It’s the autobiography of Polish musician Roman Szpilman, and it’s heartbreaking. When I first watched it, I clearly chose it because it was about the life of a pianist and I eventually discovered that the film is a hymn to the power of man and music to endure the horrors of war, leaving behind grey moments and giving room for a better life. It is the best example of when art becomes a weapon and leads to redemption. If someone from out of town came to visit you for 24 hours, where would you take them and why? The answer is the obvious one: Ancient Athens, of course. To the Acropolis and the surrounding area where you can see with your own eyes the history of democracy and ancient Greek civilization. And to my favorite pub for a couple of beers. If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be? Easy answer. One would be Elon Musk. The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates and Jimi Hendrix. Name one thing that people reading this magazine don’t know about you. I recently had the greatest success of my life as I became the father of a boy. Do you gamble online and/or at land-based casinos? I used to play a lot of casino games (online). Slot machines, roulette, and blackjack. But then I slowly stopped. Now I will play minimal money in big events, usually in long markets and slots once a month just to pass the time. I also visit land-based casinos and treat it like an excursion. Either with friends or with my wife. We decide that we will spend say €20 to €30. We go for food, drinks, walk around and enjoy the atmosphere. We spend the amount we agreed and if we win, everything is better. It’s all about setting limits. If someone realizes that they are being affected and stops having fun, then the best thing to do is to self-exclude themselves from everything and go on with their life in peace. You attend a number of industry conferences each year. What do you enjoy most about the conferences and what would your advice be to someone new in the industry for making the best use of their time when attending events? I enjoy the travel. Wherever it is —Malta, London, Amsterdam. It’s also great to see your colleagues and spend some time with them. Especially when it’s the first time you meet someone in person, the vibes are very positive. You really get to know a new person. You see his face; you recognize his voice and then when you talk to him again behind your computer screen it’s completely different. There is no recipe for doing time management right. There will always be an unexpected event, someone will be late, you will be late for an appointment, another appointment will be booked extra, etc. The advice I have is to enjoy the conference, don’t be shy about talking to strangers and smile. And wear sneakers. (Laughs). What are your hobbies? What takes up your time when you are not working? I love to travel with my wife when we have the chance. I have also played basketball every week in the journalists’ league on a friend’s team since 2017. Sometimes I watch movies or just play music. I know guitar and piano. What’s your favorite movie of all time and why? My favorite movie of all time is Roman Polanski’s The Pianist. George Gerakanakis The relationships you build at work are the most important thing … Apart from the professional stuff, let’s not forget that we are dealing with people, different people that you must reach out to and create relationships so that there is a smooth collaboration. The key to a good working relationship is honesty and consistency. The goal is to make a profit for both parties. So, I make sure to provide the affiliate with all the tools, continuous support and I expect professionalism and consistency in return. 67 G P W A t i m e s . o r g
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