We caught up with Gloria Akinbusoye, Awards Executive at Festival of Media, for a chat on how she’s been finding her first few weeks as newest member of the team.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself and what is your role here at Festival of Media?
Hi I’m Gloria, and I’m one of the Awards Executives! I’m really enjoying the role, it’s been a busy time but I love being busy. So, far I’ve really loved getting to grips with everything, attending events and getting to know the lovely team!

On your very first day you attended a in person judging session for Global, and then the awards ceremony was the following week! How did you find starting at such a busy but exciting time?
It was intense, but a fascinating introduction into the world of media and the industry as a whole. Rather than being told what judging and a ceremony would be like, it was great to be able to experience it first hand. Also, it made me really excited for what’s to come.

You’re leading on LatAm Awards – can you tell us a bit more about what that entails?
On a practical level I have had to get used to the time difference and working on a different time zone to Latin America. A typical day for me starts with catching up on my inbox. Talking to Judges, there’s some impressive brands in there such as Kellogg’s, Pinterest and META to name but a few. Then, I’m on hand to answer any questions from entrants, help with category recommendations and anything to make entering our awards programme that little bit easier. There’s some fantastic work being made in the region and we can’t wait to celebrate it!

What entrants can expect from this year’s awards? 

One of the things they can expect is some terrific new categories, such as Best Music Marketing Campaign. Some of the best performing campaigns from this year’s Global Awards from Latin America had a really strong musical element, so I hope to see many of those campaigns entered into this programme as well. Also, Latin American music is brilliant, I’m such a fan of reggaeton!

Do you have a favourite campaign from FOMLA in 2022? If so, what is it and what do you like about it?
That would have to be To Know Them You Have To Touch Them by Initiative Colombia. I like how they took an important topic that people find difficult to talk about, but by using humour and playful tone – they helped break down that barrier.

We imagine it’s all been a bit of whirlwind, but do you have any highlights or standout moments from your first month working at Festival of Media? 

That would have to be the Global ceremony! It was fantastic to see Jeremy up there doing what he does best – presenting and dancing about! Loved how happy and smiley everyone was, and it was a great atmosphere seeing all the great work being rewarded. The team works hard all year, and then this feels like the final cherry on top of the awards cake!

Finally, to finish up can you tell us a fun or little-known fact about yourself?
Photography is a big passion of mine, taking photos on film. Hopefully one day I will be able to use this skill as part of my role here.

Why not drop Gloria a message to say hello on: gloria.akinbusoye@festivalofmedia.com or find out more about our LatAm programme on our website by clicking here