Interview with Christine Estima
Thu 02 Apr 2009
With just hours to till the announcement of the top 10 Best Job in the World applicants ChannelWhitsunday.com sought some answers from the top 50 that have now endured months of blogging, interviews and sleepness nights as they campaign be the first "Island Caretaker" for the Great Barrier Reef.
We received this response from Christine Estima about her campaign.
1.When you started out with BJITw did you consider the amount of time that you would have to put in to eventually be the island caretaker?
I knew a lot of campaigning would be a part of the process, and I welcomed every hour I spent trying to spread the word! Every interview that was asked of me, I did. No interview was too small. In one 24 hour period, I did 7 interviews, ranging from radio, newspaper, online, and the almighty-in-studio-TV-interviews!! I also did a lot of campaigning online. I created a Facebook page, I blogged regularly about it on my blog (www.christineestima.com), I sent out regular emails and MySpace bulletins. I even did a massive campaign on Twitter, where I tried to drum up support from celebs who have notable Twitter accounts...and it paid off!! I got singer-songwriter-extraordinaire Erykah Badu AND actor Brent Spiner ("Data" from Star Trek: The Next Generation) to not only cast their votes in my favour, but also ask their Twitter fans to do the same! It was exciting and incredible!!
2. How many hours would you estimate that you have put into your campaign?
Countless!!! Easily 100 hours!! Definitely more!
3. Who has been in the most inspirational and supportive in your campaign (outside your folks)?
My mate Claudia who lives in London. She's the one who told me about the contest in the first place, and if it wasn't for her support and belief in my abilities, I wouldn't have gotten this far. Love you Claudia!
4. There has been some media and internet coverage that has been quite critical of the campaign. Have you come in for any direct flak for your success thus far? How did you feel about it?
I haven't come into much flak, but lurking on some online message boards and reading what people think of me (when they don't think I'm listening) hasn't been all that great for my ego! I'm definitely the underdog in this campaign because my video wasn't high-tech like most of the other videos. But it was lo-tech on purpose, that's what most people aren't picking up on! My response to that is: I know I can't please everyone, and I'm not trying to. I'm just being true to myself and going-forward the only way I know how:)
5. What is the most important thing you have learned during the process?
I've learned that people will love you for the exact same reason that they hate you. So you can't read too much into what people think of you based on a mere 60 seconds! I'm definitely building a thicker skin and stiff upper lip from this contest! But on the more positive side, it's so nice to hear from supporters around the world who don't even know you, and are raising your banner. That's heartwarming for sure!
6. Should you not eventually become the IC, what does life look like after the dust has settled?
Life is still looking amazing for me, whether I get this job or not. I recently got my EU citizenship. I am now a dual citizen! So I can live and work anywhere in Europe if I choose without restriction. After living in London for 2 years, I definitely will be exercising that option in the near future! I also have travelling plans! If I don't become the IC, I want to explore more of South America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. I'm looking into Round The World Tickets as we speak, and getting excited about zip-lining canopy tours, bungee jumping, riding elephants, camels, and horses, hiking up mountains, diving into aqueous depths, and never looking back.
