AnnMarie is really passionate about sharing underrepresented stories through journalism. She has traveled a lot and enjoys sharing stories from people she has met abroad.
She is the production coordinator at HBO & host of the podcast Room 3228 where they bring on youth to talk about controversial topics and just have a safe space to share their perspectives, no matter what their interests are.
And she is also a web developer for the United Nations, so she is helping them with a lot of different projects that they’re working on related to graphics and creative direction and just promoting stuff on the Internet.
You can find her:
Annmarie Gajdos | NYC Activist & Creator
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Transcript
Transcript
Hi and welcome to the You World Order Showcase podcast.
Today we're speaking with Anne Marie and I'm not even going to try to massacre her last name.
We'll let her tell you about it.
And she is going to tell you all about herself because this gal is into so many different things.
This is going to be.
Such a treat.
For y'all so.
I'm going to hand it over to.
Anne Marie.
Go ahead, Anne Marie.
Introduce yourself.
Tell us about yourself.
Tell us about all this stuff.
You are just like, so interesting.
I'm super excited to be here.
My name is Anne Marie Guidos.
Like Jill said, I do a lot of different things.
I consider myself a multipotentialite, so I just need to have a lot of different interests, things I'm passionate about.
My biggest passion is storytelling, so it's kind of like the thread through everything I do.
I'm really passionate about sharing underrepresented stories.
I travel a lot.
I do a lot of journalism and just share stories from people I've met abroad.
I also work as a production coordinator at HBO, so kind of along that same thread.
And I am also a podcast host for a podcast called Room 3228, where we bring on youth to talk about controversial topics and just have a safe space to share their perspectives, no matter what their interests are.
And I also am a web developer for the United Nations, so I help them with a lot of different projects that they're working on related to.
Graphics and creative direction and just promoting stuff on the Internet.
See, I told you.
Lots of exciting and interesting things.
You were got I I don't even.
Know where to start with.
I know that you did the ball.
Drop in Times Square which?
I mean, how do you even like?
I always thought it was just like something on TV.
So this is actually my first time doing it.
I've been wanting to go for years but I could never convince my family or friends to go.
Because when you're a native New Yorker, you just don't do touristy things.
It's kind of like and I.
Feel like it?
You're too cool for school type of situation and also it's just I've heard it's a pretty miserable experience typically because you wait in line for hours or pretty much there all day.
There's already in the bathroom. People are a little bit crazy, but when I went it was actually during 2020, so I was invited because at the time I was.
Working in mental health.
And so they selected a couple of quote UN quote heroes of 2020, just people that were working on projects that were impacting the local community in a positive way.
OK.
And I was working as communications coordinator kind of setting up mental health resources for the elderly at that time.
They were really struggling with depression, anxiety, a lot of death going.
On in that.
Community and so they invited me to the ball draw and it's actually really cool.
I got to bring.
One friend and we.
Have like little pods, so it wasn't the traditional ball drop experience where you're.
Stuck in a.
Crowd with millions and.
Millions of people. Instead, it was like, I think they're about 100 people, Max and each person had a.
Pod of like 2 to.
Four people and you're kind of like.
Hit it off.
And so it's actually really nice because you got to watch it without the crowd and also like they would usher us in for bathroom breaks and stuff.
So it's actually a really unique experience.
They only took that for one year and I really enjoyed it.
I will say I don't know if I'll ever.
Go back for.
The actual ball drop, but I think.
This is good enough for me.
Well, that's certainly an experience, something you can tell your grandchildren about someday.
Oh yeah.
You decide to have them.
But So what are your?
What are some of the other things that you're doing?
I know you've got pictures of you with.
The CIA like.
Pretty wild.
So when I was in college, I studied computer information systems and music management.
And so I was really interested in cybersecurity.
And at that time I I conducted research on the applications of biometric technologies like facial recognition fingerprinting and I had, I've done research on like combining multitude of different factors like combining.
Facial recognition with fingerprinting and how that would make things a lot more secure than just having one method to having that multi factor authentication and so I.
Did you ever work with Morpho?
Got invited through.
I did not.
OK.
Yeah, but it's just like a research project that I did, and then I was invited to present at the CIA for a couple of weeks in the summer, and that was a really good experience and something I never expected to do.
But yeah, it's funny that we get there and they like, took us like the Grand Hall.
And I felt like I was in the movies.
They took a photo of.
As with like the CIA logo on the floor, definitely a really unique experience as well, one for the grandchildren.
Right.
You have lots of them.
Yeah, I have a lot of unique stories.
I think I don't know how things just like just find myself in really surprising situations sometimes.
So how do you like?
What is your?
What does your life look like?
I guess it's kind.
Of a weird question.
But you know, you you do all these things and I know you said the thread is that you you're a journalist.
So you're putting this information out there, do you do it as a podcast journalism or is it print journalism?
Do you write for magazines?
Do you?
How does it look?
So it started out with podcasting.
I'm hoping to transition to more of a print format.
I also do stuff on social media, some of content creators.
I share a lot of resources there, but I want something that's.
The print like format.
I think that's my next step and that's what I'm moving towards.
But podcasting was kind of where it all started.
I had started a podcast called Room 3228 with my 2 best Friends in college and it was just an incredible experience.
I always knew.
I love to communicate.
I love to share stories.
I love to like connect with people I never knew how I could actually do that professionally.
And I think the podcast is.
Kind of where it took off.
It's just I was so passionate about, like I wasn't earning any money from it in the beginning.
We're kind of just spending all this time doing it.
But it was like my favorite thing that I was to get the time, just super passionate about it.
And to this day, we're still going bring back more episodes and inviting guests to talk about topics.
And it's funny because you sit there and you want to share.
Information you want to learn between the.
Best part is just hearing other people's perspectives, especially being from New York. I think we get.
Stuck in this like.
Bubbles sometimes, and we're kind of just in our own heads.
And so it's really cool when you can meet other people, not only from other state but from other countries and kind of hear what their lives look like.
So with that said, what does your life?
Oh yeah, sure. So.
So I have my 9:00 to 5:00 job.
I work at HBO doing production finance, so budgeting things like that.
So for most of the day that is my main responsibility unless I have.
A day off.
All my other side projects come in my free time, so like once the work day ends or sometimes I wake up even earlier lunch for stuff like that and then I'm working on coding things for the UN depending on how much.
Work there is to do whatever I need to do journalism and like I reach out to people for like stories and for like and advice or.
Like wanting to be on the.
Podcast also in my free time.
And then I also model and like I said, content creation.
So all that's kind of in my free time, that stuff is in a structured I'd say it's like my standard job and it really.
Depends on the day.
I'm not one for a ton of structure.
I get really bored that way, so I kind of just like whenever I have the time that week or that day, I'll schedule like what I wanna do in my free time.
So my actual free time is not really free time.
Like scheduled play time for the things that I'm interested in besides.
My regular job.
It's the progressing, EU world order.
Ohh yeah 100%. It's funny because like people always like what does your day-to-day look like?
What's your schedule?
And I'm like there is no schedule.
I wanna get better about it.
Like I have one friend who's like, very, very structured.
Like she wakes up at 5:00 every day, it goes to the gym and then she works, then blah blah.
And it's like the same thing every day, and I've I've tried that before, but for me it just doesn't work like I I'm a very creative person, so I feel like it restricts that.
So when I find that I'm really passionate about something I'm working on when there's no deadline, it's kind of like I just followed that passion until it's.
Time to do something else.
I kind of like that too.
Just like.
When I get an idea, it's like OK.
We're running with it.
Yeah, you're like, not.
Sleeping it's like this is the main like.
Yeah, and sometimes it's like I want.
To sleep.
Hello, brain.
It's time.
Yeah, but it's like.
To go to sleep and the brain is like.
Once you have.
That idea you're like a dog with a bone.
And it's like.
No, no, I gotta finish this.
I gotta do this, and it's not even like from a stressful place.
It's from an inspirational place, and I like once that inspiration strikes, it's like, why would you try to diminish it?
Because then it'll be just.
That much harder when you actually sit down to do it later, you know.
Or if you don't get up, you're just dreaming about it.
Oh yeah.
You may as well have just gotten up and written it all down.
Otherwise your brain is just going to keep playing with it.
100% and I feel like that's a big issue for people sometimes it's like you have all these dreams that the reason they're not happening or coming to fruition is because you're not putting that work in to make it happen.
And I think sometimes when you have a dream that's super, super big, it seems unrealistic.
You're like, where do I even start?
And I feel like the answer is just you just start somewhere, just do something.
It could be anything like you said, as small as just writing it down.
And then you have it documented and.
From there you.
Can be like ohh maybe in a week.
You'll look at it and you'll be like hey, like.
I have some ideas for this.
Let's work on it or maybe I know this friend and this friend has like a connection that can help me with.
This you never know where it will go.
We just have to start somewhere.
There's a saying.
It's easier to move a ship at sea.
Than one at the dock.
I love that I've never heard that one before.
I'm going to use that.
I like it.
Yeah, it's somebody told me that, gosh, I was years and years ago, maybe like 40 years ago.
Maybe even more than that.
Yeah, anyway.
It's always kept in my mind and it's like getting taking the first step always means.
Something will happen.
100%.
It's not going to be.
You're not going to be in the same spot.
You were in the step before.
But it's scary, you know?
So that's a change and you don't know where it's gonna go.
Like, what if you put in a bunch of effort?
It doesn't go anywhere, so I feel like for me it's like as long as it's something that I'm passionate about and never feels like waste of time or.
Effort. So I took.
Steps towards something that I was really excited about.
And it's also interesting how.
How it ends up turning out sometimes it's like so different from what you thought it might be, and it's OK to pivot.
100% and I found a lot of different opportunities that I've taken in life. They seemed really disjointed and not connected.
And then eventually it was like I would meet people that would take me to the next opportunity would then take me to the next opportunity.
And it was always something that I was even more interested in.
So whenever I feel like I get an opportunity, I'm like, oh, this seems really cool, even if it's not exactly what I'm looking for.
At the time, I'm always willing to try it cause I don't.
Know where it's going to lead to.
And I've.
I'm old, so I.
Have a lot of experience and I've when I was young I did a lot of different things.
Like I was.
Constantly I would get training and I would do things and I would start businesses and I would get jobs and then I would start another business or.
Or sell real estate or life insurance or all of these different things.
I even drove.
A A semi for a while.
OK.
So, I mean, they're all like, super different things that I've done.
I had, I had a cleaning business, I cleaned peoples houses for a while.
So cool. OK, very nice.
But, but they all had a thread that went through them, and as I've gotten older.
I now have.
All of these skills.
That I acquired from all of these different pieces.
So that I can help people.
With a certain need.
But I would have.
Never had that.
If I hadn't gone through all of these other experiences that seemed kind of disjointed at the time.
So as a younger person and you're experiencing all of these different?
Aspects of life and different opportunities that are coming along and getting to experience some things that are very unique to the time frame that you've lived in.
It's Wednesday in Preston, so we have trains they come through and they're not far from my house, so we're going to just hear the.
Trains for a second.
I actually didn't even hear the train until you.
Mentioned it, so sorry.
I try to like arrange this, so usually it's here around noon, so it's a little late today.
I think it's weird.
What I was saying is that you you.
Have so much opportunity.
And you've been able to take advantage of it and it's really exciting to see all.
The things that you're doing and.
That you get to put your hand in.
And thank you.
Where is.
The potential.
For where it could lead.
That's a really good question and I think it's something I'm still exploring, but I think eventually I would.
Like to take.
Podcasting to a bigger level and just I think explore that more as a full time job.
And from there I'd really love to get more into broadcast journalism.
I've taken on like the side project doing that that I am working on soon, so we'll see how that goes and then eventually print as well.
Like I loved writing whenever I was growing up.
Is something really important to me and I kind of lost touch with it when I was in college because I went to Business School, I went for like a more technical study and ever since.
I graduated, just something I wanted to.
Get back into it.
Thing I really I really love being able to showcase people's experiences. Like I said, in a way where even if you can't meet that person yourself, it kind of feels like you were there being able to like transport people to places that they've never been and.
And I think that's so important, especially in the time that we live in, in terms of getting to know people.
And just being open to other cultures and other ideas, and I feel like it's such a good way to bridge cultural gaps.
So something I'm really passionate about.
So you weren't born in the United?
States. Or were you?
I was my parents are originally from Slovakia and they moved here to really like from when they were teenagers.
So I think they kind of instilled that interest in me.
There's a lot of our culture growing up.
There's not many Slovak people in the area that I live in.
But like we have a.
Church that we would go to and everybody.
There was from like the same village in Slovakia.
I had never actually been, but I lived in London for the last six months, cause my job was remote.
So I wanted.
To travel and I actually got to go back to our hometown and like, visit family still have, like, lots of family there and stuff.
And so I think from there, that's when I realized, like I've been traveling a lot all throughout.
College and being.
Really cool people and hearing really great stories.
But I didn't know that I wanted this to like.
My full time.
Job or like my career path.
And so I went back home and visited it.
And I was like, no.
I think this is what I want to do so.
Do you have an?
Idea about your podcast?
I mean, I know you want to showcase people in different.
Or do you have like?
UM.
I don't know.
What's the word I'm looking for?
I'm struggling here.
Ohh, you're all good.
Just to be honest with you.
No, you're.
Perfectly good.
So I think the goal for the podcast is that.
I just like a lot of times younger people aren't always taken seriously when they share their opinions.
I think there's a really big gap between people that grew up, Gen.
Z, Gen.
Y and then just like older generations of people where I think there's a big mentality shift even in terms of things like mental health politics.
And I think giving youth.
A space to kind of talk about those topics is really important to me and the biggest issue with finding guests for the podcast is that.
I still live in the United States for the most part.
So all the.
Guests I have usually are friends or like people I know, and it's like expanding that network to people from different countries and different cultures I think would be really impactful because it kind of shows how this is an issue that we're experiencing all over the world, not just in the United States.
And again, I think bridging that gap is really important.
And so for me, I think just being able to extend to other regions.
Would be a really.
Great idea and I think that's where I want to take it.
Have you considered maybe UM using your your social media, expanding your social media to to reaching out to different countries and and and making connections that way?
Yeah, I think that's.
A really good.
It's something I haven't put much thought into yet, but it's definitely.
Something I want to do.
And I'm really excited because we're starting a new season.
We're actually going to start recording tomorrow.
So I think from there, we're going to start planning and trying to see how we can reach out to other people.
Right now I'm Co.
Hosting the podcast my best Friend Channel and she actually moved to Paris.
About three years ago.
So she has a bit of a network in Europe and I have been living in London.
So now we're feeling like.
We have a lot of connections.
We can use social media and different platforms to kind.
Of reach out to.
So I think that's gonna be our next challenge, but I'm really excited for it.
You'll be surprised, I think. How fast and easily it is to connect with people in different areas through social media, but you get into one country and they have friends and everybody knows like 600 people.
That's crazy.
And I I think it's so interesting to just the impact that social media has on us these days.
We have so much access to information and it's so much easier to learn things than it was in the past.
And so I think it's thing we need to take advantage of and I don't think enough people do.
I agree, and it it's it's so amazing how.
How kind of even deep the connections can be there?
For people that are.
Worlds apart, literally.
I mean I have friends that are in Australia, really good friends that you know, we talk all the time, but it's only early in the morning and late at night.
Yeah, the time difference can be killer, but I feel the same way.
Like I said, my best friend, she lives in Paris.
Originally from new.
York. But I talked to her more like we FaceTime pretty.
Much like once.
A week we are.
Like inseparable and like I talked to her more than some of my friends that live like a 15 minute drive for me.
So it's really cool how.
We have all these tools to stay in touch.
With people but.
I feel like sometimes we don't make the most of it.
We talk a lot about, like the downsides.
Of technology, the.
Downsides of social media?
There's actually a ton of pluses that.
I think we're just not taking advantage of.
I think so too.
And everybody kind of has their different or I shouldn't say everybody, but I think different generations have different ways of using social media.
Like I have a 19 year old daughter and I have a 40 year old daughter.
My kids in between the 19.
Year old uses.
Social media way differently than the 40 year old.
And they use it way differently than I.
Do and it's just kind of interesting to see how.
How those differences kind of play out and?
It's crazy too, when you think about algorithms like even on TikTok and stuff like I have friends and like Oh yeah, my algorithm is showing me tons of cute dog videos and I have other friends like oh, I use it for a lot of like mental health resources and like people like, I don't know you're talking about.
I don't see any of those on my feet.
And so it's just really funny to see how you can use it and cater it to what you want to see and kind of also just how algorithms.
Show different people different.
I heard on I got an e-mail from a friend of mine who was talking about Pinterest.
Pinterest wants to get.
They want to have a patent so that they can look through your e-mail so that they can serve you the kind of stuff that you want just like.
And I I would presume.
You'd have to agree to.
It and you would get to agree.
I think so.
To it, and they wouldn't just like decide they're going to, like, go through your emails.
Though you know, who knows but.
I think that's kind of.
Kind of a intrusive.
Be interesting that.
There's there's.
Places that there's organizations out there that are looking to model their algorithms on, on your, on your emails.
100% and I think there's a lot of questions that I have surrounding this. It's interesting because in theory, like something like this should make your life easier in some sense because it's like it's kind of showing you what you.
Want to see before you?
Even like ask it.
To but at the same time when it's done by companies that are privatized, it's kind of like, OK, well, they're still benefiting from this.
And like you said, it's intrusive, so I'm always curious, like where is the line, because technology is just going to get more and more intrusive I think.
But it's in a.
Way that's meant.
To help us.
But does it actually help us or does it help the business more than the consumer?
I don't really know.
And it's funny to see like, kind of how balance been balancing out lately and going back and forth.
The only thing is I just think there's more regulation around stuff like this.
And the biggest issue I remember it's like.
I was really interested in law for a while and there's just not enough regulations around technology usage right now.
And until they.
Start passing more laws that are going to limit these things.
I mean, we don't really know what's gonna happen.
And then the laws don't apply like internationally.
So it's like whatever is happening in the states.
Like if you have friends in Europe that you're communicating with like.
Some stuff won't even go through like I don't want Instagram.
If you're in Europe, there are certain like memes and stuff that you can't send to people because they're like regulations on it and like what you can be shown like even like gifts and stuff, you can't send them.
That's interesting.
That is interesting.
I I don't.
I don't know that.
The laws necessarily help because there's.
Many more.
I feel like laws.
They just.
The laws around technology only end up hurting the people that are.
Trying to use it.
Whereas the criminals are out there, they're.
The Wild West.
Yeah, it depends.
And it's interesting because laws can be made to help consumers that can be made to help businesses.
And I think in the states, we tend to favor businesses because they're very capitalistic.
So again, it depends on the types of laws who's passing the laws, who's making the laws.
That's another.
Thing, even with technology.
And who's enforcing them?
Yeah, exactly who's enforcing them?
Cause there could be laws being passed, but in certain states they might be.
Enforced and in.
Others they might not.
So it's kind of like we don't really know what's going to happen.
And so I think it's, it's setting a really interesting precedent.
I would have to agree is there like one thing you would?
Really like to leave our listeners with today.
Yeah, yeah, I'd say like mad that I was always told was that you should.
Especially as women, I'll say that.
I think that if there's any opportunities you're interested in, anything you want to do, you should just go for it.
Think a lot of us struggle with impostor syndrome, and I think that prevents us from actually starting.
And if we can't start, we can't get to where we want to go, so I say.
Honestly, just reach for the stars.
It might not work out.
It might, but what's the harm in trying if it's something you're really interested in?
So my advice is just.
Go after whatever you want to do and don't let anyone tell you.
You can't actually do it.
I agree with you 100%.
So how do people get in touch with you?
So you could.
E-mail me itsmyfirst.lastname.emory.guidos@gmail.com you can message me on social media.
I have a website andmyguitars.com as well. Pretty much just plug my name into the Internet. You'll probably find some some form of communication. Say I prefer Instagram.
At Emory, Gaydosh, feel free to message me about anything.
I'm always happy.
To help, I think it's really important to connect with people like I said.
So if you want to talk about any projects you want to start or you want advice, you just want someone to talk to, I could.
Be that girl for you.
Thanks so much for joining us and.
We'll be sure to put those links in the.
In the description.