#BehindtheSelfie: Ryan Curling, marketing manager at TCL
Tell us a bit more about what you do?
I am the marketing manager for TCL South Africa and SADC. I do all the fun things behind the launch of bringing this globally renowned brand to the South African market.
What’s really behind your selfie?
My selfies show I am very young at heart and Dad to a 4-year-old son. He keeps me very young and on my toes and I get to relive my childhood through him.
Growing up, what did you want to do?
I guess when I was very young I wanted to be a racing driver like my Dad was in Zimbabwe. This then quickly changed to wanting to be a sports physio and eventually ended up me studying my Marketing honours.
How did you end up doing what you do now?
Well, I started to study LLB at RAU (yes, I am showing my age now). It was a little too much history for me and I was too much into my sport at RAU - so I switched to Bcom Marketing and that is all she wrote!
Tell us a bit about some highlights of your career.
I have enjoyed working for some large international brands including BMW, Toyota and Sony. I have even ventured into FMCG with Premier and the marketing of bread.
I think some of the highlights would be getting a solid marketing background with BMW where I worked for over seven years. This taught me a lot about the marketing strategy of a really powerful brand.
Other highlights would include growing Hisense to a great brand in South Africa and now taking on the challenge of doing the same with TCL.
When you’re not busy working, what do you do? How do you socialise these days?
I enjoy spending time with my son and going on adventures with him in and around Cape town. I also enjoy socialising with friends and watching a lot of sports as I am a massive sports fan - anything from Formula 1 to Premier League soccer and, of course, rugby.
What are you watching/reading/listening to right now?
I am a big documentary fan and loved Drive to Survive - and even managed to get my fiancé hooked!
Otherwise, my normal TV habits involve a lot of sports. From a music side, I listen to old classics and even venture into some dance music (deep house) to try to keep me young!
What’s your favourite gif?
My biggest goal right now is to build on TCL’s strong global position - specifically in the South African and SADC markets in a really tough market and economy.
