humans of shakespeare north playhouse-paula

Thu 1 Jun, 2023

Inspired by the original Humans of New York, Humans of Shakespeare North Playhouse aims to document as many of the wonderful people who walk through our building each day. Giving a glimpse into who they are and the story they have to share. Meet Paula, one of our wonderful volunteers who has been helping out the marketing team for the past few months #HumansOfShakespeareNorthPlayhouse

‘Pleasure and action make the hours seem short’ – Othello, Act 2, Scene 3

‘I was made redundant from my job in January, and I wanted something to occupy my mind whilst I was looking for work. I also wanted to be more involved with Shakespeare North Playhouse, a place I’m really passionate about.

‘My career is in marketing and e-commerce. I look after all the strategic plans from a marketing perspective so putting in all the marketing calendars and long-term projects but also from an e-commerce perspective, restructuring websites, getting websites up and running and making sure that its driving traffic- all of those things.
I started off in more traditional marketing so very much newspaper advertising. I used to look after print sale for TJ Hughes, then from there I had an opportunity to work on the digital marketing side of things. The person knew me and my personality and passion so wanted to take me under his wing and teach me everything I needed to know about digital marketing, which was a fantastic opportunity because things were moving far more towards digital in that time. I absolutely loved it. I loved how much more measurable it is than traditional marketing because you get a lot of data so you can make informed decisions on your marketing plans and strategies. It’s less of a fluffy marketing approach and much more strategic than traditional marketing. I really that it constantly changes and it’s a really dynamic role to be at the forefront of all of the changes.

‘I think since lockdown we’re seen probably 5-10 years’ worth of progress happen in just a few years. I think the whole scope of how things work online now has completely changed. People are far more willing to shop online, they digest information completely differently and the way they use online services is completely different.

‘I’ve really enjoyed volunteering with the marketing team. On a professional level its gave me a chance to understand new platforms and its been great being able to use my skills and knowledge to help out with the team. I’ve also got a lot out of the experience from a personal level, the team are really great and friendly and getting to know the other volunteers has been a great experience as well. I’m very talkative and extroverted so it’s been interesting meeting some of the others and their reasons for volunteering, overall it’s a super positive experience!’