At AIESEC, if there is one thing that we value, that is leadership. All our members around the country and the world engage with AIESEC to polish and enhance their leadership skills. Astoundingly, we offer this opportunity by assisting potential leaders to obtain a cross-cultural experience. Our products of Global Volunteer, Global Talent and Global Teacher have paved the way for many young individuals to get the opportunity of becoming an exchange participant and gain an immersed experience with other cultures.
For these products to sustain and reach out the community, Showcasing has been known to become entailed with these products. At AIESEC, we have an exceptionally qualified team who has taken steps to ensure that our services branch out to all the budding youth to become a part of this experience. This is not an easy task which can be done overnight but rather through planning and experience, it has allowed AIESEC to provide its target individuals with the best possible experience they can get.
Most of these leaders in the Showcasing team of AIESEC work behind the big picture, so we decided to go behind this glamorous picture and give you an understanding on how the brushes and paint are being whipped and stroked to make this more and more beautiful. For this, we interviewed Abhishek Ranasinghe and Banuka Basnayaka who are an integral part of the Jayawardenepura Showcasing Team and the National Showcasing Team.
- “Showcase your Story” is the tagline of NST, so let me ask the first question from you by asking you to showcase your story to me. Who are you? How have you painted your story on the canvas?
-Abhishek-
Hi, I’m Abhishek Ransinghe, 3rd year undergraduate in the Department of Marketing, at the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce in the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and currently I work as one of the video directors of NST 22.23 Sem 2. I’m a graphic designer, videographer, video editor and have a passion to learn more about photography as well.
-Banuka-
Hi, I’m Banuka Basnayaka, 3rd year undergraduate at the Faculty of Technology in the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Well, people say I’m a sloth who works slow, but I would consider myself to be a creative sloth who gets his work done even in a stressful situation. Getting it done slowly and smoothly is my jam. I also work as a video director at NST 22.23 Sem 2.
- According to you, what answer can you give me if I ask you who is a true showcaser?
-Abhishek-
A true showcaser is someone who can convert storytelling experiences into a beautiful digital output. We are not magicians, but we’ve a magic called “creativity”. In my opinion, to become a good showcaser you need three things: being passionate about whatever you’re doing, continuous growth in creative ideas and learning from the mistakes and learning from everyone you meet.
-Banuka-
Someone who is creative and ready to learn something new even though you fail multiple times.
- I’m pretty sure you have lots of work published so far at AIESEC in Sri Lanka pages. Amongst them, what work are you the most proud of and why?
-Abhishek-
National Conference aftermovie, day 1 and day 2 recaps. Since it was my very first conference coverage done by NST and I am humbly proud of what I did. Being in a national conference as a showcaser, trust me it’s a different experience than a delegate.
-Banuka-
Expansion Planning Summit daily recaps and aftermovie, National Conference aftermovie, they are quite memorable because they are the first conferences I attended as a video director in NST and I loved the feeling you get when your work is being published in a national platform and people starts to give good feedback and constructive criticism for it.
- Being a showcaser can be pretty hectic, especially when it comes to videography. For example, During conferences you have to make sure the perfect shots are taken. How do you manage that?
-Abhishek-
Normally we are allocating a videographer and a video editor for conferences. So they are switching their roles each day. The NST comes one day prior to the venue and within that time period we do a lot of preparations for the shoots. We create storyboards, we select the music, and we plan the whole story with our MCVP.
-Banuka-
Well, mostly this is done through team handling and time management. It’s not a one man job to cover an event, we divide our workload and manage our time so that we can cover the event to the fullest and best way possible.
- When it comes to showcasing the brand of AIESEC, it’s important to ensure that you comply with its standards. What are the steps you take to ensure it aligns with the brand identity, messaging and overall marketing strategy?
-Abhishek-
Brainstorming with our team members and LB helps us plan and meet the required standards while taking the necessary advices needed from the LCVP and the MCVP.
-Banuka-
By following the brand guidelines set by our brand strategist and discussing with my fellow LB whether our marketing materials are within the guidelines of AIESEC Sri Lanka.
- You are one of the vital members of JST, so I’m pretty sure you get piled up with work and tight deadlines while having to manage multiple showcases simultaneously. How do you prioritize and manage your work to ensure a quality deliverance and a timely completion?
-Abhishek-
For that I make a priority list daily and I try my best not to procrastinate any work. Imagine a situation where I get a vodcast to edit before the 20th and I get urgent work from our LCVP, which needs to be completed by the 18th, so I give priority to the work on the 18th and try to finish that one before the 20th one. Allocating time for each work helps me to complete them before deadlines.
-Banuka-
I manage my work by keeping a tracker which allows me to check the deadlines of the relevant material and gives priority to that task, and once it’s over I give priority to the remaining tasks.
- Criticism is something that cannot be avoided when it comes to showcasing your work. Can you share how you felt when you received constructive criticism and how you handled it?
-Abhishek-
Getting approvals is harder than creating something. We always need to keep in mind that not every person is the same and each and everyone is having a different level of creativity. So whenever someone criticizes your work it’s better not to argue with them but identify their flavors in contents and whenever you design, create something according to their taste. That will help us to handle those kind of situations
-Banuka-
All I have to say is that being a marketer comes with its own positive and negative feedback. What you should note is that its not needed to take them personally but rather to take those feedbacks to improve yourself and your material to give it a certain standard.
- It’s an important fact that the ideas you come up with are unique and fresh for your work. How do you stay inspired and continuously generate fresh ideas for your showcases?
-Abhishek-
By staying in touch with what happens in AIESEC all over the world, especially generating fresh ideas from material published in different AIESEC platforms and analyzing overall social trends.
-Banuka-
By going through social media, pinterest and other platforms such as AI’s helps me gain ideas and inspirations to my work.
- Being a showcaser at AIESEC gives you not just the opportunity to develop your creativity but also your leadership skills. What do you think is different about you when compared to other people who have not got the AIESEC experience?
-Abhishek-
So I’m working at certain other clubs as well such as LEO, One Stage, CSM, CSDS etc. What I noticed is that they are not creating leaders, they are recruiting talented people only but in AIESEC we create videographers, photographers, content writers, graphic designers. So we automatically get the opportunity to improve our leadership skills.
-Banuka-
I learned a lot through AIESEC. I was able to develop my speaking skills, my social skills and marketing skills through AIESEC. The major difference is I would say I’m willing to take more opportunities and develop myself even though I’m not fully suited for it. I am always up for any challenge on my way.
- Social media is a place where new trends rise and fall instantly so there are places where you should ensure that the work you make suits the current trend as well. What are the things you do to ensure sustainability with the trends?
-Abhishek-
Identifying the algorithms of social media through constant monitoring and staying updated with the latest trends happening around the world, specially about the innovations and developments which occur in the marketing field.
-Banuka-
Keeping up with trends daily, especially by being aware of what’s new happening in social media so that I can come up with new marketing ideas quickly.
- Finally, one last question, what do you want to say to the many prospective AIESECers out there who are about to embark on the journey of showcasing in the future?
-Abhishek-
I can proudly say that everyone can become a good showcaser if they have a strong desire to learn new things. Trust me the things you learn here will be a value addition for your future work as well. All the seconds you spend will be an investment for your growth.
-Banuka-
Don’t be scared to take opportunities, grab them whenever you can and achieve your dreams and be humble and take feedback from others constructively and improve yourself.
As the smiles of Abhishek and Banuka filled their hearts from the moment of reminiscing done through this interview which lured them to a sense of nostalgia, I was able to end on a pretty high note with so much information about what it actually is to be behind the eye of a showcaser.
by Supun Rasanjana
Jayewardenepura Showcasing Team
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