Ciao! I am Mari and I’m a creative director, at work and in life.
Ideating, brainstorming, creative problem-solving is very much what fuels me and defines me. It’s my day job, as executive creative director of PrecisionAQ, it’s my entrepreneurial venture and passion project, as founder and chief madness office of MADWOMAN and it’s my duty and honor as a mother of two teenage daughters.
I am originally from Naples, the crazy south of Italy, but I have called Newport Beach my home for the past two decades now.
On the daily, you’ll see me walking up and down the boardwalk of the entire peninsula, where I do most of my thinking—quietly, if I am alone, or out loud, if joined by a friend.
I will also spend hours cooking: I own a ‘pretend’ restaurant, called Sette Mari, which is Italian for: Seven Seas. And I ‘open’ it to friends and family for fun dinner parties.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I am incredibly lucky to have a true village around me. My sister, who also moved here from Italy, after living in Belgium and Ireland for few years, and I are very close. No one can make me laugh the way she does. We speak our own language: a mix of Italian and English, held together by inside jokes that go back to the 90s. The rest of my family still lives in Italy, and we visit each other as much as we can. But the family I have chosen for myself here is what makes me get through anything! I couldn’t imagine life without my crew. And my two teenage daughters, Gaia and Emma, are the fuel that makes me want to do better and be better.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
My career is a huge part of who I am. I have been a proud and fierce creative director my entire adult life. I have never had another job, and, to this day, it’s a job I love. To inspire my creative team, colleagues and clients about the possibilities of what an idea can do is incredibly rewarding. But last year, my very own inspiration tank needed a refill, a new project, a great creative challenge. And I found it in the two things I can’t live without: coffee and the joy of sharing a great time with the people I love. So, with a nudge of a friend, I started MADWOMAN: a collection of Italian-style espresso martinis. Soon to be launched right here in our neighborhood!
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
So many to choose from. But here are the ones that are close to my heart: the Cannery, where I’ve celebrated many birthdays; Zinque, where I’ve talked through big life decisions, Malibu Farm, the go-to brunch spot; Buddha’s favorite, where Gaia and I have our mom-daughter date and order a new dish every time, and finally Vitaly, which brings me back to the flavors of my birth country.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
Last summer I celebrated my twentieth anniversary here!
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
I often say: life is too big for small talk. When you get to know someone deeply, interesting things come out. My upstairs neighbor, Coleen, is a fascinating woman. She is a visionary, currently working on transforming the standard of post-surgical recovery experience. She wears her heart on her sleeve, she is not afraid to dive deep, work through things, reinvent herself every few years. She also makes you believe you can do anything! She’d be perfect for this project.
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
I am not a big fan of TV. But I love books, podcasts and music. ‘Wiser Than Me’ the podcast hosted by Julia Louis Dreyfus inspired me tremendously last year.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Surround yourself with people who get the best out of you, who make you want to be better and are not afraid to grow and evolve with you.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
Japan! I have never been there and I am fascinated by its culture.
Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative; with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
Ooohhh, I’d love to have lunch with Jonathan Adler and pick his brain on all design things. His quirky and whimsical, yet chic and sophisticated style satisfies my need of ceramic, floating body parts. And I think he would appreciate Fable & Spirits.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
I travel quite a bit, although a lot more pre-pandemic, and one of the things I always loved was coming back home. The salty air, the palm trees, the beach and the sunshine. It all makes me happy and energizes me.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
I’d love to continue building what I started. And who knows what’s going to happen, but the future excites me.
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
Italian is my mother tongue, but at this point English is so ingrained in my brain that, in my dreams, my Italian family is completely fluent in english. It’s surreal and bizarre.
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
Starting the day with a warm cup of coffee, in bed, every morning.
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
My daughters always inspire me to be better as a mother. I tell my oldest: I have never been a mother of a teenager before, so we are learning this together.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
HOUSE OF MADNESS! I love everything about it. Home is where my people are. ALL of them!
