Alumni in the News: Victoria Schaal

Victoria Schaal is making quite a name for herself as a photographer/videographer and was selected as a Leader in Contemporary Art in Australia in 2020.

The former St Mary’s House student, who left Worth in 2013, is now a listed artist at Saatchi Art Gallery, an official photographer and illustrator for several agencies and participates in various stock photography related projects.

Ahead of International Women’s Day on Monday, Victoria tells her story in our latest ‘Alumni in the News’ feature:

 “I was born in Paris, but grew up in Venice, before arriving at Worth in 2011 to do the IB. After Worth I went on to the University of Exeter where I studied Management & Marketing with Spanish. I plunged myself into the business world the moment I started my studies, working as a door-to-door salesperson for an organic food company to becoming a marketing analyst for a leading company in the customer service training industry.

“But it was also whilst at university that my artistic adventure began. I was walking through Exeter one day when I spotted a Nikon digital camera in the window of a pawn shop. It was love at first sight and after a few months of self-learning I became an official photographer for Getty Images and Shutterstock.

“With my degree in my pocket, I began a rather nomadic life working in Europe, Southeast Asia and Central America as a marketing professional, photographer and content creator. I ended up in Malaysia where I enrolled in a humanitarian mission that gave me a place to sleep and an opportunity to get to know the country. I had planned to stay in Malaysia for four months, but it turned into nearly three years. In fact, due to my professional marketing experience and my photography background, 123RF, one of the world’s largest stock creative content companies, hired me as a marketing executive in its Kuala Lumpur HQ.

“Yearning for a new adventure, eventually I left Asia. For a change, this time I moved west. I settled in Martinique, an island in the French Caribbean. There I worked freelance offering digital marketing solutions, photography and graphic design. I also further pursued my artistic vocation and 2020 Capsules Australia, a renowned design guide, elected me as one of the Leaders in Contemporary Art.

“Nevertheless, doing business in the Caribbean was rather challenging and since my clientele was starting to list businesses and organisations worldwide – and the pandemic was cutting off islands from the rest of the world in every aspect – I returned temporarily to my hometown of Venice.

“Now, I am a listed artist at Saatchi Art Gallery, an official photographer and illustrator for several agencies and I participate in stock photography related projects with the valuable insights I have gained through my professional experience.”

Victoria’s website can be found at: http://victoriaschaal.com/