Specialist Spotlight: Amanda Novoa
Our Happily specialists are diverse, talented, creative, and just plain awesome. So every week we are proud to introduce you to one of them.
The Happily specialist under the spotlight:
Name: Amanda Novoa
Pronouns: she/her
Location: Orange County, California
Happily Role/s To Date: Breakout Lead
Hey there! Have you met Amanda?
Amanda's passion for event production stems from her love of collaboration. It's her joy to be a driving force in seeing a project come together. She creates a calm and organized atmosphere where individuals can present their best work. Plus, she is fluent in Spanish!
So, Amanda, what is your superpower?
In both life and at work, I’m exceptionally good at being kind, calm, and being the voice of reason in a sea of crazy. ;)
Do you have a side hustle?
When I’m not in my show calling super hero outfit, my side hustle is being “Maestra of the Realm” (aka HR Manager) at an amazing water and supplement store in Orange County, CA. Check us out thewaterbrewery.com and @thewaterbrewery on IG
Why do you love working in virtual events?
Virtual events allow a unique kind of intimacy. The speakers are right in front of the attendees faces instead of far away on a big stage. I’ve seen how virtual events have been more impactful because of this.
Seeing a CEO give a keynote presentation right in front of you hits a little different. But don’t get me wrong, the in-person component is still crucial, especially for team building and bonding. And I personally can’t wait to be back in-person more often!
Can you tell us about a Happily virtual event that you're proud to have worked on?
I loved working on both the 'Youth Survivors Coalition' for youth survivors of breast cancer and on 'We are Home with FWD.us' where members of congress met with individuals to hear how immigrant communities are being directly impacted by certain policies or lack thereof.
Both events served important causes and I was able to see the direct impact they had on their respective communities. I think it’s amazing that Happily prides itself on working on altruistic events such as these and I’m excited to be involved with more!
How would you describe your home working style?
My work space is also my bedroom. I’m fortunate to have a good sized room so I can angle my camera in a way that doesn’t show my bed. Right next to my desk I have a 3-gallon glass container of water from @thewaterbrewery of course! So I don’t need to go far in the middle of a show to stay hydrated. There’s also plenty of sunshine and plants in my room, which makes it a nice environment to be in for some of those longer days.
A work day with Happily usually starts off with a cup of tea, opening up Zoom, and renaming myself to Happily | Role | Amanda. You’d be surprised how many people think my name is Happily. :)
You pivoted from working on real world events to working on virtual ones. How was that transition?
I spent most of the pandemic avoiding virtual events. I decided I would wait until things came back to in-person. I figured I would only be waiting a few months… Thankfully, a colleague and friend of mine, Laurea De Ocampo, told me about Happily and the Shadow Program so I decided to give it a shot.
I’m glad I did because now I’m working on plenty of virtual events. My advice to anyone starting out is to check out the Shadow Program!
What makes you happy?
Sunshine, hiking, fresh healthy food, clean water, vacations, teamwork, music, family, friends, a great book, traveling, unity <3
Catch Amanda in conversation with Sarah Shewey, Founder and CEO of Happily, via Instagram Live.
Tune in to Coffee O’Clock every Tuesday 10am PST as Sarah Shewey jumps on Instagram Live at @teamhappily, to give a quick update on all things Happily and chat with one of our Happily specialists. Here is a playback featuring Amanda from Tue 1st, June.
