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From actress to the marketing professional

From
Actress
to the
Marketing Professional

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

The answer was always simple — an actress. Never in a million years did I think I would end up working in a marketing environment helping businesses to thrive and evolve through the lens of Digital Marketing.

As a hopeless dreamer, a huge Disney fan, out of the box thinker and never-ending student in life, I started from a young age to pursue my passions. The path led me to the New York Film Academy (NYFA), all the way to the bronze Effie award while working as a Brand Manager. Afterwards, I immerse myself into digital marketing waters as Head of Digital and Client Solution Manager. I had a feeling that 2020. is going to be my year! To my surprise, I received an invitation from the Faculty of Business and Economics in Zagreb to teach at the new Digital Marketing Program. Life couldn’t be better! Now I’ve started my web site and the podcast “Make some waves” where I want to explore all my areas of interest and create a platform for the people who are passionate about their work to help our community prosper.

"Where did I all start?"

For as long as I can remember, I had so many dreams and a great desire to pursue then. I wanted to live my life, having no regrets. That was my mantra throughout my journey.

It all started with wanting to be like my favourite Disney character – the Little Mermaid. I know it sounds silly, but for me, that meant being utterly free, true to myself and have the courage to follow my heart.

Always follow your dreams.

Dražen T.

My first passion in life was acting

I started acting to learn English. From the first minute, I fell in love. It was a way to express myself and grow as a person. I still remember how enthusiastic I was when I would attend those English lessons.

At the end of high school, I applied and was accepted to the New York Film Academy (NYFA). It was one of the happiest days of my life—the day when your dreams come true. 

Until this day, I’m incredibly grateful for my parents, who were always very supportive in going after my dreams. At the same time, they were the ones who kept me grounded.

In the end, I made a decision not to go because we couldn’t afford the scholarship. I immerse myself into different activities. Apart from acting, I was also passionate about trying new things: fitness, Spanish, healthy living, travelling, volunteering, creativity and many more.

After the NYFA, I didn’t know where to go from there. So I decided to pick one direction that will allow me to explore the possibilities for the future. Say hi to the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb! It took me a while to figure out what I want to do in my life, but after discovering student organisations and the work that they do, I knew Marketing what the way to go. I specialised in Marketing in my fifth year, and it was the best decision I’ve made. From that point, I started to trust more in my gut feeling and decided that from now on, everything that I will do in the field of Marketing, it’s going to be with one single purpose – never to stop learning.

The next chapter in my life I dedicated to the Croatian favourite coffee and tea brand – Franck. I still remember standing in front of the factory and sensing the coffee aroma. I thought “Wouldn’t it be great if I could have that aroma welcoming me every morning when I come to work.” So it was. I started my journey as an intern in the Marketing department, where I work as a Brand Manager and Head of Digital Marketing for four and a half years. Over that course of time, I learned that if you want to be good at something, you have to start from the beginning and don’t run away from the hard work. The most challenging projects taught me the greatest lessons:

The team is your family; we can fight, argue and disagree, but the team are the people who stand by your side through the good and the bad times.

Responsibility and transparency is the key ingredient to a successful collaboration.

Have fun in everything that you do. It will make hard times easier, and good times will become great memories.

Optimism, hard work, and team spirit lead to some wonderful milestones.

"Seize every opportunity life has is going to offer you. If it doesn't, become a creator of your own opportunities." - Tena Turčinović

Having had the opportunity to work on numerous types of projects with some of the most amazing people in their line of work, I was given the opportunity to expand my horizons even further. Today I’m working with global clients to create a quality brand experience on online platforms.

My desire to grow never stopped. Today, I’m not just working with the online platforms, but I have the opportunity to teach about Digital Marketing at the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb.

Motivated by the desire to share the knowledge, I started my web site and the podcast “Make Some Waves “.

Let's make some waves together!

My greatest wish is to have a positive impact on someone’s life. If you ask me what the ultimate goal of the podcast, I’m not sure I figured it out yet. I do know that I want to use the platform to help individuals, companies, projects to share their experiences, knowledge and help them make a change in our community. Whether you’re starting a project or have the valuable experience you want to share with the world, I’m here to help you to get your voice out. 

“You are the ultimate writer of your story. It’s time to pick up that pen and start writing your next chapter.”

If you got this far, thank you for taking the time to read my story.  I hope this is just the beginning of our relationship.

I’d love to learn more about you. Get in touch with me by clicking on the link below and pick the time that suits best for you. Let’s grab a coffee!

With love,