Shifting gears and heading to a better career with digital marketing skills. Meet Mario.
Mario Bellizzi knew he needed a career change but couldn’t figure out how to make it happen. His interest in content creation led him to enrol in the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing and helped him step closer towards a more rewarding career. Fast-forward to now, and Mario has not only scored a role as Senior Marketing Executive with Motors Inc., but he’s also the proud Founder and President of Velocity Esports Racing. This is his story.
I had reached the point where I dreaded every day of work. I felt stuck in a dead end because it was all I knew, and even though I dreamed of a change, I had no idea where to start.
I didn’t really have a specific ‘a-ha!’ moment; it actually took me some time to figure out which direction to go in! I always had an interest in videography and it was something I used to play around with for fun, but I couldn’t see a clear way forward. I started exploring course options at ICE Malta and eventually settled on the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing because I had just started to find my passion in creating content and wanted to maximise its potential and master new tools.
To be honest, I expected to have problems focusing on studying; school was never my thing! I know I’m a very practical learner and would rather figure things out through trial and error than go through lots of theory. During the diploma, however, the educator was very supportive. I think he recognised how to engage me to push my progress and I really felt the benefit of the live, interactive style of the lessons.
As for the course itself, I found most of the modules intriguing, from a more extensive insight into social media marketing to my first discovery of SEO and website optimization, which I had totally no knowledge of. It really opened my eyes to how quickly things move in digital marketing and I would love to follow it up with the postgraduate Digital Marketing Expert course someday.
I really couldn’t wait to start something new but I realised these changes don’t always happen overnight. In the end, I decided to pour my skills into one of my hobbies and that’s how Velocity Esports Racing was born.
It started really as an idea during the first month of the COVID pandemic, when a group of friends and I were spending our nights playing the F1 Game just for laughs. After seeing an old friend post on his social pages about forming a championship for the game, we ended up making it happen, and so, Velocity Esports Racing was launched.
It has been an epic ride—and not without some moments of stress! In the beginning I took care of everything, from logo design and marketing to the business side of things. We’re now a team of 10 and can focus on expanding our influence as a non-profit organisation to support and train young drivers.
Highlights so far have been creating the first ever championship, designing the branding and look that have become synonymous with Velocity, and broadcasting in a professional studio set-up thanks to an opportunity offered by one of the major local TV stations. We’ve also just celebrated our first ever conference participation at Playcon.
Motors Inc. was actually one of the first sponsors of Velocity, so we were in contact for a number of years. When a vacancy came up, I jumped at the chance after being stuck in an unfulfilling job for so long, it was nice to have things fall into place!
I enjoy cars, as you might have noticed, from virtual ones to real ones. Working with major car brands allows me to mix passion and work, which makes my role more enjoyable. Through creating campaigns, developing in-house content, and spreading the brand’s vision into the local market, it’s a pleasure to work with such high-profile brands.
It’s okay to be bad at things, as long as you don’t let it stop you! If you never try and fail you never know what you can achieve. Be patient, because the more you do, the more proactive you are, the more things will start to make sense. And of course, accept that you’re never an expert and can never stop learning or get complacent!
I’m a very practical learner and would rather figure things out through trial and error than go through lots of theory. The educator recognised how to engage me and I really felt the benefit of the live, interactive style of the lessons.
MARIO BELLIZZISenior Marketing Executive