Heloisa Castro

Our Positive Woman is Heloisa Castro, a specialist in influencer marketing at one of the most disruptive companies of the moment: EPICdigitais. Graduated in Marketing from UVA and postgraduate in Digital Influence from IBMR, she has been working in the Influencer Marketing market for 4 years and has managed more than 200 creators in campaigns and activations for brands, online and offline — including big names like Anderson Gaveta. Helô aims to promote creative and humanized engagement, believing in the power that entertainment has in creating connections and positive experiences.

1. How did your career start?

A: My first internship was in the first period of marketing college. I was 17 years old, just turned 17, and I went to work at a marketing agency that was also a press office, because my dream — when I left high school — was to be a journalist. Marketing came into my life while I was trying to get a place on the journalism course. What was supposed to be temporary ended up becoming a huge passion.

Day-to-day life at the company where I was an intern allowed me to get to know practically all the areas of activity of a marketing and advertising professional — which contributed considerably to my decision to give up journalism and focus on my new passion (marketing, lol ). I started marketing on social media (the first client I served in this segment didn't even have a Facebook fan page, because the functionality didn't exist yet!) and ended up specializing in the subject.

2. How is EPIC's business model formatted?

A: At EPICdigitais we have three fronts: the one that manages the careers of digital content creators (the influencers); the one that offers digital creative economy solutions for companies; and the one that professionalizes and prepares people who want to work in the digital creative economy. The last one is a more recent project, the result of a lot of market observation and understanding the real needs of influencers, agents, clients and creatives.

3. What was the most difficult moment in your career?

A: When I chose to leave a federal advertising college to invest in applying everything I already knew in the market and take care of myself. I spent a lot of time studying too much — to the point where I didn't have time to apply the knowledge I had and effectively build a solid career with it.

I was very afraid of not having the right or enough degrees and certifications. This meant that I needed to stay in places with lower workloads in order to finish my second degree (at the time I crossed the city of Rio de Janeiro during the day between home-college-work trips). I woke up too early, slept too late. My physical and mental health was very poor.

When I understood that I needed to decide what was more important (continuing to accumulate knowledge or applying everything I already knew and using the market experience I already had to consolidate my career), I left college without telling anyone.

I knew that people would judge me a lot for giving up on a federal degree when I was so close to earning it, but I was sure it was the best option. And it was. I learned to take more care of my physical and mental health, understanding that if they are not balanced, there is no way to be a good professional.

I learned to establish my career priorities and also my limits. It was a moment of deconstruction of many pre-established successful ideas that I had, which was very important for me to have the vision (including business) that I have today.

4. How do you manage to balance your personal life vs. corporate life?

A: Remote work is a gift for me. The flexibility I get in my daily life is something I won't trade anymore. Not to mention the quality of life I gained just by eliminating the time spent commuting home-work-home.

I try to maintain a regular, constant and organized routine, having time for everything: resting, working, exercising, studying, having fun, taking care of everyday things at home. Having a more regulated diet and staying hydrated was also a turning point: it's undeniable how much of a difference this makes in my mood and attention. I also think it's important to say that I've always had a lot of support and understanding at home regarding work, which prevents emotional exhaustion.

The fact that EPICdigitais is a very relaxed environment to work in helps considerably in reducing the pressure that everyone who works in marketing and advertising needs to deal with. And that's it: lighter work environment > less feeling of pressure > less emotional exhaustion > more lightness in personal relationships. Those who feel happy with their work end up taking life more lightly.

I also like to always make it very clear that consistency in this type of routine is not linear: some days will be much more productive than others because we wake up feeling good, in a good mood, happy. When the days come when something happens and we are unable to comply with the plan we set out for ourselves, we need to know how to accept and respect ourselves. Constancy is not synonymous with being able to do everything at your maximum power every day, but rather being able to do it all the time, regardless of how much.

5. What is your biggest dream?

A: I want my team and I to be recognized for making a difference, you know? May people look at the work we have been developing here and realize that we really want to make the market more professional, with more ethical and fair relationships, with more committed and well-trained people, knowing what they do. I want to see the creators we care for grow and be able to say “I’m part of this”. I believe that my personal purpose is to help people move forward, so being recognized for this will be my greatest achievement.

6. What is your greatest achievement?

A: I believe that becoming a partner, before 30, of a company that I saw being born and that has a business vision that is currently so aligned with my personal purpose is, in addition to an achievement, a privilege. Luiz Guilherme Guedes and Alexandre Chaves (partners and founders of EPICdigitais) have always trusted me and my work.

When I look around and see friends fighting to have a voice in the companies they work for, I realize how much I managed to gain space for speech and decision-making in a short time at EPICdigitais. I consider this an important achievement too, because the marketing and advertising market, unfortunately, is still known for not opening up much space at the table to listen to those who have just arrived.

7. Book, film and woman you admire (cannot be your mother).

A: As a good fan of dystopias and an observer of human behavior, it is impossible not to recommend Fahrenheit 451. I believe that fiction can lead to very deep and important reflections about our society and the paths we must avoid in order to continue existing.

My film recommendation follows the same logic: Inception is a work that talks about the power and responsibility of influencing people so that they do what you want. You can implant a dream or an idea in someone's mind, but you can also imbue it with toxicities or steal something very precious to the person's essence. A great metaphor for today.

I admire some (many) women, but I'm going to pull a sardine in the influence market and mention 3 content creators who managed to transcend the position of influencers to become respected businesswomen and successful references in their niches:

1. Nath Arcuri (Me Poupe): the first woman I saw talking about money that wasn't just for news on television and also the first person who translated “economese” into something I could understand. The educational approach she adopted in her business is something that really inspires me.

2. Nath Finances : Nath is suburban, peripheral and became a businesswoman showing everyone that people from humble origins can achieve financial independence, freedom, and achieve big dreams. They just need education and opportunity. Nath alone would have been an inspiration for me, but then she decided to create a company with an incredible organizational culture, whose focus is helping people win in the same way she managed to win.

Bianca Andrade: I think Bianca is brilliant. From ideas for your own business to bold decision-making, to being an inspiring leader inside and outside the company you manage. Bianca is the type to stand up and take the risks (and mistakes) of the decisions that Boca Rosa Company makes, without hiding behind her team. The fact that I came from the periphery and managed to transform reality through charisma, creative content and good ideas is something that I greatly admire.