In Conversation with DM Media’s Daria Marina

Guest blog by Thiemo Albers-Daly

Daria Maria is a PR and Communication Specialist, having worked in the world of motorsport since 2008. She’s worked for WRC teams before switching things up and heading to the World Endurance Championship and the Porsche Sports Challenge. Since then, Daria’s worked in a little bit of everything, haven gotten involved in everything from GT Racing, Formula E with the DS Virgin Team and the Ferrari Driver Academy. She’s now founded DM Media PR and Management and is looking to put all of her experience and knowledge to use by branching out into new areas in 2023, both in and out of motorsport.

We caught up recently for a chat about all this and more, including her time working with Valentino Rossi. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

What first got you interested in Motorsport?

I started my journey 17 years ago. My Mum basically forced me to come and visit one of the rally races, where she used to be a director of some rounds. It was love at first sight, and that’s when I realized what I wanted to do in my life. I started then as a freelancer working in the Media Centre and helped as a Press Officer with accreditation, slowly moving to where I am right now.

Tell us about DM Media PR & Management and why you wanted to create it.

Most of the time I used to be a full-time employee and in 2018 I finally decided to establish my own small company DM Media PR & Management. I made my decision really fast and a big thanks to someone for his advice. I also wanted to work with more varied clients and really challenge myself⁠—which happily has been the case. As a freelancer, your everyday life is automatically varied: in addition to your projects, you also deal with accounting, customer acquisition, and much more. Since you work for different clients, the content of your projects also varies. We provide a wide range of services to our clients, from media relations, social media, graphic design, website, and presentation development to management. And not only in Motorsports, but also in other businesses.

How was 2022 for you?

It’s been a very challenging but fantastic year. I have gratitude for every single area in my life. In terms of work, like every year, I have gained a lot of experience, working and managing more than 23 drivers, including Valentino Rossi. In terms of life experience, 2022 was not an easy one and change is always hard, and here we need to be strong and not give up just because it gets tough.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2023, what do you have planned?

Looking forward to the next chapter! After 4 years at WRT, the time has come to move on. There have been highs and lows, and good people that I will miss. I’ve made some amazing friends over the years, and those friendships will never change.

But it is time to start a new chapter. I adore fresh beginnings in all shapes and forms. As much as every new breath is an opportunity for new beginnings, there is something special about the whole new year. A blank page where endless opportunities exist as potentials. And this year will be a year of huge self-growth. It has just started. And I will share my plans very soon!

What does a race weekend look like for you?

Every race I have schedules that constantly evolve, social media to manage, and news to monitor. Before the race week begins, I plan the media schedule for the drivers, the team Principal and any team member who’s requested for an interview. Then on our side, we have media days that involve all the planned interviews, press conferences, round tables, photo and video shootings, TV, etc. Over the race weekends during sessions, I’m based in the garage, and after each session, I’m providing the information to the journalists from the driver’s statements to the pictures. And much more!

What’s been the most challenging part of your career so far? And the best moment so far?

There is no typical day really, which is part of what I love about my job. There was one day that answers both questions – Le Mans 24h 2021. It was a day of strong emotions, in all senses, as we were leading the race with an incredible 1-2, and in the very last lap, the leading car suddenly came to a halt, and a second car won the race, our first Le Mans 24h race. So first of all, you have to overcome two strong emotions that you have got in one minute – a big disappointment and the biggest happiness, calm down and just do your job.

Fake it till you make it, they said, however, instead of taking my 6 drivers to the press conference, I had to go with only 3. And at the same time, I had to somehow manage the other three, who obviously were not in the mood to speak to anyone at this moment, while more than 15 journalists were waiting for them next to our hospitality.

A lot of times I also faced a communication crisis that you have to handle and where you have to react immediately. That feeling of never knowing what’s coming next keeps the job really exciting. When your team wins, it gets to you. For PR personnel, you can feel the emotion firsthand after the race. Win or lose, it is exciting to be a part of something that you cannot control in the end.

Have you got a fun racing related story that you can share?

Honestly, I have so many of them that I probably will write a book one day! However, it should be an incognito book, because even now and especially being a Comms specialist I’m not sure I’m allowed to share any of them! 

What advice would you give to those looking to get into this area of motorsport?

You need to set up the goals and understand where you want to be, and then just go for it. I always say “Fall down. Stand up. And do it all again”. Start your career as soon as you can, and build your character to be the strongest and most stubborn version of yourself. Work hard, gain experience, and don’t see yourself as any different from anyone else trying to become successful in Motorsport. Also, networking is really important, as well as your reputation. And remember, it won’t always be easy, and it won’t always be fun, but you should never stop dreaming and believing in what you can achieve.

What’s the worst film you’ve ever seen?

I’m very picky when it comes to watching movies. I keep watching the trailers and taking too long to choose something and end up scrolling through Netflix’s list like it’s a social media. I hate when I choose something and end up dropping it off after 3-5 episodes. When it comes to a movie I never drop it off but I still don’t wanna watch something which isn’t really good so answering this question it’s really hard to remember any single movie that I didn’t like.

If you could only drink one drink for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Water! I drink more than 2,5l of water per day and I’m pretty much one of those people that carries bottles around. Apart from that I would say coffee.

Thanks again to Daria for taking the time to chat and best of luck for all of your endeavours in 2023 and beyond.