CamLife Interview’s Studio 20’s Andra Chirnogeanu

In this groundbreaking first issue of CamLife Magazine, we sit down with studio 20’s P.R. and head of marking Andra Chirnogeanu.

Bender – Andra, you are a vital part of Studio20 I know you are the Public Relations manager for Studio20.

I know from our talks over the last few years that you are one of the hardest working people, not just women I have ever known.

So for those who don’t know what you do as the PR manager for Studio20? 

Andra – First of all, thank you for your kind words. It’s amazing to get this feedback from people who have been in this industry for so long. I’m humbled and honored.

I don’t feel like I’m working. It’s stressful for me when I have to go home. People might call me a workaholic but I call it “passionate”. I’ve never heard of a successful person having what they want without putting in the work.

A job brief would be coordinating all public relations activities, building relationships with other industry leaders to grow industry awareness, creating content for press releases and byline articles, managing media inquiries and interview requests, and developing strategies with my marketing team.

Bender – Andra, how did you come to work for Studio20?

Andra – Well, I’ve always liked challenges. I am a Law School graduate with a Master’s degree in Diplomacy and Negotiation.

Before I came to Studio 20 I worked in sales and marketing. I have a background in event planning and social media marketing. It’s been quite a journey, but I think my history built up my personality and brought me to where I am now.

I saw the PR Manager position on a job site and I applied. I had no idea what a cam studio is or what it does exactly. But I’ve never been the one to step back from a challenge.

My first interview was great, I remember I was nervous, and when I’m nervous, I tend to scratch my head so I was just thinking “Don’t scratch your head, don’t scratch your head.” 😊))

It was a new project, it was something none of the other studios were doing at the time. So that meant room for mistakes and do-overs. And I just loved the fact that I could try something new and leave my mark.

Bender – Andra, what makes Studio20 so special to be a part of? 

Andra – It’s the people. I’ve always said that. People make or break your business.

We are a group of hard-working people, fun and young with loads of energy.

We make work fun and we take care of each other.

It’s not your usual workplace, as no cam studio ever is your normal office.

The vibe you get is amazing and that’s what matters.

Bender – You know,  Andra a lot of people don’t fully understand what PR is so could you explain a little bit about what goes into PR? 

Andra – There are jobs that you learn how to do, you can take a course at a college. You’ll never do those jobs well. So if you ever decide to hire someone just because they have “marketing” or “public relations” written on their resume, think again.

Public speaking, maintaining relations with media, being creative, always having a smart answer, and an interesting story, always smiling, selling but not selling, allowing yourself to be in the spotlight with all eyes on you without showing a shred of nervousness, making people feel good around you, that’s PR. You’ll never learn that in school.

Of course, a lot more goes into the job, there’s a lot of hard work. To be specific, PR is 80% emotion, 15% knowledge, and 5% skill.

You can learn anything, you can get a trade anytime. I have around me amazing people who do what they love and they do it well without ever studying it in school.

Don’t get me wrong, educate yourself, education is important, build a base, and be smart, the more things you know, the easier it is for you to do what you love.

Bender – Why is social media so important? 

Andra –  Technology is an important part of our lives. We keep up with the people we know through WhatsApp and Skype, we can’t be everywhere so we like the pics they post on IG or Facebook, we agree and RT their tweets, we like a song and we use musica.ly ..it’s all part of our culture.

It’s not a bad thing, social media, used right, helps us connect. That was the reason all the apps were invented: to help us stay connected to the people in our lives.

I use social media for the models to do the same thing: keep up with their fans, and make them feel connected to them.

Bender – Okay, so what is it like working for such a driven businessman as Mugur Frunzetti? 

Andra – I look up at him. He is an amazing businessman, a marketing person, and a man that leads with passion.

It’s incredible for me to work with him because he knows how to teach me without making me feel too small. He’s a great teacher and I appreciate that a lot about him. We can come to him with any problems that we have and we know he’ll help us find the answer.

It’s important: he will help us find the answer, not give it to us. That’s the cool thing: by leading to solving a problem we never let our brains sleep. So we’ll find multiple solutions to solving a problem.

That’s a leader. I simply love the Studio20 motto “We succeed together” Can you tell us where it comes from and what it means to you? 

You know the funny thing is, before I started working at Studio 20, my email footer had the motto “Together we can make it happen”. So it’s kind of a match made in Cam Heaven.

For me, “We succeed together” is more than a motto, it’s a way of living. I have an amazing example from my parents who built everything they own together, I see lots of people who just bloom when they have someone next to them. There’s an African proverb that I also like: “ If you want to go fast, go alone if you want to go far, go together”.

We’re not made to be alone and this applies both to personal and business.

You can have the apartment you’ve always dreamt about, the Porsche 911 with custom leather seats, the nicest watches… if you go home and that apartment is empty, if you drive your car and there’s nothing in the right seat, is it freedom or loneliness?

“We succeed together”, business-wise means exactly this: together we can go far, and working together means building together.

Bender –  How do you help motivate and inspire the models at Studio20? 

Andra – Money is important. As long as a model is making money, she’ll stay motivated.

The most important thing is to find out what she wants from the beginning. Does she want a career, a summer job, quick money, does she own her job, is it something she’s ashamed of?

You have to understand the person you’re talking with so you can know the approach.

The #girlsfromstudio20 are motivated by money. While helping them earn money, we build a relationship with them so whenever they have a bad day, they know it’s going to be ok, they feel safe and not at all bad because they know they have our support. That’s what family does.

Bender – How important is PR to building a brand? 

Andra –  It’s not the only PR. It’s marketing and PR combined. And they’re both equally important.

There are a lot of products that are good, maybe better than the ones that are on the market right now but because of bad marketing, they never see the light of day.

It’s about selling yourself or your product. The more you market it, the more visibility it has, and the more success it will have.

Bender – I know that you have a mentor in AW Media, Alexandra Praisler. What has this friendship meant to you? 

Andra – I respect Alexandra a lot. I understand that she had the same beginning as I did and I can’t help but look up to her. She’s not the only one I look up to, though. There’s also Leah Mahi, Reka Horvath, Nikki Night, Jamie Rodriguez, Little Red Bunny, and many more.

You see that I mentioned women. I think that ladies in adults can change the way people perceive this industry,  it’s our responsibility to do it for the new generation. From the girl that wants to find herself personally and sexually, to the boy that grows up and watches porn or goes on cam sites.

These are women who have managed to succeed in a world and industry ruled by men.

All the women that I’ve mentioned are an inspiration to me. I’ve always been about empowering women. I’m not a feminazi, don’t get me wrong. I believe in the equal rights of men and women and that’s why I work like a man, have the mindset of a man but still always try to keep it a little sweet, a dash of femininity.

Bender – You recently won an award at this year’s AW Summit for Best Company Representative can you tell us what it was like to be recognized for your hard work? 

Andra – Oh boy, that was the most nervous I’ve ever been. I didn’t expect to win, the competition was too heavy for me to think that I ever had a chance but you know how it is, in my heart, a small part was still hoping. I repeated the speech in my head as if I would have won. Nothing came out the way I wanted it but that’s good because I spoke with passion, that was the moment where I couldn’t hold my feelings in anymore.

That award is not about Andra Chirnogeanu, that is about Studio 20, the marketing team, the models, the trainers, and the staff. It is about the company I represent and love.

Winning the Best Company Representative assures me that I’m doing a good job but at the same time puts a lot of pressure on me. I have both maintained the status and come up with something better each year.

Bender –  What is a typical day like for you at the Studio20 office? 

Andra – Team-A (marketing team, that’s how they named themselves LOL) always says that we should install a camera in a corner of our office because we’re not your normal office.

There’s a lot of laughter and brainstorming going on.

I get to work at around 9 AM and have my coffee in front of the laptop. I schedule the things that I have to do every day in a manner that lets me have time for anything that might come up in the meantime.

I write a lot, I work on campaigns and post stuff, and I either have interviews or meetings.

What I can tell you is that no day is the same as the other. I have a team that’s always up to something, either they fill my monitor with post-its, pull pranks on each other, or cry about being hungry (they’re always hungry).

Bender – Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to Andra and thank you for all of your help and your friendship. 

Andra – Thank you!

 Thank you for your support, love, and appreciation for Studio 20 and the #girls