by Jared Ipsen l Comms Coordinator Tuesday, September 05, 2017
‘Meet the family’ is a new series where we talk to Zeal staff all around the country to find out what makes them tick. Stay tuned for more coming soon!
Christine Stucki, otherwise known as Ruby Fearless, is super famous and fashionable and an absolute genius at all things digital – so much so that we made her the Digital Campaigner for our mental health project, Live For Tomorrow.
She took some time out of her busy schedule of making videos and looking after Beth to answer some questions – check em out below!
How did you first get involved with Zeal?
Christine: I always saw Zeal in my West Auckland community, however I was no longer a young person when all the gigs started popping up. I was GUTTED, as the community I saw would have been perfect for me when I was at high school.
Fast forward 10 years and the most amazing opportunity popped up for me on Facebook (spoiler – it was this job), and I knew I had to go for it. Now I get to attend all the awesome events I want as part of the Zeal family! It’s funny how things work.
What does your typical day at Zeal look like?
Christine: After taking a cheeky team Boomerang or two, I’m working on The Great Mental Health Experiment. It’s different every day, however when we’re not filming we’re working on a mix of planning the next shoot, advertising the current episode, and reporting on the previous one. So there’s always three on the go at any given time.
To fill up the rest of my time, I work with Beth on our social channels, along with supporting the team with any digital avenues for their projects.
What do you do in your spare time?
Christine: I run a fashion and beauty blog [insert plug here], Ruby Fearless. This has been my baby for the past 5.5 years, so I guess you could say this takes up most of my time. I rope the #instahusband into taking photos of me during the weekends, and in the week I’m creating content for my website and social channels.
What else is coming up for this season of the GMHX?
Christine: We just filmed a sick as episode on gaming. You’d think phone gaming wouldn’t be entertaining to watch, but just you wait. That’s me building the hype, did it work? We’re also going to be tackling youth issues like alcohol consumption, stigma and discrimination, and the use of social media. Get excited, friends!!
What are some epic moments you’ve had during your time at Zeal?
Christine: Epic moments for me have been those little moments. Coming into this role, it’s very focused on building an online community so you’d think I’d be glued to my screen. On a daily basis, I’m proved wrong.
Building relationships and trust with our West young people has been the most rewarding part of my job, and I’m honoured to be included in their celebrations, be relied upon for advice and support, and be a soundboard for their dreams and aspirations.
What’s some advice you would pass on to someone wanting to work with youth?
Christine: We’re all on the same level, so treat them that way.
What are you most excited about in your future?
Christine: Career wise, I’m really excited about seeing Live For Tomorrow continue to make an impact in our community and overseas. All our projects are incredibly inspiring, and I’m very fortunate to be involved in them.
Personally, I’m really excited to start a family in a few years time… And THAT’S the sound of my partner running for the hills! Haha!
What’s your number one self-care tip?
Christine: Advice I give in nearly every situation is “be kind to yourself”. Too often, we’re really hard on ourselves and it actually makes the way we feel and react to a situation a lot worse. If something isn’t going your way and doing a spot of online shopping is guaranteed to lift your mood, do it (but check your bank balance first, fam).
Mum taught me this one, making pancakes for dinner once in a while when she could see that life was a little hard. Yip, mum’s the real deal, and I’m happy to share her!!
“Be the change you wish to see. Get equally frustrated and inspired by the many systems letting young people down. Be willing to fight 24 hours of the day, 365 days of the year for those who feel unheard, unloved and ignored.”
We all spend a lot of time on social media – what if we spent some of our time online doing good? What if we were honest and real in a way that’s never been seen before?
