Describe your typical day at work
I’m an early 5am riser, I love watching the Dubai sunrise, sitting in candlelight over a hot cup of fresh brewed coffee and then to spend breakfast with my family before dropping my son, Luca, to school. I typically arrive at the office at about 7:30 am to get some quiet reflection time in before the day really kicks off and to review the previous day’s movie performance. Each day presents different and exciting opportunities, no two days are the same. Usually it is a series of updates on Operations, Sales, Marketing, Digital, F&B and Finance or meeting new partners for promotional collaboration or activations. As a leader I operate on an open-door policy which ensures transparency and accessibility as we work in a very fast-paced environment. It does sometimes feel like my office is a busy train station with people coming in and out, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s important to me to be hands-on and accessible to your team at all times. There can be up to 15 new movies to launch every week (Hollywood, Bollywood, Arabic, Malayalam, French, Tagalog and so on) and our business revolves around a fast turnaround. There are regular meetings to track progress against short-, medium- & long-term plans, strategies and our goals. The environment is very fast paced and dynamic. We have a young multi-cultural and diverse team (30 different nationalities working for Novo Cinemas) that is very energetic and passionate and I love the noise and the laughter in the office. It’s really important to always have that balance as we spend so much time at work, we have to love what we do and fortunately WE DO LOVE WHAT WE DO :). It’s also very important to have a work-life balance, so I try to make sure both the team and myself practice that as often as physically possible.
The moment you fell in love with the Big Screen.
One of my fondest memories is as a little girl growing up by the ocean in Brighton, England, and going to the movies every Saturday morning with my siblings. The movie theater was located directly opposite the beach, so you always experienced that amazing waft of fresh sea air, the sound of the seagulls and the waves washing over the pebbled beach. I can still vividly remember the ladies serving the ice cream tubs during the interval (lol….now I’m showing my age :) ). One of the movies I remember the most from my childhood is Bugsy Malone starring a very young Jodie Foster, Scott Baio and Florrie Dugger – I absolutely loved that movie. Nowadays, I love most genres except Horror, I just can’t watch it! I’m a huge lover of Broadway Musicals too so it comes as no surprise that I loved A Star is Born, La La Land and The Greatest Showman. Back in 2013, when I was asked to join Novo Cinemas, one of the first questions I was asked during my interview was, “do I like going to the movies”, well of course my answer was a big fat YES but then who doesn’t love going to the movies and as the saying goes, the rest is history. Overnight I moved from a successful career in Tourism and Events to one in Entertainment and I love this industry. It was a big challenge, or some would even say a big risk to change industries, but I have no regrets, it’s been an amazing and incredible journey so far. I believe movies are an important part of almost everyone’s life and many memories created that last a lifetime.
The best thing about the cinema experience?
Personally, I feel nothing can replace the big screen, the size, the sound, the smell of the freshly made popcorn wafting in the air and the excitement of going to see your favourite actor/actress on the big screen. It is still the most accessible and convenient entertainment solution for everyone, no matter who they are. Escapism in its truest form. Those two or three hours you spend in the cinema give you a way to immerse yourself in someone else’s story and forget about everything else going on in your life. Then, there’s the added enjoyment of the post movie critique, where you discuss the story plot, script, music and your personal interpretation, with everyone having something different to bring to the conversation because our experiences are shared but never the same. One thing is sure, however, that it’s an experience that brings people together, you can’t replicate that at home as it’s just not the same, no matter how big your home screen is. Going to the movies is such an ingrained part of our daily life, part of our DNA, we sometimes don’t stop to think how much it influences/impacts us. The sheer creativity of some of the directors and writers is incredible. When we talk to our guests, we always hear touching stories about how special and how unique it is to share a movie experience with their loved ones, parents, grand-parents, siblings or friends and for me it is the same.