Summer in the Silicon Valley

It's been a while since I wrote the last time..Wow, it's really been a while!
In the meantime I travelled to London, Oxford, Rome, Florence, Venice, Padua, Paris.. but that was back in January, when my boyfriend came to visit me in Europe. It was so much fun, but since then I've been so immersed in school (I finished my third year of college in May) and work: on May 16 I came back to the Silicon Valley for an intense summer of work!
Now I'm almost at the end (flying back to Edinburgh on Sunday!!!), and it's time to give a summary of what has been an amazing summer.
First of all, this summer has been great in terms of work: the Silicon Valley is incredibly inspiring and full of opportunities (if you look for them, of course). Given that, I had the awesome opportunity to work for the Palo Alto International Film Festival (PAIFF), which is going to take place exactly at the end of this week. You should check it out, there will be great screenings, talks, workshops and parties (e.g. Looper, the premier of Disney's Paperman, free outdoor screening of ET..!). Being part of the PAIFF's team taught me so much not just about marketing and advertising, but in general about
how much work there's behind a film festival. Particularly, PAIFF's goal is to bridge the gap between the Silicon Valley and Hollywood, which is extremely interesting and definitely unique, but also very specific in terms of research and outreach! Considering that this was my first approach to the industry that I'd love to work for sooner than later, I can happily say that this was a really enjoyable experience! :)

In addition to my entertainment experience, I also worked for ACG Silicon Valley (baed in San Jose), great experience that taught me the art of patience..! Doing (geeky-sneaky) market research can be really time consuming and repetitive, but it's something that really benefited the company. It was definitely rewarding seeing the results of my work being used to increase the number of ACG members. Definitely another great experience, made even more special by my friend-colleague Sonya, my friend Regina, Sally and Rick. We had much fun :)




Last, but not least, this was my second summer with Scent Sciences Corporation (now based in Santa Clara). I can't even find the right words to explain how amazing the whole team is, and how grateful I am to be part of such a great tech company. Come check out our blog, we love feedback :)

SSC Portrait

Now it's almost time to go back to Scotland, but like last year, I'll keep working for them overseas. The UK is a great market for Scent Sciences, so I'm looking forward to be on the other side of the world - at least for the next 8 months!










But let's move to the travels side of the story...! Yes, I was pretty busy this summer..but fortunately I still found the time to travel here and there. First of all, in June I went to Vegas for a weekend with my boyfriend. It was so nice, especially because I got to meet up with a dear friend. As for the details, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? Hmm. Okay. I'll tell you something :)
As soon as we got to Vegas I felt like dying: it was 100ºF O_O And you understand that I was in Scotland up to 15 days before.......... so yes, that was shocking. So if you'll ever consider to go to Vegas, wehhheeelll... Be ready to dry up under the sun. Or to spend a bunch of money in clothes and useless things because it's the only thing you can do indoors (God bless AC). Apart from the weather, Josh and I went to see the Cirque du Soleil, which was pretty amazing! We went to see Zumanity, very sexy and hilarious. During daytime we went to visit most of the luxurious hotels on and off the Strip - we even got to tour the old Vegas, and I must say.. I definitely liked it better than the first time I saw it! Vegas, you gotta go once in your life!

In addition to Vegas, I went to Los Angeles a couple of times, too: Santa Monica was the main spot, but I also got to tour Claremont with my friend Kinsey and Venice Beach with the amazing Jenna :) I even went rollerblading on the beach, how cool is that? Totally LA style :)

Though, one of the most amazing memories I have from my first trip to LA was the chance to attend a talk with Bob Chapek, VP of Consumer Products for Disney, at the Disney Studios in Burbank. It was my first time at the Studios and I was literally dying. What a GREAT experience. The talk was as expiring as constructive, and I'm really looking forward to start working in the entertainment field.

I just feel so blessed! After the Studios I also visited the ABC Studios, fact that made me feel dreaming even more. I have really vivid memories of that day, and I'm so glad to share this with you as I feel like I'm living it again :)

Another great fact happened when I went to LA later this summer: I got to meet a few mOceaners! mOcean is the entertainment agency that I love the most, so it was an incredible honor meeting the staff. Really hope to be working for them soon, their work is simply amazing.


Before heading back North, Josh and I also went to visit part of his family in the beautiful mountain location of Ojai. The nature there is incredible, sunsets are remarkable and the beach is just 30 mins away. Totally worth it to stop by:)

Well these were my main trips, but I think it's worth mentioning other great one-day trips to Santa Cruz (it never disappoints!) and San Francisco (I went to see the Pride Parade - so crazy and colorful! - and to a Giants game! I can't believe baseball can actually be fun ahha!)

Other fun things from this summer..? Well I got to see Demi Lovato...and.........KELLY CLARKSON!!!! A DREAM COMING TRUE! After 10 years of singing her beautiful songs in my room, I finally got to listen to her live, right in front of me! I seriously had issues in holding my tears :)

All this just to say...California, you're awesome. There's sooo much going on here, you just need to be ready to face just few hours sleep per night..!
I'm really grateful for all the good things that happend to me, for all the amazing people I met, and for all the great things that will come!

But now stay tuned, next stop: EDINBURGH! Last year of college, dissertation time and graduation in June...... and what's gonna happen next? I'm really curious myself to see where I'll be at this time next year...!

- CZ