Meet Bailey - Marketing Manager for Circle Cinema

How did you land in Tulsa?

I was born in Colorado and lived there for ten years before my dad got a job transfer during the housing market crash in 2008-2009. We lived in an apartment on Riverside in Tulsa for a year because the initial sale on my parents’ Colorado house fell through. Eventually, we moved to Kellyville, OK. I didn’t live in Tulsa again until 2021, which is when I started seeking out job opportunities in Tulsa.

How did you find out about your new role?

So, I was really unhappy in my previous job. I was working as a marketing manager and was really proud of the work that I had done, but the culture of that workplace was toxic. It was distressing to my creativity and my overall mental state, so I started looking for something else. I’ve always worked in marketing, but I hadn’t yet worked in an industry that aligned with my passion. I actually went to school for theater. I just love the arts, and I love movies. A big part of my childhood growing up was watching movies. When I saw a job listing for marketing at Circle Cinema, I thought, “This is too good to be true. I have to be dreaming, because this is my dream job. I have to apply for it.” The application took me to inTulsa’s website, and that’s how I connected with Princess Austin at inTulsa.

What was it like working with the inTulsa team?

My initial assumption was that inTulsa was a temp agency, because I went through a temp agency to find my previous role. So, when I found out that inTulsa was hiring for Circle Cinema, I thought, well, we’ll see how it goes. But that was not the case—they are not a temp agency. They’re just connecting the talent with the job—acting as a matchmaker.

I talked with Princess about the whole process. She was so kind. It was really nice to be able to ask her questions that I didn’t have to ask my potential employer. It was super easy. Honestly, Princess took care of everything for me. She said, “Just send me a resume and I’ll do the rest.” She set up the interview for me. I had an initial interview by phone. After that, she got me hooked up with Circle Cinema’s executive director and scheduled my in-person interview. It was so easy.

What’s a typical day in your role as marketing manager like?

Every day is definitely different, especially working in this industry. Things change so frequently, and that’s one thing that I’ve been having to adjust to. We get new films and change our schedule every Thursday. So it’s an adjustment—you have to go and schedule out those things. And it’s a lot of organization. But it’s really fun.

Every day, I will check our social media and make sure that I have posts done. I check our website to make sure that ticket links are good, and that nothing is broken, because there’s nothing worse than trying to buy a ticket and finding the website is broken. I do a lot of writing, because you cannot market without writing. I’ve learned how to write and do graphic design. I send out a weekly email. With summertime approaching, we’re about to have some really fun programs. Just working on different events and getting to be collaborative is amazing.

What’s the best part of working at Circle Cinema?

I love being here, because it makes me feel like I have an opportunity to give back to the community in a way that’s meaningful and that also teaches the community. Coming into this role, I’ve realized there’s a whole world in Tulsa that I didn’t even know existed, and I’m only getting to learn about it because of this job. Just getting to experience the culture of Oklahoma and its people and getting to hear their stories and their perspectives has been the best because then we get to take that and share it with people in our community. I feel very fulfilled by the creative work that we’re doing, but also that the work is meaningful.

What do you enjoy most about living in Tulsa?

I’m a very outdoorsy person, so I appreciate the outdoor experiences here. I can hammock during the summertime and roller skate. I like hiking Turkey Mountain. We’re only an hour from lakes, only three and a half hours from Broken Bow. Tulsa is in the perfect area of the state to get to all these other state parks and nature preserves and camping spots. I love camping. Osage Hills is one of my favorites. We just recently went to the Ouachita Mountains in Oklahoma City. We have Tulsa Tough (bike racing). We have the Drillers (baseball) and the Oilers (ice hockey). There’s a really good sports side of things.

What are some of your favorite things to do here?

The Philbrook Museum is one of my favorite places, and they’re actually a really good partner of ours at Circle Cinema. You walk in and oh my gosh, it feels like a different existence. And the food here is so good and wholesome. There’s such a good food scene. Lone Wolf Banh Mi is one of my favorites. Kai Vietnamese Cuisine is one of my favorite places to go before any big event. The Max Retropub is one of my favorite bars. It’s fun to play pinball on a Thursday with your friends. There’s so many things to do. And I’m a huge part of the costuming community here. We have the best Star Wars costuming clubs in the nation. I’m a part of the 501st Garrison, the Rebel Legion, and the Mandalorian Mercs and we do events, like conventions, Drillers games, and the children’s hospital at St. Francis. It’s so rewarding.

What would you tell people who are thinking about moving here?

Living in Colorado, when my dad told me we were moving to Oklahoma, I literally visualized the old Wild West, tumbleweeds, people riding horses, tornadoes. But when you get here, and specifically in Tulsa, you’re just blown away with how it feels like a small town in a big town’s shoes. It’s so rich in arts, sports, and music. No matter what, there’s something here for you. It’s not at all what you may picture before you move here. It’s just so amazing. There’s no other place like it. Tulsa just feels like home. So I would say move to Tulsa. You won’t regret it.

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