Maria Galati Hill literally grew up in the boating industry, hanging around her family’s Galati Yacht Sales brokerage business on the west coast of Florida and going to work with her dad. As a member of Galati’s marketing team, she has helped the company grow to an international level with her savvy understanding of social media. You’ve probably seen her in several industry videos such as the ones from last fall’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. We caught up with her to talk about her life in boating.
You grew up on boats. What’s your earliest memory of being on the water?
As a toddler, I vaguely remember being in my car seat, alongside my younger brother, strapped to the helm chair with a belt while we were underway My parents hosted Galati Customer trips just as I do today and it’s all about making boating safe for all ages!
How young were you when you got involved in the business side of things at Galati Yacht Sales?
My parents believed in instilling hard work at an early age, something I plan to do with my two daughters. After school, my mom would take me to the marina where my dad would find small things for me to do around the office, such as putting the address stickers on the back of yacht pamphlets and alphabetizing files. Working with my dad was the highlight of my day as a kid. Luckily, I still get to work closely with my dad to this day. My first formal job was also within the company working the receptionist desk on Saturdays.
When did you start to realize social media could be an effective tool for your company?
The luxury-car world was a big inspiration on social media for me in regards to where I could see the company going. The yachting world hadn’t quite caught on yet and I was determined to make Galati one of the first in our industry to utilize social media to its full potential. Now being one of the most-followed yacht dealerships in the world, I feel like we’re doing our job to bring global awareness to all of our favorite pastime—boating.
What do you try to show on your social media feeds to appeal to prospective boaters?
The quality time you spend with your loved ones on the water is something that’s hard to put into words, but easier to portray in a video. I believe our followers love getting a sense of that feeling even if it’s through their phone. It was my brother’s idea for me to be on camera, putting a face with our brand. And my goal ever since then has been to make watching the videos on our page feel like a personal tour, a personal experience, rather than just a sales ad.
You’re on camera a lot. Any funny outtake stories?
There’s honestly too many bloopers to count, but the funniest is probably when I nearly walked off the dock focusing more on what I was saying than where I was going. The takes with my hair flying straight up are pretty funny too.
Do you still boat for fun with your family?
It’s my favorite thing to do. My happy place is on my parents’ 23-foot center-console zipping around the bay with my two girls on my lap catching the sunset.
Read Next: On Board With: Monique Richter
What’s a typical day on the water?
Believe it or not, a typical work day is actually behind a desk, but when I am fortunate enough to get on the water, it’s either during a video shoot or hosting a customer event. Both ways are extremely busy and yet extremely fun.
What is the biggest misconception about you?
That I’m a sales broker. My title is Social Media Manager and all leads we get through social media go to our sales team. But every time I see a comment like that I feel proud of how far I’ve come with learning every detail about these boats as if I were one of our sales professionals. I just have a deep passion for both the company and the brands we sell.
