We all have a passion, something that motivates us to wake up every day. For some it is to get a promotion or perhaps a bigger pay rise, but for others what drives them is being able to show others something they are not aware of. This can be in the form of food, poetry, painting, flying to outer space or something as simple as a mountain landscape or a crawling snail in the middle of the forest. In my case, it is videography that has been growing exponentially as I get older.
I’ve worn many hats along my almost twenty years of professional experience. Yet, most of those jobs were performed having one goal in mind, money. Satisfaction was never there. Despite me trying to change industries and swapping hats, the fulfilment never got to me.
Still, 2020 and 2021 or rather the COVID years made me realise that I have to look for a way to do what really excites me and that has been making videos.
I’ve been making videos for my own enjoyment for the last 10 years when I first got my big Nikon D7000, sadly the autofocus was terrible, but the image quality was good enough to come up with a decent piece of video. Moving forward ten years after and having the right equipment I was looking (and wishing) for an opportunity to show my capabilities as video producer, videographer, etc. And it is when you wish for something a lot when things come true.
Why Catalonia is such a picturesque destination?
The first time I jumped in a car and drove to Costa Brava and saw those beautiful cliffs and crystalline waters my eyes could not believe it. I went on to visit pretty much every single cove there is. I started documenting every cove, hike and whilst doing that and seeing how much litter I could find in some trails I decided to start my own environmental initiative called #weightyourhike for anyone who wanted to take part in it. After that summer I started to explore the Pyrenees, the Priorat (inland Tarragona), Aigüestortes and Alt Pirineu regions.
I really wanted to make movies showing these beautiful locations because before moving here I had not seen any of these abroad. Hence, having the opportunity to work on a project that was going to show Catalonia and many of the regions I have previously visited meant a lot to m
Enter Jaro – My Long Term Friend and Social Media Expert
As social beings we all interrelate with people along our path, some of them stay with us for a short time and others follow us despite the distance. Jaro has been that friend who has followed me along the way and has seen the videos I’ve uploaded on my social media channels.
Our friendship goes back almost a decade and I still remember when we met in London whilst we both used to live there. One day, we rented a car and Jaro, Alicja (his wife), my ex and I went to walk around the mythical city of Canterbury, where we both spent a day taking pictures, chatting, enjoy some nice fish and chips and enjoying the day. Moving forward a couple of years ago Jaro came with Alicja to visit us in Barcelona. They spent some days with us and we went to visit the beautiful city of Girona, the coastal city of Cadaqués and of course Barcelona.
Thus, it happened that this year he was looking for someone in Catalonia with video skills and who could shoot using a mobile phone for a very special project.
Bingo! That’s when he got in touch with me and the magic happened. The opportunity I was longing for so long came to me, and the first step was to get to know Jaro’s business partner to see if I could be a good fit for the project.
Mariska – Word of MICE CEO, Writer, Fighter and Guardian Angel
I still remember the first time Jaro told me that I was going to have a video call with Mariska and him. I didn’t know what to expect but something deep inside told me that the conversation was going to be good. Immediately right after introducing each other I noticed that Mariska was a great person and not just Jaro’s business partner. She came across as a friend from the first moment.
In the following video calls this impression was confirmed and re-confirmed. Mariska is a great woman and leader because despite having a very tough year she has been able to be there for everyone when needed. Her experience in the industry is enormous and her vision of what she wants to achieve with Word Of MICE goes in line with a great ambitious but down to earth woman.
The more I get to know her the more I see her as a friend rather than my boss. I will forever be in debt to her for all the things she’s done for me so far.
I can’t wait to meet her in person in November when she will be coming to attend the IBTM and I will be recording some videos for her.
The Client – Catalunya Convention Bureau
Before joining this gig I didn’t know much about the MICE industry (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) but that was part of the thrill. Learning about new industries, meeting new people and coming up with great footage is what I was really looking forward to in my next career move.
I have to also say why working for the Catalunya Convention Bureau meant (and still means) so much to me.
When I moved to Barcelona back in 2015 I was a bit hesitant about the region because of everything I had previously heard and read. Nevertheless, I can tell you that the more I explore the region, talk to its people, try the local food and wine the more I fall in love with it.
The Project #CatalunyaInspires
The Catalunya Convention Bureau team was from the very beginning of the project very collaborative, friendly and welcoming. Albert, Marketing and Brand Manager, took Sina Bünte (MICE influencer, event planner) and myself in his car and introduced us to the manager of every convention bureau across the region. We visited and met people from the MICE industry in:
- Barcelona
- Baix Llobregat
- Sitges
- Tarragona
- Salou
- Reus
- Priorat
- Girona
- Lloret de Mar
Everyone in every featured region went an extra mile to make us feel at home and make our work easier. I am not saying this, just because I work for them but because they genuinely treated Sina and me in a very special way.
I feel that after visiting the feature destinations I have made long term friends that I can get in touch with in the future.
Having said all these I am now looking forward to new projects and a bright future as a videographer.
You can see my video portfolio from Catalunya and Spain so you can a better idea of my work.