NAME: Eyzell Salinel
AGE: 25 years old
INSTAGRAM HANDLE: @eyzellsalinel
JOB TITLE: Marketing & Communications Manager
MOVED TO THE UAE IN: 2015
Eyzell is a young multi-disciplinary creative and marketing professional specialising in Brand Design and Creative Marketing. In 2016, Eyzell joined an art studio in Al Quoz as a studio coordinator where creative expression and administration work blended well together. There, she realized the value of organisation and process much as creativity and vision. Working with fellow artists and artisans, what excites her most is unearthing stories to win people’s hearts and minds, by sharing an authentic story transformed into compelling content & marketing strategy.
Eyzell then ventured into retail marketing for a female-owned fashion brand taking the challenge to market a brand that champions an inspiring and diverse community of young girls in the UAE. But her desire for innovation eventually led her to take the pivotal step to work at La Perle- the first ever aqua-acrobatic theatre production in the region as the Creative & Communications Manager, providing the perfect ground to be equally artistic and meticulous as a marketing professional.
Here’s a look at a typical day.
7: 30 AM: Being a night owl, I usually wake up around 7:30 am. I begin my day by reading a Bible devotional and prayer since the most essential part of my day always flows from a quiet and grateful beginning. And of course, not forgetting to give my little brother a little kiss on the head and feed my pet fish. By 8:40 I am all dressed and ready for work.
9:00 AM: Since I live just a walk away from the office, I prefer to plan out my day sitting at the café down at my apartment building. With a cup of hot mocha, I write down my schedule and personal updates in my Muji planner (they have the most spacious pages ever) than using a digital calendar – this gives my eyes a good break from screens at the beginning of the day.
10:00 AM: Around this time of the day, I would usually go on Zoom calls with potential PR and Media partnership opportunities. These are also the best hours to get some storyboarding, writing, or content strategies done. When I started out as a Creative & Communications Manager for La Perle, this part of the day would strictly be my hyper-focused design and editing hours.
12 NOON: Lunchtime! For the first 2 years at La Perle I would normally eat lunch by my desk while working on two screens. Eventually, I realised lunch-time is a great opportunity to not only take a break for my body but to also connect with my colleagues at the cafeteria. La Perle is filled with a diverse team of artistic, technical, operations or sales professionals and sitting down with a few people for lunch allows me to get to know the wonderful people I work with. It is from these lunches that a casual conversation may turn into storytelling from a show-diver, or an artist, that later on transforms into a #LaPerleCitizen storyboard; a content pillar that highlights hero stories of people behind the show.
2 PM: A day at La Perle in itself is full of thrilling hours. Since artist training usually start at this hour, I am either on stage, in the rehearsal room or at the dance studio filming pieces of training. I work closely with the resident Artistic Director’s schedule recommendation on which training is happening and where to capture the most interesting bits of the show preparations. If you’ve seen the show, you’ll notice that there’s always something happening somewhere- whether those are acrobats dancing on suspended opera poles, a guy jumping off a suspended wheel, high-divers jumping off an 18-meter-high ladder and into a pool; much goes the same during training hours! With a switched-on schedule, I’m always trying to capture bits of this training.
3:00 PM: On Wednesdays, I join the Sales & Marketing team for a weekly meeting with our General Manager. These meetings are aimed at ensuring initial and ongoing alignment to arrive at our common goals, forecasting, strategy and performance.
After these strategic meetings, I would go for a walk by the Dubai Canal; another much-needed break from the screen. Since my day is usually a combination of hunkering down on the screen in the mornings, filming and running, and then afternoon meetings, a walk prevents me from experiencing a daily burn-out that does wonders for my creative process and well-being.
4:30 PM: Tech run. Since training on stage are over at this time, the technical team begin their presets- from lights and soundcheck to waterfalls in the theatre. By this time, I head back to my desk to do some social media monitoring or finish up on some editing work. This is also the time of the day that I make sure that we’ve sent all our collaterals to our media agency partner.
Fun fact, I usually introduce myself as “Eyz-ap. Yes, I do quick turn-overs and I’d have to thank the Assistant Marketing Manager for ensuring we work at an excellently efficient pace.
6 PM: The day doesn’t always end yet. On some evenings, I host a group of media, journalists or influencers for the first show at 6:30 pm. Giving them a tour of the La Perle experience, some meet and greet with our artists, or supervising filming and interview opportunities.
8 PM: After work, I enjoy dinner with my family at home. Mom and Dad both prepare the heartiest Filipino dinners and it’s important for us to have dinner altogether to catch up on how our days went. These are also the best hours for some laughter. After dinner, I would either recharge by facilitating Bible studies, singing and play worship on the piano with my sister on guitar or cello.
12 AM: I always have to end the day with journaling and prayer. I normally write letters to God in my journal. This intimate hour allows me to lay all things down, distance myself from the “busyness” of life for a while, and realign. Not only does this become a time to humbly calm down before sleep, but these are also night-time reflection inspiration hours. When the peace has finally embraced me, I know it's time for a good night’s sleep.