Alejandra Pinto, Class of 2014
Major: Visual Arts
Current Role: Creative Director
Current Location: El Salvador
Home Country: El Salvador
Pinto's brand, Conlapinto, is on Instagram and Tiktok.
Alejandra Pinto
Storytelling with Style
Alejandra Pinto, Class of 2014, saw an opportunity and took a chance, starting up her own creative business in her home country of El Salvador.
NYUAD: Nice to see you again, Alejandra.
Hola, hello!
NYUAD: Tell us what you’re up to these days.
I’ve been working under my personal brand, Conlapinto, since late 2018. My role is creative director. I help brands tell stories and show their impact, mostly through film and photography.
NYUAD: What types of brands do you typically work with?
I mainly work with education, culture, and nonprofit organizations that share the same values as me. For example, one of my clients is an international private school here in El Salvador. Telling their stories is really fun and dynamic work.
I’m so grateful for my education and experience at NYU Abu Dhabi. I was exposed to a lot of new aesthetics. It really enriched my perspective.
NYUAD: Why did you decide to branch out on your own?
I was doing creative work at an NGO around mid-2018 when I decided to give it a try on my own, in my own style. I’ve always been drawn to social impact, advocacy, and volunteering — ever since I was little. So I started reaching out and thankfully people liked my work and put their trust in me.
NYUAD: What’s your storytelling style?
Authentic. Not overly produced.
NYUAD: What’s your day to day like?
I wake up, always make my bed, and prepare coffee. El Salvador has the best specialty coffee! Some mornings I have to be on location for a film or photoshoot, others I work on post-production editing. I usually dedicate my afternoons to client meetings.
NYUAD: We heard you have quite a following on TikTok.
Apparently yes, haha!
NYUAD: How did that happen?
When the pandemic hit, I started creating short stories about day-to-day life and released a five-part video series on Instagram. I posted one of the videos on TikTok and it went super viral. Thousands of people started following me. It wasn’t intentional but it attracted a lot of attention. I think it speaks to being authentic about day to day life.
NYUAD: What’s your strategy on social media?
I use social media for personal expression, so people can see my style and what I’m into. I’m not an influencer. I’m not a content creator. I see myself as an artist.
NYUAD: What’s your advice for students who want to start their own creative business?
One of the most important things for me has been understanding what a personal brand is and really understanding my own creative style. The creative process takes time and practice, it’s not something that sits still. Creativity is dynamic, it grows, it evolves. And you have to be a people person.
NYUAD: How do you think NYUAD helped with where you are today?
I’m so grateful for my education and experience at NYU Abu Dhabi. I often think about my Visual Arts professors and their classes because I still have my notebooks and go back to them! I was exposed to a lot of new aesthetics and things I didn’t know existed. It really enriched my perspective.