Marketing Happy Hour - BONUS! Open for Hire: Emilia Halasz (prev. Walt Disney World)

Episode Date: June 13, 2023

Welcome back to our "Open for Hire" bonus series where we'll be chatting with marketing professionals open for hire - whether they've just graduated, were laid off, or are just looking to take the next step in their career journey - to highlight their background and skill sets and have an open Q&A around job hunting in today's market. Our next "Open for Hire" guest is Emilia Halasz, previously the Admin Assistant for Disney Parks Content Creation & Digital Integration. Listen in! Follow Emilia on LinkedIn Emilia's Creative "Open to Work" Graphic ____ Say hi! DM us on Instagram and let us know which bonus episodes you're excited for - we can't wait to hear from you!  Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. NEW: Download the Dream Career Game Plan! NEW: Check out our website! NEW: Join our email list! Connect with Co-Host Erica: LinkedIn | Instagram Connect with Co-Host Cassie: LinkedIn | Instagram Follow MHH: LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter Subscribe to our LinkedIn newsletter, Marketing Happy Hour Weekly Join our Marketing Happy Hour Insiders LinkedIn Group

Amelia, I am so beyond excited that you have joined me today for a very last minute marketing happy hour recording, but I'm so honored to chat with you. You're so talented. I've admired your career and everything you've done for so many years. So thanks for joining us. But before we get started, I have to ask because it's marketing happy hour, what's your go-to beverage? What are you enjoying recently?

What are you drinking even now or just anytime? Yeah. Thanks for having me first off. I'm so honored every single time you say something kind about me. I think I melt a little bit. I'm like, Oh my gosh, me. So thank you. Um, anything I love walking up to a bartender and saying, make me something sweet that you like. And I'll just let them know what liquor I prefer, which is probably gin. And then I just try whatever they suggest, which I think is so fun. Leave your fate in someone else's hand. Why not?

But during the day, I'm normally a multi-beverage kind of girl. It's typically three. I have two right now because I'm doing a poor job of hydrating, but Celsius always once a day minimum. And then poppy, I'm a huge fan of poppy. Have you tried it? Yes. Like these probiotic sodas, big fan. Yeah. So these are my go-tos. Oh my gosh. Same. I am a, at least once a day Celsius girl as well. Um, that is my caffeine choice. And I have right now I have Olipop. So I know it's the competitor to Poppy, but I love both Poppy and Olipop. So huge fans. Yeah. I think for me, it just depends on everyone goes on sale, but they're both. Absolutely. I know we love, we love soda with probiotics and just all the healthy things. So

yeah, you got help. Exactly. It's crucial. All right. Well, let's get into it. I want to hear all about your career path for those who haven't met you before. Um, if you were in a job interview right now and you were asked, tell me about yourself, How would you respond to that question? I, you know, there's so many things that I can say. And my story is all over the place. Um, I never saw myself going down the career path that I chose, but it's so fun how opportunities present themselves and you just say, yes, not knowing what's to come. And that's kind of my story. When I was in college, I'm from Los Angeles originally, I should mention. And on a whim, I decided to attend Baylor University in Texas. I was there for two years studying film and digital media, loved it. It was so great,

but I knew two years in that I just kind of needed a break from school. So I applied for the Disney College program, thinking one semester away would be amazing just to kind of hit pause and figure out what I want to do. One semester turned into seven and a half years with the company. And that's what happens when you say yes to opportunity. I started with the company and I loved just the opportunity that I had every single day to be a part of someone's story and to make an impact in a way that was bigger than I ever thought I was able to. So in seven and a half years with Disney, I worked at two different attractions on my college program. I then moved home to California after one year with the Disney college program. And I worked at Disneyland in guest relations which was everything that I had

ever dreamed it would be which showed me how much I love people I love being a part of their story it confirmed that and then it really demonstrated how big my heart for people was and how much I craved connection and everything I did. So every single day I talked to people all day long and I loved it. I ate it up. So from there, I moved back home to Walt Disney World where I was in guest relations for another five years between three parks. I did VIP tours. I hosted really fun celebrities and amazing families from all over the world, Saudi Arabian royalty, like just what a time. I did guided tours and then I eventually moved into the position that I am in currently, which is as an executive administrative assistant supporting our

Disney Parks communications leaders. I've also previously supported Disney parks, public relations, executives, influencer communications, executives, and our event comms leaders as well. It's so amazing. So I only did the college program. I did not continue with the company after that, but it's wonderful to see how much that role or just working for the company, especially on a guest services, guest relations side of things, impacts future work in marketing, working with clients, working with partners. You learn so much about just people and how to talk to people, how to treat people. And so just the wealth of experience you have, I think, is going to be so beneficial for just roles in the future and down the road. And so thank you for sharing all of that. And I'm curious to, in your most recent role, or even just in past roles, you can kind of share whatever you want here, but what has been a

valuable lesson you've learned that you'll take with you into the next role or future roles that you hold? So I, I really have learned so much in the entirety of my career. And you know, every single different job that you step into teaches you something so new. So in this most recent year and a half, I learned that being disruptive is a good thing. And you will be told no, you will ask for ideas, you will say, hey, I know that this isn't within my scope of responsibility. But this is something that I'm really excited to learn about and really excited to do. Can I shadow? Can I be a part of this?

Can I join? And you will be told no really often. And it is okay to get a no because when you ask, you are demonstrating, hey, this is something that I'm excited about and this is something I'm passionate about. So even if this time is a no, your leader, supervisor, whoever you ask, they will keep your interests in the back of their mind. If they're a good leader, they will know, okay, Amelia wants to be a part of PR. I know she's our admin assistant, but we know that she's an amazing communications professional. And that's the reason she joined this team. So let's, even though this isn't working out, let's find future opportunities for her to shadow, create content,

be a part of PR activations. And I've gotten to do all of those things because I've had a disruptive approach. And I've said, hey, I know that this is the norm for an admin, but you didn't hire an admin. You hired a communications professional. So how can I do both? So being disruptive about your entire approach while making sure that you are professional and getting your job done, I think can create so much success if you're not afraid of a no. And I've been told no, but I've also gotten sweet, beautiful, big yeses that have given me some of my favorite moments within the company me being disruptive and doing things outside of the status quo like me bringing my camera to an event that I wasn't supposed to be at and that I wasn't supposed to have my camera at led to me for

the first time becoming a Disney Parks blog published photographer because nobody else was there to take photos and mine were great yeah so a disruptive approach and there is a reason that that word is in every single role responsibility under what do your superpowers include from our VP because being disruptive wins especially in this market where everything is so churned out in the same. Yeah. I think too, looking at some of the most, I don't want to say successful, but some of the people we think of as being like top of the line business people, Sarah Blakely, Walt Disney, even there's all these names and there's this trend of disruption in there. And so stepping up and raising your hand and taking initiative to do things that you weren't

necessarily asked to, obviously having the best interests of yourself and your team in there. But I think sometimes, especially too, for new professionals or younger professionals, I should say that is difficult having the courage to step up. So how have you, or do you have any tips for gaining courage to speak up, to, um, you know, share your ideas, raise your hand when you're maybe new in your career, even just further on as you're going through, um, even if it's a wild idea, like how have you over time gained the courage and kept the courage to, to do those things? Yeah, that's such a great question.

And I think, I just think about it through a life perspective. What if we were to do that with our friends? What if we met somebody brand new and we had this crazy wild idea and we wanted to share with them? They'd have to trust us. And I think it's the same at work. They have to know you and they have to trust you in order to understand where you're coming from and what your intentions are. So I think being really intentional about getting to know people at work, getting to know your leaders, your team, letting them get to know you, that way they can see your heart behind any idea that you have or anything that you want to be a part of. The more they know who you are, the more undeniable your intentions become.

So you just want to be completely undeniable, I think. So that trust, that community, that camaraderie, you build that foundation and moving forward, they know where you're coming from and there isn't a sliver of doubt in their minds. So I think it also makes it easier to have someone who trusts you, knows you, knows what you're pursuing and understands the business. Having someone who has all of those qualities say no to you is easier than someone who I think doesn't know you because you know that they see the big picture and they know you trust you and want to protect and preserve you. So they're saying no holistically seeing the entire situation versus someone who maybe is just objectively looking at everything. So yeah.

Absolutely. I think one of the biggest things, and someone recently on the podcast said this, but one of the biggest mistakes some professionals make is assuming that they're going to be thought of for opportunities without sharing interests or goals with those people within the company, your leaders or what have you. So finding an advocate or connecting with your leader, putting time on their calendar to speak with them often, receive feedback, tell them about your goals, tell them what you're looking to do is so important because a lot of times, unless we tell them those things, they're thinking about a million other things. So we have to step up and share those ideas and thoughts with them so that we can be top of mind for them over time, I think.

Yeah, I think learning to advocate for yourself is really important and being able to read the room, just knowing when you can speak up for yourself and when it's the right time to say, hey, I would love to be considered for this opportunity is so important. I was just having this conversation with someone on my team. There is a manager position available. She is a specialist. And she's like, yeah, I would love to talk to our exec and let him know that I'm interested, but I don't want to bother him. That's their job. They're there for you. And I think people are too afraid to take any of their time when a leader not only leads, you know, everything that the team is doing and the output

of the team, but the individuals who run the team too. And I would say that people are way more important than the product or the task at hand. And when you're on a team, it's kind of hard to see it that way. But I would second that entirely. It's so important to speak up and say, hey, I think I'd be really good at this. Let's talk about two of these future roles that you're looking to land. And so what are you looking for specifically in a future role? What industries, brands? Tell us all the things about just that ideal position or a couple

ideal aspects to a position in the future. Yeah, I think what I've been able to narrow it down to is I want to be able to help a brand, a company, a team, storytell. I want to help them create a story, set a tone, create a community around whatever their brand or their product is, because I've found my success in building a community, as you know, in telling this story that is raw and organic, but also really romantic and really exciting. And you want to be a part of it and you want to know the details and the next step and you create some mystery and some suspense, but also this community where they know before anybody else. And it's like you're doing life together. I have found this skill set in storytelling and in building a community and telling a story that people are excited about hearing. As a content creator, I've told my own story for so long. I've gotten really good at it and it has been fun, but I want to take that skill set because I don't know that I want to keep promoting my story and telling my story as much as I want to help take that skill set and help a

brand tell their story, create a community, engage with audiences in a way that's not Canva, AI, copy paste, create 10 different graphics that you're posting just for the sake of turning content out, but rather creating content that is truly engaging, that draws people in, that really excites people instead of having to hit a certain quota, that's where I would come in, is help them tell a story that is more raw, organic, meaningful, impactful. I love marketing for that reason. It's exciting to think about getting to be on a marketing team and taking the skill set that I've sharpened and I think perfected for myself and really helping scale a brand using what I've learned. to take my community building, relationship loving, people centric personality and skills and really emphasize them, right? And helping drive positive reputation for any brand or company. I don't know that I've got a certain industry in mind. I am pretty open, whether it's food and beverage, entertainment, health and beauty, fashion. I think I have a heartbeat for all of them. And as long as it's

a brand or a product that I'm excited about, it would be pretty easy to hop on board. But I also think that no matter what it is, even if it was a brand I knew nothing about, right? Like any skincare brand, any fashion brand, right? When we get to know their story, when we get to know those people, when we use the product, even if we've never used it before, even if we've never been a part of the story before, the more we learn about it, the more we grow to love it because it's like, we have a relationship with it. We have a connection to it, which was how I felt with Disney. I didn't have a huge relationship with Disney growing up. I came and I worked there and I was like, oh my God, wait, this is so fun. I learned more about the company and I grew to love Disney, not because I was a fan of what we created before I started working for the

company, but because I learned the heartbeat of why we did what we did, which is what drew me to having such a long career with it. So I'm open to anything. I would love to build a relationship with any brand or company or product or team and help them tell their story. Yeah, that's amazing. I think story is so huge. And I know we talk about this so much in the marketing space, but creating a brand story that allows the audience to picture themselves in that story is so incredibly huge. It's such a strong tactic and it really works. And I can't have you on without mentioning Taylor Swift, but I think the reason Taylor does so well and people connect so well with her music is because she tells such rich stories and everyone in the audience, everyone

who listens to her music can see themselves in those stories. Um, and not to say the whole community aspect she's built with our fans and just all these other elements, but it's so powerful and looking at some of the biggest, strongest brands in the world, whether they're people or businesses themselves. Story is really, I think, one of the silver linings throughout all of those different brands that is causing some of their huge, wild success. Yeah, it's so interesting to see how people tell the story and cultivate community in such different ways. And I think we can see it, you know, in marketing and storytelling everywhere. I thought of two different, like one brand and then just one, I guess, a form of entertainment. But there are some really big communities that are just such fans of brands or stories or TV shows or whatever, because they feel like they're a part of it,

because they feel like they're engaging. Peloton, I think is a huge one, right? It's like, we are connecting with the person that is leading our workout. And we get to be in groups and communities with other people that are doing the same thing. We feel like we're a part of something. And I think the heartbeat of this world right now is that everybody's craving connection in such a digital world. How do you take the possibility of connection and emphasize it while telling the story of your brand and selling your product or your service or whatever? And I think Peloton does such a great job at that. And it's the same. I think we're seeing everybody online talk about reality TV. I've never watched the show,

but the cult-like following, I feel like they're a part of it and they're invested. And I think that there's so much that we can learn from the way that these stories are blowing up, engaging people and drawing people in, in a world where people feel more disconnected than ever. And I think that brands can be doing a better job at that too. I think bigger brands are doing a better job and smaller brands feel the need to churn out content in ways that ultimately don't feel organic and don't truly drop people into the story behind their why. And I think that every brand has to do marketing differently. You have to know your audience. You have to know the people. You have to know who's buying your product. And I think that even Disney is, I'm so sorry,

Mickey Mouse. I think that we are even failing at that sometimes. And we don't always know our audience. We watched the Star Cruiser launch, and it's this really exciting product that is too expensive for the average Star Wars fan. And we missed the mark on that because we weren't paying attention to our who and the why. It's I think in those moments important to assess, to realize, OK, we we missed the mark and to think about, OK, how can we do better in the future?

So not using that to debilitate yourself and say, all right, we failed. There's no coming back from this, but using that as a learning lesson to move forward. And as a reminder, hey, we need to pay more attention to our people in the future because you're right it's so so so true uh Amelia I'm curious to what you're learning during this time looking for a new role I mean I feel like we talked about so many of these amazing lessons that you've shared so far but anything specific that stands out just during this time that you've been searching and looking for the next opportunity? Yeah, a few things actually come to mind immediately. It's so good to have rich community. I mean, to just be surrounded by people who believe in me near and far. A lot of the

roles that I've found that are open, a lot of the jobs that I've interviewed for have been because someone believed in me. Someone thought of me. They knew I was looking for a job and they said, Hey, I think you'd be a great fit for this. It's important. And I think there's a huge emphasis on networking and connecting with as many people as you can. But I think it goes back to my, you know, churning out content on Canva metaphor. It's so different to just go and connect with a bunch of people versus facilitating relationships and getting into relationship with people and being connected on a deeper level. And I think because I have so many connections and I've let so many people into my story, I've got a lot of great advocates out there. So community is

important. A network is great and it's so important to have, but a community is far more elevated than that. And I'm really lucky to have great community. It is also really important to be so open about looking for work and what you're looking for and being authentic and transparent in telling your story. I made this, what I thought was just a silly little doodle yesterday to share what kind of jobs I'm looking for. And I decided to take it a step further on this doodle. And I put my what, my who, my why, which is what I'm looking for, who I am, and why I should be hired. And then I threw on some fun facts as well. And it performed really well on LinkedIn. And on Facebook, my existing community, I've already gotten 15,

I think maybe 20 messages now with friends that have said, Hey, I've got this great connection. Let me get you plugged in or, Hey, there's this job open that's on my team. And a lot of it isn't what I'm looking for, but that's okay because it's so good to know that people are looking out for me, thinking of me and connected with me because they know that I'm looking, they know who I am and they can advocate for why I am worth consideration. So yeah, good community is super important and sharing authentically, transparently, and consistently with your network is also so beneficial.

Yes, completely agree. Yeah, community is huge. I would agree that most of my positions in the past as well have come from having some sort of network connection, someone that I knew or someone who knew someone who worked somewhere. And so just taking those calls and conversations, even like you said, even if it's something that doesn't seem like a good fit, maybe they knew, know someone who is looking for someone that fits more of that criteria that you will be the best fit for.

So it's so powerful. And I think most people are so eager to help and to, you know, step in and help find us opportunities. And I think you, you can't lose when you're just, your goal is to connect with people and to build that community, um, because people will get to know you and love you and support you. And that's when, uh, great things in our future can, can come as a result. Yeah, no, I fully agree. I still remember last year, you helped me get an interview and I was looking for my next step in communications. You connected me with Jake. Oh my gosh. We're still connected. He's killing it. So yeah. Perfect example of someone who just cheers on their community and is always eager to help. So thank you for being

such a good demonstration of that. Oh no, you're so welcome welcome. And I think I, as soon as I knew you were looking for a position, I was like, this girl is so talented and so creative. And that post you shared yesterday, like you said, we'll have to link it in the show notes because it was so good. And it gives a good representation of who you are. But no, I think any company would be grateful to have you on their team. And I'm excited for the Marketing Happy hour community to get to know you through this episode.

And we'll have you back on to chat about some of those topics we mentioned. Cause I think there's a lot more there. So I'm looking forward to that. I would be thrilled to unpack that anytime, but you know, I've got my Celsius and my puppy ready to go. Perfect. Well, Amelia, on that note, where can everyone follow along with you get connected? If someone wants to reach out to you about a position, what's the best place to

do that? Yeah. Oh my gosh. That's such a great question. Thank you so much. So I am on Instagram. I've got two different pages that you can follow me at. One is my kind of content creation, what I call my digital storyteller platform. It is Emi Lala. It's E-M-I-L-A-L-A-H. And then I most recently have really decided to take my small scale photography business and actually launch it. So I will be soon launching as an actual LLC as at Amelia Collective. So you'll find a lot of my creative endeavors shared there. Um, and then email is always great. And I don't know if you want to link that in the show notes or I can say it, but an email is always such a great way to go. And it's also linked on both my Instagram pages. Yes. And if you want to hang out with me in person, I am in Orlando through the end of the

month. And then I'm moving out of state I told you this before I it's a little marketing happy hour exclusive but I will be moving you have to make it exciting right marketing um I will be moving to Washington DC uh on the first of next month and I will be just kind of taking a break from Orlando and Disney and letting myself breathe. I think getting out of our current environment, especially in a place of transition is just so important. And as a creative, it'll help me kind of have a blank slate and just some time to refresh. So I will be going to Washington, D.C. for who knows how long.

And I'm really excited about it. So I will definitely be pursuing opportunities there while still looking at opportunities in other states and cities. Like I am so excited about the thought of moving to Austin or Dallas or Charlotte or possibly back to Orlando in the future. Who knows? Oh my gosh. I love that. I love that mentality too. Like while we're young, it's the time to do

it. It's the time to get out there, experience new things. And there's so much inspiration and growth to come from, uh, just going into a place that's maybe outside of your comfort zone. That's different. And so I'm excited for you. I'm excited for what's to come for your future. And thank you again, so much, so much for coming on here and just sharing everything. You are such a wealth of knowledge and I appreciate you sharing your insights and just journey with us today. Yeah. Thank you for having me on. It just means so much to me. And thank you for letting me tell my story. I am so excited and I can't wait to continue to share the story and loop people in on all of the adventure that's to come. It's going to be so much fun. I know. Absolutely. And we will

certainly check in with you, like I said, in the future and just hear what else is new on your horizons. But thanks again for being here with us today. Really appreciate it. Yes. Thank you. Until next time.