Chloe Giusti

Where You Live: Brighton
Company: Babel Media Ltd
Job Title: Business Development Manager

Describe your job/role?
My role is mainly about account managmenet. Working with the like of THQ, Take 2, Majesco and Capcom, I make sure that Babel works on as many projects as possible for these companies. I also hacve to make sure that a project is evaluated properly in areas such as translation, audio recording, quality assurance and print. Working with the operation department and specialists in each of the services Babel provides, I put together proposals and pitches with the aim of further developing long-term relationship and commitment with our clients.Once a project starts, I also act as a point of contact throughout the life of the proejct and after completion, ensuring that everything is run smoothly and that the team is following the client's specifications.

What is the best thing about your job?
What I enjoy most about the job is the chance to get to know my clients and develop relationship with them. I would not enjoy working in a cold sales environment. Instead this is all about providing people with support and solutions. Problem solving and organisation are required and it feels very rewarding when clients come back to us.

What attracted you to it?
I was working at Babel as a French tester to start with. I soon got offered the chance to join the business development team and jumped at the opportunity. I progressed from Business development assistant to business development manager over the last couple of years. I was attracted by the potential of the position and the challenge it represented. Everyday is different and the variety of the role really appealed to me.

What schools did you go to and what subjects did you take?
I lived in France until I was 17. There I followed the classic path at school and took my final baccalaureat exam with languages and philosophy as specialist subjects. I also followed a drama course for several years in France. I then moved to Southampton to start a Business Studies degree. This was the opportunity for me to improve my English as well as studying for a good degree - and trust me when I say, I very much needed to improve my English at the time.

What was your favourite subject and why?
I have always enjoyed studying foreign languages, and I am fully aware of the benefits of it now. I also used to really enjoy economics at university. It was a bit of a revelation for me as I always thought I would dislike it. But looking back back languages and economics were a great combination.

Did you go to University / College and if so what did you study?
I went to University to study Business studies. When I finished my degree, I wanted to specialise a bit more and went on to do MA Marketing. I focused my research on social and non-profit organisation marketing.

What was your first job?
My first job was as an administrative assistant in a bank in France during the summer holidays. A lot of data entry and filling but I was kept safe from the photocopier!

What does your career path look like?
When starting my MA Marketing, I originally wanted to specialise in arts marketing. Having been following a drama course in France for about 5 years, and worked part-time in a theatre during university, I was really attracted by the idea. As I progressed through the course, my interest in non-for-profit marketing grew and I started focusing on fair trade and the different approaches followed in the UK and France to promote the concept.I completed my MA while having started to work at Babel as a French tester as a freelance. The day after ending in my dissertation, I was starting as a full time member of the team with the company. It was all bit by chance but worked out pretty well. I am now regularly involved in charity work with the games industry, so I am combining all the elements!

Which women have inspired and influenced your career?
I have met and worked with very strong characters in the arts and in the games industry alike. Women like Lisa Morgan, from the retailer GAMES, are a praise to the industry. It is very inspiring and shows that we are all playing a role that matters despite working in a very male orientated industry.

What would you say is your strongest attribute/s?
To be able to do my job properly, organisation is a priority. You need to keep in mind the mulitple projects that are on-going for each of your clients, while pitching for new ones. Combined with a liking for problem solving and the ability to keep your calm in peak times.

What do you think is the most exciting/interesting thing about working in the digital media industry?
It's changing every day. I am at the heart of one of the fastest growing industry, with sales figures for games now competing with cinema sales. When everyone talks about the next console on the market, we are some of the first lucky ones to see them. It's really exciting to be in such a dynamic environment, always changing and evolving. We are now looking forward to seeing the first PS3 and Wii in the office. And I adored my nephew's look when he heard that his auntie was working in video games!

What advice would you give to people who consider entering the digital media industry?
Technical knowledge is one thing, but personal skills are transferable. If you feel you might not be the perfect candidate because you're not the genius they are looking for on Illustrator, but you have good basis and you are keen to learn, then give it a go. Dedication and hard work is the best advice I can give. As much as this is a fantastic industry to work in, it is very intensive, so be willing to put your head down and give it 110%.