your role?
The roles throughout my career have always been collaborative. That may be due to being in small teams which means you work closely together but regardless, marketing is a field that requires you to be open to teamwork, sharing ideas and providing honest feedback. Understanding your audience is imperative to success – without knowing who is engaging with your content, you won’t be able to produce tailored campaigns that make sense to them. Staying on the pulse with your demographic will keep your brand relevant and highly engaged.
What’s the best part about your role?
View this post on Instagram
Witnessing the runways, hands down! There’s no better feeling than seeing all the creatives, suppliers and contractors you’ve brought together to pull off six nights of pure creative genius. I’m always in awe of how quickly people can adapt when something goes wrong to find solutions with the event still running smoothly. It’s pretty powerful to see the determination of your team members supporting each other when the unexpected is thrown their way.
What would surprise people about your role?
I’m actually a full-time employee for an annual event. You might be thinking, ‘What do you do after it’s all over in March?’ Planning for a festival takes more time and preparation than you might expect. We dissect every part of the festival once it’s over – what was strong, what we could improve and the new ideas we could bring into the next year. We take the time to perfect and workshop, so everything we execute is considered.
From where I started – working for weekly titles and consumer goods – this is a new environment [with] more lead time on a campaign during the ‘off-season’. If you’re someone who likes to work on a project for a drawn-out period, an event structure could suit you well.
What skills have served you well in your industry?
Networking, baby. If you know me well, I’m a conversationalist at heart and always busy socialising. This trait has served me well in my career. I’ve made all sorts of friends who work in creative industries and fashion, simply from commenting on an IG post to meeting IRL, chatting at events or crossing over in random ways through industry work. Never be afraid to connect with others in the digital world because, at the end of the day, we’re all just looking to find other like-minded people to bond with, and you may be one of them.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a role like yours one day?
Be your most authentic self and you will succeed. I’ll never forget after an industry event, my friend turned to me and said ‘Thank you for always staying true to you, keep doing that’. Firstly, having people around you who recognise this is so important. Secondly, since then, I thought fuck it, I’m going to bring my whole self everywhere I go.
View this post on Instagram
… Your talents shine through when you feel comfortable in who you are. I do find it’s common to get caught up in the fast-paced nature of the industry – it’s ever-evolving and it can be easy to lose who you are amongst the chaos. So, be proud!
What about a practical tip?
Take those short courses on learning software or programs that can put you ahead of a candidate when applying for jobs. Being adaptable will take you far if you’re willing to be a sponge and absorb new or different aspects of the industry that you haven’t experienced.
For one, I’d never touched an EDM before my current role and now I lead that entire channel because I wanted to expand my expertise. All these little bits of knowledge add up and prepare you for the next challenge coming your way.
Read the rest of the How I Got Here series here.
Looking to step up to a career in fashion? Each week we send a wrap of industry jobs straight to your inbox. Enter your details below and we’ll keep you in the loop, or browse current openings here.
Liked this? You’ll love these...
