Juliet Rocco is a Manager of Social Media for RCI. She joined RCI in 2017 right after celebrating her birthday! Juliet is based in New Jersey, USA, and is responsible for managing RCI's social media channels, collaborating with the global social media teams, and hosting Travel Takeovers.
– Olivier Chavy, President of Panorama
Olivier:
What have you learned about yourself during the pandemic?
Juliet:
I think the biggest thing for me is that relationships are everything — they’re so important. I talk with my parents every day. My friends have had so many milestone moments over the last year — and all of the celebrations on Zoom.
O:
What is your favorite social media campaign?
J:
I’m a big fan of what Reese’s does on social media and the campaigns they do. They make it fun and witty but very interactive, even though it’s a candy company.
O:
While we were all home on lockdown, did you start any new hobbies?
J:
Don’t laugh, but I love building Lego sets! I’m definitely a kid at heart and it’s given me a really wonderful break from TV, my laptop, or my phone.
O:
As a child, what was your dream job and why?
J:
My original dream job from the time I was a kid was actually to become a storyboard artist for Disney, until I took a marketing class by chance in my senior year of high school and realized how much I enjoyed it.
O:
What is a fact about you that nobody would guess?
J:
I give a lot of support to my local animal shelter, and around the holidays I sponsor a dog and a cat anonymously so that it’s already paid for and covered for someone to adopt. I’m a huge advocate for adopting animals and I love doing it!
O:
What kind of animals do you have?
J:
I have a cat named Ike! He’s my boyfriend’s cat and just moved in with me. My boyfriend is also moving in. LOL.
O:
What are three words your colleagues would use to describe you?
J:
Personable, creative, and definitely ambitious.
O:
If you could live in any sitcom, what would it be?
J:
I’d probably go with a classic and say Friends.
O:
If you could select one song as your life’s theme, what song would it be?
J:
I’ve Got the World on a String, by Frank Sinatra
O:
What app, website, or brand can you not live without?
J:
Definitely Google. I’m constantly depending on it for research or to learn new things.
O:
If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be and why?
J:
I have a long trip that has been rescheduled twice already. I’m planning to go to the Canadian Rockies in the fall – but I’m crossing my fingers that it won’t get canceled again! We’ll likely do a lot of hiking and meet some sled dogs.
O:
If you could spend time with a celebrity for an evening, who would it be?
J:
I would pick Anthony Bourdain. I would love to just sit with him and have a meal and try all of his foods he created. I’ve been watching his shows lately and miss his talent and his authenticity. So I’d probably figure out a way to get him back and meet him for dinner.
O:
If you were stranded on a desert island, what are three things you would take with you?
J:
My glasses because my eyesight is horrible, a lifetime supply of Oreos, and probably my cat, Ike. (Sorry, boyfriend!)
O:
What is the best advice anyone has ever given to you?
J:
When I was starting Karate lessons at age seven, we would always end the class with this mantra where it was based around Respect, Discipline, Control, and Spirit. And I’ve always tried to live my life with those four areas. It’s always helped me in my personal and professional life.
O:
If you were president of Panorama tomorrow, what is your first decision?
J:
I like this question. I think I would start with meeting-free Fridays — no meetings! Just focus on your work and getting things done! There are a number of Fortune 500 companies already implementing this and results have been really positive and well received by employees.
O:
Do you have any questions for me?
J:
What is something that you wish more people knew about you, but you rarely get the chance to share?
O:
Wow, great question. I wish I would have shared more with my mom. From 18 to 50, I called my parents every day. Wherever I was in the world, even if I was travelling. But I didn’t share enough until the very end with her and I miss her a lot. I wish I would have allowed more opportunities to share the pride and show the values that my mom taught me. That’s something I rarely share.
J:
Did you know or feel like you wanted to be in a leadership role at this level at an early age?
O:
As far as I can remember, I wanted to be a chef. When I was 12, I took my first cooking class and I was the only kid. I continued to take cooking classes, and after I got my high school diploma I went to a hotel management school and took all the cooking classes and loved it! But I very quickly realized being a chef is job of passion, and so I decided to go into hotel operations. When I was in Operations with hotels, on every trip I would visit the kitchen and the back of the house with the Chef. I love it. And while we’re chatting about this, I can share some good news with you! My son was just promoted to General Manager of a hotel in Vail, Colorado, at the age of 31, which is a huge accomplishment for him. I’m very proud of him!
J:
Where is an area that you haven’t traveled to, but still want to travel?
O:
The part of the world I would like to visit is Antarctica, the North Pole, or I would love to go back to San Pedro de Atacama, Chili. It’s in the middle of nowhere in the desert. You wake up in the morning at 4 a.m. and go to 8,000 meters on the mountain with a geyser and it’s close to 0 degrees, and then drive 30 minutes down the hill where there are spas and it’s warm waters. I would love to go back there!
To wrap up the chat, we called Juliet’s parents so that I could tell them how proud we are to have her as a member of the Panorama family. Juliet’s mom, Mary, shared that she was a very persistent child and always wanted to get her way, but was a great kid. And agreed she’s a rock star. Thanks, mom!