To market is to understand people—a skill I never felt I held. But, the feeling of growing in excitement about a brand—I loved it. I’ve always believed that when we are passionate about our work, the money will come later. I can never visualize waking up and dreading what I pursue, even if the profession allowed for decent living. My parents came to the US and established their own businesses from scratch after living in this country for just a year. As I matured, the realization of my parents’ sacri fices revealed themselves through warm, home cooked meals and a clean home. Growing up in The Hamptons, I knew people with heated pools, game-rooms with every console you could imagine, and the freedom of living life slowly. Having parents who own their own businesses meant having a schedule that was constantly interfered with and being a sometimes caregiver for a disabled older brother. Maybe that’s why marketing intrigued me—the chaos of it all. The reason people move to America is because their eff orts raise them into a position where they can be rewarded for their sacri fice—something that their countries cannot always provide. For me to make a living on my own is to reward my parents for surrendering their energy to the countless hours of work they execute. Realizing the potential of marketing in spaces like e-commerce and luxury brands, I began to take notes while I took care of my older brother. The language of marketing is universal, and I wanted to illustrate my dialect to the world.

As a senior in high school, I would begin to produce content for Jordan, a coworker at a local tennis facility Sportime, who owned a sportswear company, filming videos and taking photos of his pieces along with immersing myself in the local bodybuilding scene of The Hamptons. I was a deeply intimidated 17 year old at the time, producing content with bodybuilders in their late 20s who could lift a whole stack of weights—all done on an iPhone at that. My language and con fidence at the time was that of a novice strategist, yet, they adored my ideas and some videos even went viral. I would study the work of marketers and watch endless commercials and documentaries to steal like an artist. People stared while I followed groups of bodybuilders filming workout content for the brands Instagram page.

Through my work with Jordan, my boss at Sportime off ered me an opportunity to film a kids tennis lesson. For once I felt like I was directing a scene, giving proper direction with my boss to make the video as energetic as possible. I have worked with children before, which has a certain lingo to it, but directing a controlled scene was much diff erent. My boss and I led the kids to engage in exciting tennis related games, drills, and formations to establish the video that Sportime is the go-to facility for tennis lessons.

The video did well, which then got the attention of one of the most well known real estate firms in The Hamptons: Hampton Estates. I was then off ered a position as a social media manager. There was an air of growth that came with working for such a professional team—being the company purely spoke the language of real estate. Producing youthful ideas in a dull niche for a team of older realtors with no social media knowledge was no easy feat. But the founder gave me a chance, so I had to move forward.

By this time, I had saved up enough money to purchase my first real camera and have performed enough research to deliver results worth showing. My process was simple: Have a call pitching my ideas and the direction I want to take the company digitally, shoot content once a month, and repeat. During the month, I prepared a workfl ow which would allow all of the team members to view my brainstorming process, answer messages, and have a preview of posts for approval before posting; all on the software: Notion. The workfl ow exists so I can produce the best results while communicating eff ectively. The problem was, I wasn’t taken seriously as a marketer, I imagine due to my age, and I was speaking to clientele that had trouble even opening a Google Account. As a result, my supposedly smooth process with the client was nonexistent. My language was professional, smooth, and flexible—but even then my words would never be enough to properly cater to this client. Procedures can become complicated when working with a team and presenting ideas, but I always made sure to simplify my ideas so they could be digested by the client. Regardless of no proper operations, I made the chaotic process work.

I would film interviews, asking comprehensive questions about real estate through extensive research I would perform the night before. I would present marketing strategies and lead photoshoots I had to practically beg to find an available time for. And my plans would occasionally be rejected in front of the whole team. Regardless, this time, I really felt like a director, doing my best to make the realtors comfortable, guiding them to look their best, and engaging them with my own knowledge of real estate, which frankly, was very little. We also filmed open houses, where I would capture footage of million dollar homes—homes I could only dream of staying in. Open house videos included script writing occasionally, and I would guide the realtors to show the home in an engaging way that illustrated their knowledge of the property. Their leadership through these short videos established credibility in the local real estate algorithm, allowing for more people to show up to the open houses. Although I had the patience to work with the team, somehow the kids were much easier to work with, because at least they didn’t want to retake the video ten diff erent times because they wanted to fix their posture.

Through constantly being tested on my knowledge, my manner of speaking was changing. I felt like the expert, and my expertise was being passed on to higher levels of accomplished individuals. The realtors for example would question my ideas, but I always had reasoning that would allow them to observe marketing from a new perspective. I was called mature for my age because my marketing analogies were made simple for minds that are clouded in finance and sales. My con fidence began to reveal itself in the realm of marketing. Branding Sportime in a completely new way also allowed for people to see the true potential of content, bringing more people to listen to my ideas.

Fast forward one year, and I have developed a solid relationship with the team, which then has led me to produce more content for local businesses around the area, establishing myself as the marketer I once dreamed of being. I would shoot content for a yoga studio featured in Hamptons Magazine for a party full of infl uencers, a luxury Japanese omakase restaurant, music videos, and many other summer events. My language and con fidence developed into that of a professional. Of course I have much to learn, but business owners around the area began to take note of my progress as I documented more companies, and so my dialect soared. I could now walk into an establishment and advertise my business with no problem. Although I was rejected various times, I no longer feared not delivering on results. I now had results and case studies worth showing and speaking about.

Through client relationships and word of mouth, I eventually started posting my work on social media, where I’ve garnered thousands of views and got the attention of bigger names in larger industries. The Hamptons is a lively place during the summer, allowing for various opportunities for content. By this point, I realized who I want to work with, and continued to reevaluate my processes as a company. As of now, I have concluded some of my work with my current local clients now that I’m staying in Baruch, but hope to continue my partnership with customers by working remotely and diving into the realm of e-commerce and digital marketing. I have been fortunate enough to meet entrepreneurs in larger industries that I was able to connect with as a result of my work with local clients. Two years ago, I could not imagine speaking with such professionals, sharing a passion for business that I have never experienced with anyone. Receiving a compliment on my work from a successful marketer who has made millions of dollars in revenue meant that I was growing as a career oriented individual. Not that money ever mattered, but now my progress was being noticed on a larger scale.

I would then work for an entrepreneur who was planning to grow his Youtube. The digital marketing world is going through a change at the moment, where various business owners are beginning to document their journey as they grow as individuals. Many of these experts do not know how to document their journey in a meaningful way, so they pay other people to do it for them—resulting in an infl ux of noise on Youtube, where content feels money-hungry and egotistical, rather than unique and raw. However, I loved working in this space because I realized that I was a marketer rather than a content creator. I would come up with vision boards and strategies for his brand, hoping to grow his Youtube as well as his Instagram. Other social media accounts would be analyzed, and I would fill my sketchbook with ideas, scripts, and strategies for growth.

I was fortunate enough to achieve some success as a result of hard work, but, knowing my talents, I felt they were not used eff ectively. A music video for a song I almost despised, or an entrepreneur who just wanted to boost his ego and pay me to make him look better; my energy felt wasted. I desired more. I wanted to work with people who truly shared my values. Maybe I’ve become too picky. With my talent, I realized the various directions I could follow. Producing movies for free until I grow recognized by a large production studio like the directors I’ve worked with, or music videos until I land a gig with a well-known artist, or a local real estate content creator, where I would only produce uninspiring content to grow an audience of plain, wealthy individuals who are looking for the next video to copy and go viral off of. My work has fortunately been commended, but the production rarely inspired me—maybe because I was sold the dream of being my own boss.

For me to start a business of my own was to recognize the sacrifices my parents made for my brother and I. Maybe someone shouldn’t be thinking like that at 15, but I knew it was what I wanted. The demand for marketing has also never been higher with the infl ux of individuals documenting their journey and the need for people with taste in visuals. With every deal and with every presentation, I experienced the growth of myself as well as my clients. For me to work is to carry the dreams my parents once had. For me to serve others, is to carry the warmth they have brought onto me—a warmth they continue to hold.