“It's important to have a tribe of people that believe in you and are willing to help you execute your vision.”
— Anna-Marie Descartes, Presenter and Entrepreneur at House of Embrace
ABOUT
Describe your job in a sentence?
Fun, challenging, but also rewarding (when things are going well!).
What has your career path been?
I started filming vox-pop interviews and reviews on my YouTube channel in 2016 when I dropped out of uni and have been creating content ever since. Soon after, I started hosting local events and moved on to hosting for Sanctuary LDN, working red carpets for MOBO, and hosting a stage at The Great Escape festival.
Of course, it was not as easy as it sounds. There definitely was a lot of grinding, networking, and proving to other people that I was the great presenter that I knew I was.
I'm now focused on building my own empire with my talk show "Live With Anna-Marie" and my skincare brand, House of Embrace, whilst being the best version of myself. I've had a lot of down moments where I was inconsistent or was not getting booked, but now I'm so much more comfortable in my skin and confident in what I do that I believe my journey has only just begun.
What is the best part of your job?
Seeing my ideas come to life. I used to get so caught up on the intricate details and the creative process that it really held me back but now, I really value executing and being able to share the final product with the world.
Why do you do your job?
I grew up watching a lot of music television shows like 106 & Park, MTV TRL and T4 which sparked my interest in presenting. I thought it was so cool to talk to music artists on TV and host to thousands of people that I instantly knew it was something that I wanted to do.
Angelica Bell, Jameela Jamil and even Oprah Winfrey were some of my biggest inspirations.
One piece of advice for someone starting in your role?
Just go for it! If you've got an idea that you believe in, start working on it with some friends or fellow creatives that you trust. It's important to have a tribe of people that believe in you and are willing to help you execute your vision.