Christiano Scaturro: Becoming a Digital Nomad
Introducing Christiano
I was born in small town in Lancashire called Burnley however, as you guessed Christiano isn’t a traditional English name! My dad’s side of the family are Sicilian, and my mum’s side of the family are American/English.
I currently run a consultancy business specialising in Digital Marketing and Website Development. Most of my consultancy work now specialises in managing data driven digital advertising campaigns which implement a variety of A/B and multivariate testing. Here is a link to my consultancy website if you are interested in learning more about my work.
In my spare time I really enjoy producing house music. I’ve had a couple of songs signed by two different labels based in Romania and Latvia. Here’s a link to my Spotify if you’d like to listen, click here! On my travels I’ve picked up various new hobbies which I really enjoy such as hiking and scuba diving. I got my advanced open water scuba diving certification in Malaysia specialising in shipwreck and night diving. I’ve enjoyed diving in various sites across different countries in Asia. In Central Asia, I really enjoyed hiking in the mountains and exploring different lakes.
Studying in York
What drew you to studying at York St John?
My family and I would always make a yearly visit to York every Christmas and I always really enjoyed visiting. I would say York is my favourite city in the UK, so naturally when I came to York St John it already felt like the right place for me. I attended one of the open days and was really impressed by the lecturers who gave a great presentation and answered all my questions. The BA that the University offered ‘Marketing Management’ was also directly in line with what I wanted from a course.
How did your degree prepare you for working in Marketing?
The degree really helped me understand the underpinning foundations of Marketing channels and more importantly Marketing strategy. It was a good balance between in-depth theory and developing a practical understanding of implementing Marketing strategies for businesses. I really enjoyed the modules in which we designed and presented Marketing presentations for local businesses to help them achieve their objectives. This put me in a really good position when it came to developing my consultancy business as I had learned how to design a bespoke Marketing strategy for a client and more importantly learned how to pitch and present this.
What was your favourite thing about studying in York?
I love the aesthetic of the city, the walls, the shambles and the architecture. I also love how there’s plenty of hidden bars and restaurants to find, I spent 3 years in York but every time I’ve been back, I still find new places to go!There’s a lot more to the city than what most people think, you just need to spend time exploring it.
What’s your favourite memory from studying with us?
I would say Graduation Day! Being able to graduate from York Minster was a special experience. My family and I had a great day celebrating in York with some really good Tapas at Ambiente and plenty of drinks.
After completing your undergraduate degree, you studied a postgraduate degree. How did this prepare you for starting your own business?
I studied a Master of Science (MSc) in Marketing at King’s College London. The course was fully remote and part time which was great for me given that I was working my first job in Marketing. The Masters was useful in developing an understanding of Marketing as a science and focussed on the analytical side of the industry which I now specialise in today. The master’s really helped me find my niche while broadening my understanding of Marketing communication techniques globally. Since completing the master’s, I have worked with businesses based in Spain, France and Singapore, so having this understanding of global Marketing communications has been extremely useful.
A Marketing Career
How did you get into Marketing?
I spent a long time applying for different Marketing jobs and I was really struggling at first, especially since this was when the pandemic had just begun so the job market was increasingly difficult to navigate. Luckily, I was given an opportunity for my first Marketing job by someone who would go on to mentor me named Harvey Mason. Harvey not only gave me a job in Marketing but introduced me to the website development side of things which really broadened my practical experience. He really took me under his wing and built my confidence as a Marketer and as a consultant. I’m really grateful for all the guidance he provided me with over the years, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now without him and his mentorship.
What drew you towards Marketing as a career?
I’ve always found advertisements interesting, especially the psychological aspect to it. My favourite module at university was “Consumer Behaviour” which studies the Psychology behind Marketing. The subject looks at what motivates us to buy the products and services we buy. I always wanted to run large scale advertising campaigns for companies and when I studied the BA and master’s this feeling was enhanced. I really enjoy the combination of not just creating an advertising campaign that motivates people to buy but also having the ability to conduct experiments on campaigns through digital tracking to scientifically say which campaigns are resonating with customers.
What was your previous role before you started your own business, and what did it entail?
My previous job before starting the business was at my local College where I studied my A Levels, Burnley College. It was really satisfying working at the College as they gave me a great experience as a student when I studied my A levels and helped me get to university. At Burnley College, I was the Digital Strategy lead which entailed managing and creating the College’s paid digital advertising campaigns. I still work with Burnley College today as a consultant and I have been working with them for nearly 4 years now. I have a great relationship with the College and the Marketing team there; I owe them a lot of thanks for all the support they’ve given me as a student, employee and consultant over the years.
What’s the difference between working for someone else, and working for yourself?
I suppose the most significant difference is the huge shift from working collaboratively as part of a team to working completely independently by yourself. When you work for someone else you usually have a team to share responsibility and workload with, you have more structure and different departments to go to with any issues, personal or work related.
However, working for yourself completely takes away that collaboration and team structure. You must take full responsibility and accountability for every single task whether that’s client facing or internally (such as doing tax returns and admin). This can be quite stressful, particularly when managing paid digital marketing campaigns as clients are allocating large budgets for me to run the campaigns and deliver results. They want leads, sales, customers and if campaigns don’t deliver that’s entirely on me so there’s a constant need to perform and deliver the very best results. Everyone’s different, but I personally prefer working independently as an extension of a team as opposed to working within the team itself.
What’s been your biggest project so far, and what did it entail?
I would say my biggest project to date has been project managing the creation of the new Burnley College website. This project took around three and a half years to complete due to the size and complexity of the website. In-depth data analysis from the previous website underpinned the creation of new site and comprehensive tracking requirements made this project significantly challenging yet rewarding to manage. You can read more about this project by clicking here.
Working around the world
In your own words and experience, what is a digital nomad and why did this path appeal to you?
A digital nomad is an individual who works completely remotely using digital infrastructure to travel and live in different locations. In my mind, digital nomads are not required to be in any place at a set time, they live with complete flexibility and mobility. This path really appealed to me because it fits my personality perfectly; as an individual, I’m someone that gets frustrated very quickly with a routine and being in one place for too long. I really enjoy the constant changes to my environment as I travel around. I also love the challenges that come with being a nomad and find that I’m far more productive working from different places as opposed to one office.
How does working away from your desk work? For example, how do you find places to work and deal with wifi issues?
This aspect takes quite a lot of planning. Firstly I always make sure to book accommodation with good internet, which involves doing some research into the reviews, although in my experience even good reviews do not always guarantee good internet! Wherever I stay I always make note of coffee shops and co working places close by. I also buy an E-sim for each country and ensure that this can be used as a personal hotspot.
Hunting for wifi can be quite a challenge in certain places, for example in Timor-Leste I had to get one of the locals to buy me some data on a sim as they would only sell them to national residents. I’ve been surprised with the ability to work on a strong connection in certain places. I have been able to work in the mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan near the Himalayas, and even from a yurt in Orkhon Valley, Mongolia!
What’s been the most challenging aspect of becoming a digital nomad so far?
Being a digital nomad looks like a dream on social media, working from beachside cafes, exploring new cities, and living freely. But what people don’t see are the exhausting realities: hauling 30kg of luggage in 40-degree heat, sometimes navigating countries with no public transport, unreliable Wi-Fi when deadlines are looming, visa headaches, and constant uncertainty. The freedom is real, but so are the challenges. It’s not a holiday, it’s a lifestyle that demands constant resilience, adaptability, and a lot of patience. As a person you need to be comfortable with the uncomfortable because being a digital nomad will certainly push you out of your comfort zone daily.
What’s been the best part of becoming a digital nomad?
I honestly think that having the freedom to explore the world is the best way to experience life. Constantly immersing myself in new cultures, meeting diverse people, and exploring places I never imagined visiting reveals different ways of living. The best part is taking specific elements you love from each culture and implementing these in your own life. It certainly changes your perspective and general outlook on life for the better. Here’s a link to my travel blog if you’re interested in seeing more of my travels!
In your first four digital nomad months, you worked and travelled around South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines! Where have you visited since then, and where else is on your list to visit next?
Since then, I worked and travelled in Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Timor-Leste, Taiwan, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Australia! Next on my list is Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and Bhutan.
Where’s been your favourite place to work and why?
That’s a tough question! Overall, I’d say Japan because it’s my favourite country that I’ve visited so far. The culture, the people, the food, I love everything about Japan, it’s a pleasure to work there. I do also have to mention Central Asia here, I really loved my time in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the people are so welcoming, and both countries have some beautiful landscapes.
When you’re working abroad, do you encounter different work cultures? How do these compare to working in the UK?
Yes, I certainly encounter different work cultures, and they are very different from the UK. Japan is an interesting one to talk about here as I have some friends who work for Japanese companies who gave me some insights into the work culture. In Japan, there’s a strong culture of presenteeism whereby staff feel obligated to stay even if they have finished their tasks. Also, after work drinking is a big part of company culture where employees frequently socialise and bond informally (nomikai) in comparison to the UK where this is less frequent and there’s less obligation to attend.
Specialise in learning and embrace failures
What advice do you to have for anyone looking to become a digital nomad?
I would really encourage any aspiring digital nomads to explore different types of remote work and specialise in learning a digital skill. This will be crucial for earning frequent income while you travel. Learn about freelancing, consultancy work, developing a personal brand and most importantly, learn the financial strategy of geographical arbitrage.
What advice can you share about starting your own business, and how students and alumni can prepare to launch it?
I would firstly say embrace failures, there’s going to be multiple times when something goes wrong and you make a mistake, it’s so important that you remember everyone else has made those same mistakes and you simply use them as lessons. If you’re going down the consultancy route, I would highly recommend you take plenty of time to find a niche to work in that you enjoy and then develop a strong personal brand from there. Spend plenty of time developing your positioning, messaging and services, these will all form a crucial foundation for you to build your consultancy business around.
Do you have any general advice for our students or alumni?
Never stop learning. Stay up to date with the latest industry trends and continuously upskill to remain competitive in the job market. Adopting a student mindset, even after years in industry, ensures you’re always expanding your knowledge and experience. Growth comes from embracing change and challenging yourself. Too often, people become complacent after earning a degree, thinking their education is complete. But I think that learning is lifelong, it’s not something you finish, but something you engage in throughout your career and beyond.
