“What exactly do you do as a Content Creator?”
“Oh you’re a social media manager pala? The one who answers inquiries on Facebook?”
“So you take photos at work? Sample nga, take an IG worthy photo of me”
“Nag-aayos ka lang ng feed? Ano ka, blogger?”
“Is that even a job? Psh, anyone can do that!”
Yada yada. Yes, I get those comments A LOT especially when I’m asked to tell people about the nature of my job. Fortunately, I’m given this platform to sort of give clarity (cue Zedd’s Clarity) about my job as a Branding and Marketing Associate.
O-M-G, WHO IS SHE?
Before I go into details about my duties and responsibilities, allow me to introduce myself first: I’m Nica (@nicabaquilod, yes that’s a shameless plug), your dog-loving and sweet-toothed Branding & Marketing Associate. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts with a major in Performing Arts from Assumption College. I’ve been with Launchspace as a Branding and Marketing Associate for over 2 years now.
Singing is my first love. But I honestly had no idea about what I wanted to do after college and that’s probably the reason why I got into theater since I could be anyone and anything on-stage. Aside from singing, I’ve developed a passion for photography too. My love for photography began when my parents allowed me to take some photos using our film camera and digital camera about a decade ago. I would usually take photos of animals and scenery during our excursions. And even in school, I would always volunteer myself to be the “designated documentation girl”.
I was in the midst of completing my thesis requirements when I came across Launchspace’s hiring post on Kalibrr in 2016. I read through the post and saw that the job requires someone who is passionate in photography and is knowledgeable in copywriting and Photoshop. At first I was hesitating if I should even consider applying for the job since I have NO BACKGROUND in this field. But since I love taking photos, I just finished undergoing a writing workshop, and I have basic (yes, basic) knowledge in Photoshop, I gave it a go. Also, because I don’t want to be a couch potato while waiting for the next graduation ceremony ✌
YOO-HOO, WHAT DOES SHE DO?
Maybe anyone can do what I do. But juggling both accounts and creatives is not an easy job since it requires so much patience, creative juices (possibly caffeine too), and positive energy to be a Branding and Marketing Associate.
Typically, my day will start as soon as I check the team’s calendar to know what’s about to happen for that day, set up my stuff as soon as I arrive in the office, get myself my second cup of instant coffee, and create a to-do list for the day before I start to hustle. On some days, my day will start by laying down props that we’ll be using for a shoot, setting up the lights, and styling the products that we’ll be shooting.
If you’ve seen all the tabs in our website, which I hope you guys did, you’ll know that it’s part of the company’s mission to “promote an entrepreneurial way of life by exhibiting to Filipinos that we can all earn a living by doing what we love.” As a Branding and Marketing Associate, my role in achieving this is by looking for aspiring local SME’s (Small and Medium Enterprises) who may need a little help from our services. Now, here are some of the things that I actually do:
Getting to know the clients. I become the bridge between Team Launchspace and Team Client. It’s my responsibility to make sure that before we launch something, we must know the story behind our client’s brand by heart.
Launching our visions. It’s my job to make their dreams come to life—at least on their feeds. As a content creator, I would usually ask my clients to send me pegs and in return, send them a vision board so they have an idea about how we’ll go about the shoot and the whole shebang. I am also responsible for disseminating the information handed by the client to my team before we start shooting something, in case they have some concerns that we should consider. I also take photos, yes. After every shoot, I edit the raw photos to “perfection” before handing the finished item to the client. I personally need to know where to draw the line between what’s aesthetically pleasing for me and what the client and their audience want to see. This is where I have to be a little extra careful. I am my self’s biggest critic so it’s crucial for me to turnover something that I am proud would meet the client’s expectations. Moving on, as a social media manager, I’m in-charge of scheduling their posts on both FB & IG and curating their feeds just to make sure that their feed looks great but also has a purpose. I do not have to answer inquiries on FB & IG—there are bots to do that—but I could relay any inquiries that come in to our clients, if necessary.
Do steps 1 & 2 again. Every time I finish something, I feel the need to reevaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the contents I produced and know how I could improve them for the next projects. This is something I would advise any creator do since it always going to be applicable to your current and future clients.
OKAY, WHAT ELSE CAN SHE SAY?
This is my first job and I’ll forever be grateful that I’ve learned so much things from it. Some of the best parts about my job / highlights are the following:
Firstly, it is indeed a pleasure to work with a lot of interesting people. I’m always moved by our client’s stories on how they started doing their thing. And because of that, I feel more driven to give them my best so that I, and other members of the team, can take part in their brand’s success. And because of this job, I got to work with some notable personalities as well. To name a few, I got to work with the King of Talk Boy Abunda, TV host and personality Suzi Entrata-Abrera, and several others for some videography projects.
Secondly, every shoot is a learning experience and I am always looking forward to learning new photography and videography techniques as well as ways on how to style a certain item. Not to mention, some trends too!!
Another thing is that our #girlboss knows that we all need some time to do our thing so our daily 9-5 schedule is great. I actually got to do some gigs on the side last 2017 and 2018 because of our schedule.
And finally, working with a talented and creative team such as Team Launchspace is THE BEST.
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