Hey there, this is Eszter, founder and motor behind Big Manta Digital.
Everyone has a great story, but not everyone is able to tell it in a way that engages others. I dig passionate people, and I always want to find out more about why they find something so compelling. My friends sometimes lose themselves talking about their area of expertise and apologize after a 10-minute rant on automated container cranes, audio cables or Balkanic music, to which I always say: thank you for sharing your enthusiasm!
My passion is creating understanding and good vibes between different people and cultures. Languages fascinated me from an early age. I wrote my first illustrated novel when I was 4 years old (published in an extremely limited edition of 1, stapled it together myself too). In my teenage years, I translated passages of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road into Latin. Playing with words until they carry the exact same meaning in a different language always seemed like magic to me. And even though my Hogwarts letter never came, this was the kind of magic I could learn.
I graduated with honors as an economist specialized in advertising and translation/interpretation. By this point I was so disillusioned with what little I saw of advertising agencies that I gave up on a marketing career, and launched into freelancing as a translator and, after a Masters degree, a conference interpreter.
10 years as a freelance interpreter at the European Union transformed me. On the one hand, I got addicted to the traveling lifestyle, and independence of choosing my own working days. On the other hand, my attention span shrunk to that of a goldfish. I thrive on variety. On the third hand (Zaphod Beeblebrox, anyone?), I got really good at researching a subject quickly, comprehensively, and just deeply enough that I can sound smart talking about it the next day.
Just as I started to feel like a seasoned professional, COVID came and took away all the events I had been working at. While we were all locked up inside, it was time to look at what else is out there, professionally. It also became apparent that I wanted gigs that did not require me to show up in a different country on given days of the month, as the pandemic made me see the flaws in that model. I always loved social media, which happens to be one of the favorite professions of the digital nomad, so I returned to my roots as a marketer.
Turns out, marketing in the 20s is much more suited to the way I wanted to do business: give first, ask second. This is no longer the sleazy world of advertising I had run away from. Organic social media and content creation are about pulling people in with the value we offer. And that’s just fine by me.
After a few detours, I found my way back to what I always enjoyed the most: writing. I work with a select group of small businesses that are on a mission to make a big impact in the world. I am so immensely proud of all of them, and happy that I can be a small part of their success.
Success for me looks like a good conversation with someone, finding out what they are really all about, and turning that into words that will tell the same message loud and clear for their dream audience. I dream big, I see the best in people, and I believe in caring deeply about what I do.
Welcome to my online world! Look around, check out my past projects and select musings, and if you have a question or comment, let’s talk!
Love,
Eszter