Hello! My name is Susanna Ninomiya and I serve as one of the social media managers for White Mouse. I wanted to give y’all an inside look into being a part of the Marketing Executive Board. And I also wanted to describe how I balance out this fun position with my daily responsibilities as an undergraduate student and aspiring actor. Hopefully, this can inspire and convince someone that they can also put themselves out there and try new things!
A Little Background About Myself
I’m currently double majoring in theatre and marketing and it does take a lot of work and time management to complete tasks while also having time for myself. I originally heard about White Mouse from a past board member who had encouraged me to put myself out there and join a student theatre company that focuses on positive social change. I was very shy when I started college and felt overwhelmed by the extracurricular activities available, but I knew that I had a deep passion for theatre and that I wanted to immerse myself in theatre-making and in meeting other creatives. Since then, I have met amazing friends who create beautiful works of art and I am really proud of being able to promote White Mouse to the world. As one of the social media managers, I help create social media posts and promote our events via the Tallahassee Arts Guide and various marketable Facebook groups. I also oversee our White Mouse website by updating it regularly. I love having this position because I get first-hand experience in social media marketing while also being behind the scenes for various productions that we put on!
As I mentioned earlier, I am also majoring in theatre, and– believe it or not– my dream is to be an actor. “How can she possibly be in shows while also having all these responsibilities?”, you may ask. Well, it’s actually very manageable depending on how you organize your time! Last spring, I had a role in my friend’s play that was going to be produced through White Mouse. Daniela Rodriguez-Marty had won White Mouse’s Playwriting Fellowship with her play, The Bench, and I was very ecstatic and grateful to be a part of the production because it gave me so many amazing experiences as an actor and as a person. It was a really fun process for me because I got to become friends with people who I had seen around since freshman year but was too shy to talk to. This process helped me to further come out of my shell as we worked on the play.
Juggling Between White Mouse and Acting
Typically, rehearsals will last three hours and will go longer during Tech Week. As I was memorizing lines and blocking, I still had my responsibilities with White Mouse and needed to make time to get posts out there. Because of my busy schedule, I would make sure to have a separate meeting with the Marketing Director to catch up on any information or updates. To be honest, it was difficult at first to carve out extra time to complete my duties as a social media manager because I wanted to spend my free time just binging shows on Netflix or sleeping, but I knew the importance of my position and that the entire team would be further behind schedule if I started to slack. By no means is this meant to ward you off from trying new things and giving yourself extra responsibilities– in fact, I support your decision in every way and encourage you to do it! In my opinion, you can only gain so much knowledge and great experience from putting yourself out there and making sure to live your life in a way that brings you joy and fulfillment. I want you to look back at those years you spent in college with a fond smile on your face and a sense of accomplishment. And of course, it would be great to have you be a part of the White Mouse and get to work with you! But whatever you decide, we’ll always be here to support you and make theatre that brings joy and education.
Thank you for reading and I hope this semester isn’t too crazy for you!
Comments