Armani Royale Aziza Hollindale

• I am the sole owner, curator and salesperson of Asphalt Books, a specialty second-hand bookstore in the Melbourne CBD.
• Re-branded and launched the business in 2023
• Organised and hosted a number of events, readings and book/magazine launches.
• Maintain a frequently replenishing variety of quality stock in the store.
• Manage Instagram as the primary social media platform.
• Maintained up-to-date knowledge of industry trends and popular revivals through continuous research and community engagement.
• Cultivated a welcoming atmosphere within the store by organising seasonal decorations, new art and design solutions.
• Managed special orders for customers, tracking shipments and assisting customers in locating hard-to-find titles.
• Designing all advertising material and relevant copy.
• Collaborating and distributing independant and international publishers.

In December 2024, I was invited to join the editing team of KinoTopia, one of the primary film publications in Melbourne. I had been a regular contributor since the end of 2023, writing full length and capsule reviews for films screening in Melbourne, including several capsules for MIFF2024.

As an editor, I am responsible for a wide range of commitment;

• Commissioning new writers, tailoring their proposals to their strengths, mentoring and providing feedback and support leading up to publishing.
• Facilitating festival partnerships and collaboration with MUBI Australia.
• Managing the timely production of newsletters, blog posts, social media updates, and other digital content to maintain brand consistency across platforms.
• Driving online traffic by optimizing content for search engines through keyword research, paid advertising and proper formatting techniques.
• Smooth communication between editorial team members through regular meetings, email correspondence, and shared document storage systems like Google Drive or Dropbox.
• Enhanced publication quality by thoroughly proofreading and editing articles for grammar, punctuation, and style.
• Keeping abreast of industry trends and news developments in order to stay current within the field.
• Selecting relevant images to accompany content for maximum impact.
• Working on an upcoming printed format of the journal!

After graduating from a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in screen culture, I reached out to KinoTopia to contribute to their online film newsletter. I have contributed a number of pieces which can be found via Substack here;

https://kinotopia.substack.com/

Including articles on:

• Dream Scenario (Kristoffer Borgli, 2023)
• The Sweet East (Sean Price William, 2023)
• When the Light Breaks (Rúnar Rúnarsson, 2024)
• Anora (Sean Baker, 2024)
• The Friction of Distance (Jack Coventry, 2024) [VIDEO ART/INSTALLATION]
• Capsule Reviews for MIFF24, including Secret Mall Apartment, The Substance and Armand.

Contributed two short experimental films screened as part of an artist series hosted by a Melbourne film and media archive, Hitlist.

• Filmed, directed and edited two short films.
• Designed film posters
• Developed a soundtrack
• Titles and credits

• I was previously signed to Howell Management, a talent agency which offers ongoing opportunities as an extra, body double and emerging actress.

• Mentoring and tutoring high school students in areas of business education, assisting with workshop deliveries and planning students time management goals.

• Since living in Melbourne, I worked for a successful renowned bakery café in South Yarra. I was responsible for all operations from open to close, inclusive of stock maintenance and consistent communications and reporting to the primary bakery venue.

• I have been operating a small health food café, running the shop from open to close, performing all duties from customer service, food preparation, barista work, cleaning, ordering stock and social media management. I pride myself on my knowledge, passion and skill in coffee making and the delivery of quality service to each and every customer.

• Working as a customer service assistant, party host, café worker, barista and waitress in an arcade in Surfers paradise. Extremely high demand of people, working with food and beverages, cleaning, assisting guests and working behind a register. Offered a managerial role before having to resign for a more local job opportunity.

• Hosting children’s birthday parties, handling farm animals, cleaning, food preparation and customer service, public speaking and organization of work schedule. I have had to be comfortable working with all aspects of animal handling and care.

• Sales, till work and fittings of school uniforms, restocking, stock take etc. Directing customers during back to school period in a very fast paced environment with large quantity transactions.