MO’S CAREFULLY CURATED CONTENT
Communications Advisor Mo’s TikTok career blew up when he started creating the video formats in his car during the lockdown. TikTok was his creative outlet as he lived in a small town in Limburg, and all his friends were living in Antwerp. Working in the core of team Entertainment, Mo puts his personal experience where his mouth is. “As I’ve been an influencer for eight years now, my network is huge, which really helps me to excel in influencer marketing. I can always ask for favors and am able to curate content and brief influencers to perfection.”
Mo’s knowledge in the influencer field makes him push the influencer content in the right direction and optimize it to the client's needs. Mo always has his eye on the sincerity of the overall project he’s working on at oona. “Because I create a lot of content myself, authenticity is really important to me and especially on a platform like Tik Tok. That’s a key element I also explain to clients at oona. With that knowledge, we can all grant them the creative liberty they need in order to stay in close touch with their following.”
GLENN’S SPARKLING CREATIVITY & ACTIVISM
Communications Advisor Glenn found his energy source in life a couple of years back when he was still studying. One drag make-up workshop was all he needed to get him started and further explore the unknown on his own. “I followed a drag make-up workshop by a well-known drag queen from Gent. Afterward, I started experimenting with make-up on myself with the help of other drag queens, and the rest is history. Fun fact: the person who gave me the workshop back then is now my drag mom!”
Every drag night inspires the entertainment communications advisor to make the most of the following work days. “Drag sparks my creativity because I often need to think outside the box for my looks. That's a quality I also use on the job, so I'm constantly training that strength. Next to that, drag is about activism, inclusion, and diversity, which I also take into my job on the daily.” When it comes to his oona job in relation to his passion, Glenn found the perfect balance if he says so himself. “Drag is more my outgoing side and my escape. On the other hand, I don't think they need to be balanced next to each other. I could perfectly come to oona in drag, and nobody would judge me. Everybody would be very accepting of it, which is really valuable to me. It is fluid and goes together perfectly.”
GLADYS'S MULTI-HYBRID LIFE
Freelance Communications Advisor Gladys's event planning avant la lettre began when she felt alienated from the surroundings and the community she was growing up in. Self-exploration arose, and she wanted to know where she belonged. “I think a lot of people who come from mixed backgrounds have that questioning feeling. That was my starting point: me trying to figure out my world.”
"All my passions and on the side jobs come together at oona. Because of my make-up background and event organization past, I really focus on giving people a great experience. I want to make people feel good because in the end, that is what a brand wants. They are selling a product or strategy and convincing us we need them. There is so much choice in this world, so for me, it is really interesting to analyze WHY I like a brand so much.”
FRANCISCO’S MUSICAL SIREN CALL
Communications Advisor Francisco has been fascinated by brand identities for a long time and made a job out of it. As a little six-year-old, they used to spend their days writing down fairy tales in a little notebook. Those fantasy stories became the music and scripts Francisco writes professionally now. “I got the first taste of it when I started hanging out with people from the music industry, and that's when I knew 'the creation of brand identities' was my calling.”
Francisco’s presence in the music industry of the Netherlands and its surroundings developed into a network professional to pull strings left and right and the Communications Advisor sure knows the advantages of it. “The moment I started broadening my horizon and expanding my network, it made me grow as a person ànd as an oona. So the more I explore, the more I'll succeed at my job.”
In between music sessions, even lyrical masterminds need their spark of inspiration from time to time to stay on top of their game and Francisco knows exactly where to find it.
“To me, the best branding product of all time is the visual album of Daft Punk, Interstella 555. It's just a perfect 360° approach. The album has music, characters, an anime, action figures, a full story, video clips, ànd the album itself. It's the most complete product ever, and it continues to inspire me every day.”
FRANCINE’S FOOD HERITAGE
Francine, Communications Manager in the Food and Beverage team, got her passion for cooking from her mom. “My mother loved cooking on the daily and passed that on to me. She used to stroll through the store food aisles to discover new products from all kinds of cultures, and so do I now.”
Turning her love for food into her way of working makes Francine an oona expert. “When you’re cooking a tasteful dish, you need high-end ingredients. The same goes for oona: your results will boom when you invest in sustainable client relationships, make time for journalists, and get to know the media and influencers. That's when you secure more in-depth conversations and accelerate your work.”
Her need for networking also explains why Francine presses the importance of sharing her expertise with young oona talents in the food community. “Everything starts on the field, I feel it’s important to take the younger generation with you to an editorial office tour for example and get them in touch with the editors in chief of certain media.”
Francine always passes on her knowledge to future food experts by showing them the important details. “When we organize a production. I show young talents the process of making a moodboard. I teach them how to decline certain ideas in real life or how to brief creatives like a photographer. In general their passion for food and beverage is already a given,the one thing I add to it, is a lesson in how to set the standard.”
