When Social Media Strategist Bianca Martinez isn’t devising paid and organic social campaigns, she’s tapping into her inner daredevil, running a side photography business, loading up on caffeine or wishing she was in San Diego. Here’s a glimpse into the life of the woman behind the Reels.

 

I’m a professional photographer.

I don’t take on too many new gigs these days, but in college I ran my own photography business. My true passion lies mostly in street photography, but I also have experience with portraits, event photography, sports photography and photojournalism. Additionally, I’ve photographed my fair share of weddings and was a newborn photographer at a hospital. I’ve recently put photography on the back burner to focus more on videography, using my phone to create Reels and iMovie videos.

 

I’m a romantic at heart.

I’m super old-school and still believe in true, sappy, movie-like love! I met my husband on a sunny summer day in San Diego in 2014, and we’ve been inseparable since. San Diego is the perfect place to fall in love, from long walks on the beach and skating Balboa Park to discovering delicious new restaurants together. My love for love might come from watching too much TV, but I like pretending my life is a movie — theme music, internal monologues and all. It’s worked for me so far, though, because my love story is nothing short of a rom-com.

 

Coffee is everything.

I love coffee! I always found it disgusting growing up, as many do. When I met my husband, I told him I didn’t like the sweet and creamy taste. He said I wasn’t drinking the right stuff. Once I tried high-quality black coffee, it was game over. Now, he and I are coffee snobs. We still order beans from our favorite shop in San Diego, Café Virtuoso, grind them fresh each day and use our moka pot to whip up yummy espressos and other “extra” drinks.

 

I’m secretly sporty and daring.

I played softball growing up and was raised to be a huge San Diego fan. Go Padres and Chargers! I’ve also skydived along the Oceanside coast and ziplined in Las Vegas, so I’m always down for an adventure. Even after six broken bones, multiple stitches and a concussion, I’m still a big daredevil — but maybe I shouldn’t be?

 

I’m fascinated by different cultures.

I love my Hispanic heritage and wanted to learn more about it, so I majored in International Studies at UC San Diego with a focus on Latin America. I fell in love with the music, dancing, food, mannerisms, history and politics — all of which made me appreciate my culture even more. I also studied Arabic and Middle Eastern culture and was by surprised by how similar their customs were to Latin America. Though I’ve forgotten most of the spoken language, I can still write in Arabic, which is a fun skill to keep in my back pocket. Because of these experiences, I pride myself on being extremely open-minded toward all cultures and people.