The digital marketing space is without a doubt, becoming a congested one. It’s an industry filled with individuals whose congeniality often outweighs the scope of their talent. Pretty smiles and attractive physiques doesn’t mean you know anything about digital marketing and unfortunately some persons in this industry are relying on those superficial tools to leverage their status. However, no one in their correct mental space could make any such accusation of Brianna Shim; first of all, a Brianna Shim smile is a rare sight. Beneath the intimidating demeanor is a heart of pure gold that cherishes banter, in the appropriate context.
Finding business minded-creatives, who are practical is not always the easiest task in the Caribbean. Though it’s Brianna’s creativity we are most impressed by, we are in awe of her professional depth. Brianna has worked with the Ministry of Finance in Trinidad and Tobago as a project executive for the implementation and development of the Public Sector Procurement Regime reform. She has also spearheaded the design of visual assets for corporate campaigns with companies such as Tampico , Western Union and Caribbean Airlines. If that isn’t impressive enough, you should also know that before Brianna got into digital marketing she studied Law at the University Of London and has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Edinburgh Business School. Quite frankly, you wouldn’t want to get on Brianna’s wrong side because – in more ways than one – she is equipped to humble you real quick.
Brianna’s impish wit and spellbinding beauty pair well with her professional depth. When she is not busy being a Mommy or ideating concepts for her next big corporate campaign, she does a bit of modelling in her free time. By no means is the essence of Brianna’s claim to digital marketing brilliance dependent on her alluring physical features because she is extremely talented and her unbelievable track record speaks for itself. By now you should be just as intrigued as we are to have a chat with this gifted, Trinidadian multi-potentialite.
CARIB VOXX: When did you begin to learn Adobe Photoshop, and how did you know that you wanted to be a designer?
Brianna: Funny story. I never pictured myself ever becoming a graphic artist or any sort of creative. From a very young age, I dreamt of becoming a doctor; then somehow ended up doing law and now, here we are! I learned the Adobe Suite at around 12/13 years old because my dad is a graphic artist. He was a director at a well known advertising agency for years. I grew up with him, creating advertisements for different companies, seeing his work – and one day I got restless and wanted to learn! He did not hesitate to teach me the ropes and I would spend hours on end every single day for years just playing around with images and concepts. My absolute favorite past time at that point was doing photo manipulations. It’s still a fave. After experiencing the very monotonous and hostile world of law, I applied for a job at Ross Advertising as the personal assistant to the CEO. He somehow discovered that I had an artistic background and ended up shoving me into the art room where I gained even more experience. Seeing my work displayed locally, regionally and internationally was leaps and bounds more rewarding than any other job I ever had, AND it was good fun. I can show up at work in leggings and a t-shirt?! Yes please! I guess this way of life sort of fell into my lap and I refuse to get up.”
CARIB VOXX: Can you describe for us the transition from Law to Digital Marketing, and how have any of the skillsets or theories been applicable across each career path?
Brianna: “Oops! I guess I answered the first part of this question already. In short, I began to hate my life in Law. The environment was so hostile and chaotic, yet monotonous for absolutely no reason. I suffered quite a lot of lows during that time of my life. At the start of my creative career, I was just a graphic artist in an art room making art as I guessed I knew best. Eventually, I went on to taking over friends’ social media pages for their businesses, creating campaigns and content for them. I found a great place with a company called Digitowl owned by a good friend – focusing equally on graphic art and social media inclusive of analytics and all that juicy stuff. Considering the polarity between the two careers (law and digital marketing), there wasn’t really a transition per se. Presently, my background in law helps when it comes to being cognizant of intellectual property laws, being more assertive in business, and drafting and inspecting contracts presented to me to ensure that I am not being taken advantage of. People are always trying to pull a fast one, especially on creatives! We don’t just make art, we’re smarter than that!”
CARIB VOXX: Tell us about a job or project you’re particularly proud of.
Brianna: I”’m proud of the jobs I do for my clients and friends. They’re all so different and allow me to be creative in very different ways. It has helped to draw myself away from having a go-to look and being able to produce work that suits each individual client. You have to have range as a creative in this day and age.
However, if I had to pick one job I am extremely proud of Soaka Arts & Music Festival 2020 (more affectionately known as “Soaka”). The shareholders gave me so much creative freedom and allowed me to run wild with their visuals. I got to design all their digital content, logos for the new events, booklets, wristbands, posters, merchandise, site maps…you name it! It was the biggest carnival event project I have been privileged enough to be part of. I mean, come on…it’s the most iconic and one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) jouvert/sunrise parties for Trinidad Carnival. I’m so grateful to have been able to work with such a great team! The months and months of work and sleepless nights were definitely worth it.”
CARIB VOXX: Though it must be exhausting to balance it all, how has motherhood anchored your creative and professional endeavors?
Brianna: “Since my wild child came into this world, I haven’t stopped going. I’m talking not even maternity leave. I refused to take it even though it was offered. Motherhood is definitely exhausting, but it has only added fuel to my fire. I’m more determined and focused on reaching new heights in my career and my life in general. Ella is my reason. She is THE reason. I work even harder and juggle several jobs (some not even in the creative industry) just to be able to secure a better future for my baby girl. There is no point where I would even sit back and think that I wish I could just do less. I want more for her (and my family) and I want to do more and be more. Maybe there isn’t exactly a balance, but being able to work remotely allows me the privilege of spending more time with my daughter and allows her to witness how hard mummy works.”
