Tomás, what is storytelling?

Did you always, from a young age, like stories?

The first stories that come to mind are from classic Disney movies I watched as a young boy: The Lion King; The Fox and the Hound; The Little Mermaid; Hercules; Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs… God, so many memories! It’s incredible to see that after more than 20 years these stories still take me to that magical (and nostalgic) place of childhood.

I believe I have been hooked on stories since then. When my mother would tell me a bed-time story I would always say “Again! Again!”, and the passion has never stopped. Actually, quite the opposite: it has become more and more intense from the moment I’ve rediscovered it. Now I write stories about symbolic encounters that happen to me: on the metro, at a restaurant, travelling, talking to a friend, going for a walk… My radar is always turned on!

At the same time, it takes a high degree of discipline and sacrifice, because you need to find time for writing no matter what. But overall, perpetuating my story has become a “good obsession” that I’m committed to… I don’t know until when I’ll be able to keep up the pace, but I don’t care. I am happy this way.

Tell us about your academic background and your professional experience.

Throughout those 5 years, marketing was the subject that interested me the most for two reasons. First because there was a human component linked to consumer behaviour: “what do consumers value the most? What are their needs? How is their decision-making process?” Second, because of its business strategy component: “what do we need to do to communicate a product or service effectively?”

With this in mind, I interned at multinational companies in the Marketing departments; specifically in the Tourism & Leisure and Consumer Goods sectors. All of these experiences were extremely useful as they provided me with a global perspective on Marketing, from purely strategic to as close as possible to the sales channels.

How was the brand Tomás VP Storyteller born?

In 2016, when I had finished college, I went back to work in the Tourism and Leisure sector while being an Assistant Professor at Católica Lisbon. Considering that I was 23 at the time, you might even say “Not bad, kid! You’re doing good, keep it up!” I did, for a year, but I decided to stop because I felt stuck, unhappy and profoundly alone.

Those were wild times of discovery and survival, with little direction. I waited tables in a café (something I always wanted to try), I ran a couple of errands here and there but these experiences on the street were the best human resources course I could have ever taken. I learned to live with rejection (naturally, given the amount of times I was rejected), to listen, to ask the right questions, to share more about myself and above all I learned that stories are a special element of connection between people. When I would get home after meeting someone I remember thinking “wow – this is living!”

I usually say that existing is more than enough inspiration. I have the ability to be fascinated with everything that happens to me, from the minute I wake up. A word, a joke, a smile, a conflict, a challenge, a disappointment... All are favourite ingredients of mine, to create a powerful story. The truth is that my life is full of interesting stories! And so, I feel quite fortunate to experience the “Hero’s Journey” on my own journey.

Beyond that, any type of art is a source of inspiration. My mother has a degree in Art History and therefore she brought me up to appreciate a good painting, a book, a film, a music concert... I played the violin for 8 years and there are sensitivities you never lose. Finally, sports and nature are two magic worlds without which I cannot live. You can say I am open to the full range of creation that evokes emotion, virtuousness, and hope.

At the start of the pandemic you launched the Coronavalues Talks encompassing 12 interviews with 12 associated values. Looking at the current communications landscape, which value would you like to highlight?

Bryan Kramer rightfully says, “there is no longer B2B or B2C, but H2H: Human to Human.” Communication is the mirror image of the society we live in. As all of us understand, this post-modern society has revealed itself to be rampant and breakneck, with the added problem of people don’t accepting those who think different, and do different. In this context, humanity is a necessary superpower because it brings about a number of other important values, such as respect, understanding, empathy, compassion and cooperation… To me this is a value that you cannot put a price on. It elevates each one of our missions – in our personal and professional lives – to God’s level. For me, humanity has to be present at the onset of a project, in managing a team, in the content one creates, in reports produced and most of all; humanity is a matter of character. As unbelievable as it may seem, this is the value I would like to highlight.