#WFH Diaries: Ronaldo Jardim of Pavone Marketing Group
As confinement continues in most parts of the world, we're checking in with creative people to see how they're faring. Here's an update from Ronaldo Jardim, chief creative officer of Pavone Marketing Group.
Give us a one-line bio of yourself:
I'm a Brazilian designer from Rio de Janeiro and chief creative officer at Pavone Marketing Group (PMG), and I'm a DJ in my free time—even though there's not a lot of demand for DJs right now.
Where are you living right now, and who's with you?
I live in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with my wife, Camila, and our dog, Nina. Nina is still learning about work-from-home etiquette, like not relieving herself in the middle of a video call, but more on that later.
What's your work situation like at the moment?
I still don't have an office because we just moved here in January from Rio. We went from Rio to Harrisburg to a pandemic, and now all the furniture stores are closed and we can't decorate the place. So, right now, I'm working with my laptop in a space between the kitchen and the living room. It's nice because I'm close to the coffee pot and I can play with my dog. But because the space is so empty, my phone calls always sound like I live in a cave.
It's been really busy, though. The agency has won eight new clients in the past few weeks, so coupled with this whole remote thing and the need to hire new people, there isn't much time to do much more than work!
I do try to help my wife when I can and enjoy more lunchtime breaks with her. I'm definitely trying to relax as much as possible.
Describe your socializing strategy.
We just moved to Harrisburg, so I don't have many friends here in the city. And the six feet thing doesn't help in making new friends! I've been making a lot of calls to friends and family back home after work is done and taking advantage of the many different channels we have to connect with each other. Technology really is a wonderful thing in times like these. I'm using this time to have great conversations with friends that I haven't talked to in a long time.
How are you dealing with childcare, if applicable?
No kids—unless you count our dog. She's been getting a lot of attention with my wife and me home all day, so she might need some daycare after all of this is over!
What are you reading?
I've been reading some great books about leadership, such as Lincoln on Leadership for Today by Donald T. Phillips. I'm also doing some reading about user experience, product design and process, such as Lean Startup by Greg Caldwell. This is a great time to learn and better yourself. You have to stay sharp and exercise your mind now and then.
What are you watching?
I've been watching some series TV with my wife to relax a little. We like Vikings and The Walking Dead (but for that one, we'll have to wait since production is on hold). Also, watching a lot of standup comedy on Netflix. I definitely recommend catching some Tom Segura and Bill Burr if you can. Laughter is so important right now.
What are you listening to?
As I said, I'm a DJ on the side, though I haven't been able to do much with that since we moved here. And because all the clubs are closed, many of my fellow DJs are doing live sets and podcasts, which is great because I've never had so many good sets to listen to. A great one was David Guetta live in Miami where he asked for donations for Covid-19 relief programs and raised around $700,000. It was a great initiative from him and also a great set full of energy:
How are you staying fit?
I'm trying to eat healthier since I'm at home and can cook with my wife. I'm also trying to avoid all the American fast-food offerings out there that deliver! I'm taking a stab at yoga by watching YouTube yoga videos together with my wife and realizing that yoga is hard! My goal is to get good enough to participate in our weekly office yoga (now happening in Zoom!).
Have you taken up a hobby?
I used to have a DJ podcast, and now I'm trying to get back to recording those. I hope to have a new one uploaded very soon. You can check out some past sets and stay tuned for new ones on my podcast channel.
Any tips for getting necessities?
I'm doing more and more grocery shopping online, and sometimes I try to find things in multiple places to complete the list. Most of the time, I'm lucky with that approach.
An awkward moment since all this started.
During one of our agency meetings, our dog came to the living room and started to pee. My wife was busy upstairs, so I had to keep talking on the call and clean it up at the same time. I had to fumble a bit to hide the camera while I cleaned it up.
Best work email you got since all this started.
The best work email was the one we received from our CEO saying that our clients are really happy about how we are dealing with this situation, working with them as true partners, and how we are doing a great job working from home and getting even closer to their brands. Also, several emails about new-business wins—eight in last few weeks (Optavia, Musselman's, Lucky Leaf, Salada Tea, Red Rose Tea, Levante Brewing, Oddlygood, Weis). #WinningFromHome
An aha! moment since all this started.
I was really impressed with how our team came together and adapted easily to working from home and how we are helping each other with our projects while supporting our clients in this difficult moment. We may be working from around 100 different home offices across three cities, but I feel our culture has gotten stronger and we have gotten closer to each other, even in this time of social distancing.
What's your theory on how this is going to play out?
I think working from home will be our new normal, and more and more companies will adapt to that. I also believe we'll pay more attention to small things, such as how good it is to be out with friends and people we love and how we used to take that for granted.
In our culture in Brazil, we love to stay close to each other and to hug. I think that will change a lot now, not only here but also in Brazil. We'll all have to adapt to this new reality.
