I’m A….. What Am I?

That’s A Great Question

A marketer? Advertiser? Strategist? Writer? Designer? There’s too many titles and I get a little indecisive when I try to define myself because titles feel so rigid for someone who has a very fluid skillset like myself. There are a lot of doors in front of me.

I was sitting across from an interviewer for a retail job that I was frustrated to be applying for after nearly 500 advertising career-related applications and I was hit with the worst question you can be asked.

“Tell me about yourself.”

I hate this question. How do you define your entire existence and list all of your experiences and accomplishments in like 5 minutes worth of talking? They should use that for the plot of the next Mission Impossible.

I start naming off all the things I can think of: where I was born, where I was raised, where I went to school, what sports I’ve played in my life, my favorite teams, and random things I learned in my life experiences and how they helped me be a good sales person aside from my 2 year stint at Zumiez in high school. But my interviewer looked at me like I didn’t finish explaining.

“That’s who you are and what you’ve done, but what are you PASSIONATE about?”

I froze. Not because I’m not passionate about anything, but I didn’t know how to articulate it, especially since the things I’m passionate about had nothing to do with selling sports apparel. I don’t know if it was the way my interviewer said it or how he explained what he is passionate about for reference, but I remember thinking, “that’s one hell of a question,” and if I had 5 minutes to think on my own, I could’ve delivered a masterclass on what I’m passionate about.

Luckily, my portfolio is a great place to teach you what I’m passionate about.

This is not an acceptance speech, but I would like to thank a lot of different people for pushing me toward the massive world of advertising. Whether it was words of encouragement, reality checks, lighting fires under my ass, feedback, or co-brainstorming, it was instrumental in me learning all that I’ve learned about advertising. But I can’t say “I’m passionate about advertising.”

Because who, in their right mind, can sit there and say “I love using psychological tactics to distort people's willingness to pay for products that we convince them they need, even though they don’t!”? (The economist in me came out a little bit there)

That’s not why you’re reading this. When I dig deep, I find this collection of skills and ideas that come together inside of me that help paint a bigger picture for why advertising is probably the best professional route I can take.

I’m passionate about storytelling.

Let me rephrase that actually,

I’m really passionate about telling the best stories I can.

It’s not about increasing sales or impressions for me. Where’s the humanity in that? It’s about creating a story so meaningful, so compelling, so tear-jerkingly beautiful, that when the audience member sees it, they remember it and choose Small Batch Jam Co. over Smuckers. Sure, the owners and money-trackers are gonna pee their pants from joy when the stocks rise and the products fly off the shelves, but I’ll be happy when the story of a brand makes them unforgettable in the best way possible.

And reflecting on my life, it makes a lot of sense that I love telling stories.

That’s why I make music, why I love the entire process of advertising, and why I don’t have an issue reiterating the story of how I ended up in a hospital for a week in May of 2023. That’s also why my mom hates watching TV with me, because I always call out the stupid ads or compliment the good ones, but I digress.

It’s also why I have such difficulty confining myself to one specific part of advertising. Because as my therapist has reaffirmed me, the “anxious” part of mind isn’t always a bad thing. It’s extremely analytical, which is super helpful when developing a strategic narrative.

But that’s only part of it.

I mentioned before about my music writing, and when you get down to the core of it, lyric writing and copywriting have a LOT in common. Taking longwinded and elaborate ideas and refining down the communication of them into a few strategically chosen words.

You made it this far, so clearly there’s gotta be some kind of engaging aspect of my writing, right? I have some wonderful examples here, too.

“But wait! There’s more!” - Ron Popeil (Not Billy Mays, look it up)

What about the story telling through visuals?

Color selection, specific design styles to convey certain feelings, the textures used in a restaurant’s interior planning, all of it.

There’s a story to be told in everything, and every part of the advertising process.

But rather than get frustrated that I like too many different things, I would rather see it as an opportunity to tell you that there is very little that I wouldn’t be passionate about.

I label myself a strategist by trade, but I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if I ended up writing copy, designing stuff, or even analyzing data at one point or another.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading. And if you want someone who loves storytelling in any way possible on your team, hit me up.

TL;DR, I like storytelling a whole lot and instead of having an identity crisis about what I want to do, I’m embracing the whole process. (P.S. I need a job lol)

If you want the cool minimalist version of who your boy is, I have that too.

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Who I am

  • A proud Cuban-Italian

  • Born in Baltimore, MD

  • Raised in the Bay Area

  • The son of small business owners

how would I describe myself?

  • A goofball who can be taken very seriously

  • Aspiring to be a master of all trades

  • Opinionated enough to have beliefs

  • Open enough to listen at all times

  • A no-bullshitter

  • A self-competitor

  • A meme aficionado