Samer Marzouq has been around computers since he was 10—he loved everything about them. Samer spent hours and hours every day exploring this new world, and when the internet came along, a whole new dimension opened up for Samer to discover. When college time came Samer knew what he wanted to do: Be around computers for the rest of his life. Samer blogs and tweets about advertising, media and entertainment. He started his blog Jazarah back in 2006 as a space to share his personal views and insights. With time, Jazarah grew into an online magazine that attracts more than 30,000 visits a month, with a social media profile that connects it to over 2,000 Twitter followers, 1,500 Facebook friends and more than 1,800 LinkedIn connections. Jazarah was named a media partner for a number of high profile events including the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France, UbiQ Exhibition in France, Dubai Lynx International Advertising Festival, MENA Cristal Advertising Festival in Lebanon, The Internet Show in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and many more. As a freelancer in busy Dubai, some of Samer’s days actually start on a Formula 1 track and end on a yacht, with a number of product launches and press conferences in-between. In this quickfire interview with Bayt.com, Samer shares a typical day in his untypical life: 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM Retreat to my hideaway for my morning coffee. 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM Typically this is the time when I’m actually awake and about to decide what’s next, so at this point I would be on my way to an event somewhere in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, unless it’s a quiet day, which means it’s time to catch up with the world – this is when I go through my emails and social networks. 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM At this time I would be working on a client’s request, writing a blog post, examining a new smartphone, or testing a new car. 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM Unless I’m at an event, I usually have my lunch while watching TV or some comedy on YouTube, but sometimes I drop everything and hit the beach for an hour or 2. If you push aside the income insecurity, there is nothing better than being a freelancer because it means that you are more flexible when it comes to time and place. It also means that you could be enjoying the beach while your friends are stuck in a cubicle; you don't need your boss's approval to go to the dentist or pick up your car from the mechanic! 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM The second half of the day is very important to me; I do most of my work at this time, true it might be interrupted by an event, but this is the time when I'm most productive. 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Switching to the slow pace, I would still be working but on a slower manner. 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM This the time when I shut down my laptop to watch TV or to meet some friends before calling the day, unless there is an urgent task, which is the case most of the time! What’s even better than being a freelancer is being a freelance media professional in a vibrant city like Dubai, where all sorts of things happen at any time. This, of course, results in a busy calendar but also a very exciting one!
