References
Six people who managed the work, shared a role with it, briefed it, or hosted a project it was part of. The letters are reproduced in full. Direct contact details have been removed; the signed originals are available on request.
To Whom It May Concern,
I write in support of Martina Smrekova, with whom I had the good fortune of working closely at The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, where we shared the role of Content Publishing Specialist and I conducted her professional handover.
Our work touched every channel through which the ship communicated with its guests: the screens in public spaces, the in-room television system, the onboard application and its content, restaurant menus, safety communications, and the daily printed materials that give a voyage its sense of being looked after. Approximately thirty contributing stakeholders across departments, each with their own timelines and priorities. Printers maintained. Digital infrastructure managed. Adobe Creative Suite and the ship's CRM system in daily use.
It is a role that asks more of a person than the job description suggests.
What Martina and I built together was not simply a workflow. It was a cohesive communication system spanning multiple formats and channels, held together not by a rigid design manual but by a shared understanding of what the brand demanded. That understanding is not given to everyone. Martina earned it through attention, through care, and through a genuine aesthetic sensibility that expressed itself not in grand gestures but in consistent, disciplined choices made across hundreds of small decisions every day. She upheld the standards of The Ritz-Carlton not because she was instructed to, but because she grasped what those standards were for.
What I observed in Martina, beyond her technical capability, was a sense of personal responsibility toward the work. She did not treat deadlines as suggestions or standards as optional. In an environment where the quality of what reaches a guest reflects directly on the name above the door, that is not a small thing. She held herself to account not because she was watched, but because that is simply how she works.
She brings to collaborative work a quality of presence that makes things run more smoothly than they otherwise would. I recommend her with both confidence and warmth.
Yours sincerely,Aira Dimapilis
To Whom It May Concern,
I write in support of Martina Smrekova, with whom I worked closely at Explora Journeys in my capacity as Future Cruise Manager. My role was built around helping guests imagine their next voyage before they had even left the current one. That requires materials that do more than inform. They need to spark something. Catalogs that feel worth keeping. Planning tables that make the future feel navigable. Marketing collateral that turns curiosity into a decision. Martina produced all of this, and she did so with a level of care and aesthetic sensibility that made my work considerably easier and, frankly, more beautiful.
What I appreciated most was her ability to receive a brief and return something that felt considered rather than assembled. There were times the brief was loose and the deadline was tight. The output never reflected either of those conditions.
Beyond the work itself, Martina is someone who operates with a clear sense of professional integrity. She knows what she is there to do, she does it, and she does not require managing in the way that some creative professionals do. In a collaborative environment where different personalities, priorities and pressures converge, that quality is rare and genuinely valuable.
I left Explora Journeys to pursue other directions, but I carry my experience of working alongside Martina as one of the benchmarks for what good creative collaboration looks like.
Yours sincerely,Carla Regina
To Whom It May Concern,
As a member of the onboard entertainment team aboard Explora Journeys, I worked closely with Martina Smrekova in her capacity as Desktop Publisher. She was the person who brought our events, shows, and performances to life in the eyes of our guests. Every schedule, every announcement, every featured artist that appeared on the ship's screens, in the daily publication, or through the onboard app passed through her hands before it reached a guest.
What struck me about Martina was the care she brought to work that could easily have been treated as routine. Entertainment content moves fast. Timings change, performers are added at short notice, and the gap between what we know and what the guest needs to know is narrow. Martina navigated this reliably. She asked the right questions, returned the right materials, and never needed to be chased.
Beyond the practical, she is someone who understands what entertainment is for. The materials she produced did not merely inform. They invited. There is a difference, and not everyone in a publishing role grasps it.
I recommend Martina with genuine enthusiasm for any role that asks for both creative quality and professional dependability at sea.
Yours sincerely,Glaucia Campos
To Whom It May Concern,
It is my genuine pleasure to recommend Martina, with whom I worked closely in my role as a video producer and photographer.
Throughout our time working together, Martina served as my primary point of contact for creative materials and brand alignment. She consistently supplied me with everything I needed to work efficiently, adapted my photographs to brand standards with genuine care, and oversaw brand guidelines and production with a dependable, detail-oriented eye.
What stood out most was how helpful and knowledgeable she was. She had a strong grasp of both the creative and technical aspects of the work, which made our collaboration seamless and thoroughly enjoyable. She regularly anticipated needs before they became challenges and brought warmth, reliability, and professionalism to every interaction.
I would gladly recommend Martina to any team fortunate enough to work with her. Please feel free to contact me should you require any further information.
Sincerely,Yousra Benziane
To Whom It May Concern,
It is my pleasure to recommend Martina Smrekova, who was a member of my team and whom I had the opportunity to manage closely.
Throughout our time working together, Martina consistently demonstrated a strong sense of ownership, professionalism, and reliability. She is someone you can depend on to deliver quality work, even in environments where priorities shift quickly, deadlines are uncompromising, and multiple inputs require careful coordination.
In her role as a Desktop Publisher and Designer, Martina managed content requests across various departments, balancing competing timelines while ensuring each deliverable met both creative and operational requirements. She approached every project with care, accuracy, and a genuine commitment to producing work that reflected the needs of the team and the crafted experience.
Martina has a solid technical foundation, working confidently across the Adobe Creative Suite, and she is naturally curious about new ways of working. She readily embraces emerging technologies, including AI-powered creative tools, thoughtfully integrating them into her workflow to improve efficiency without compromising quality. What has always stood out to me is her willingness to continuously learn and evolve rather than waiting to be guided.
Beyond her technical ability, Martina is approachable, thoughtful, and communicates with professionalism and respect. She genuinely cares about delivering work to a high standard while also supporting the people she works alongside.
Martina would be a valuable addition to any organisation seeking someone who combines creative capability with reliability, adaptability, and a strong work ethic. I would recommend her without hesitation and would be happy to provide any additional information if required.
Yours sincerely,Bianca Ferreira
Reproduced in the original French.
Monsieur, Madame,
Par la lettre suivante nous confirmons la participation de Martina Smrekova au festival CTM 2014, qui a eu lieu du 24 janvier au 2 février 2014, à Berlin.
Durant son séjour, Mme. Smrekova a participé au festival en tant que bénévole, et comme partie du projet collaboratif intitulé P-node. Une commande d’œuvre effectué par les festivals CTM et musikprotokoll (Graz, AT), Deutschlandradio Kultur, le réseau ICAS et le Goethe-Institut, P-Node avait comme but d’explorer le rôle et le format de la radio à l’époque de l’internet. Prenant forme de laboratoire pendant la durée du festival, P-node invitait des contributions de la communauté locale et internationale d’artistes et hackers. Diffusé 24h/24 via un site dédiée au projet, P-node a culminé avec une performance finale le dimanche 2 février à West Germany, ainsi que par une diffusion sur Deutschlandradio Kultur le 7 février.
Célébrant son 15e anniversaire en 2014, CTM est reconnu comme un des festivals phares dans le domaine de création numérique et musiques électroniques, et soutien une grosse variété de projets artistiques et cultures sonores. À chaque édition, le festival présente plus de 200 artistes et professionnels provenant de 25 pays à travers un programme qui réuni prestations musicales avec un programme diurnes de conférences, panels, discussions, films, expositions, et autres. À chaque année le festival accueille aussi un gros public qui vient hors Allemagne, soit 45% de nos festivaliers, une diversité qui contribue encore plus à l’atmosphère de rencontre et découverte ressenti au festival.
N’hésitez pas à me contacter au besoin de plus d’information à propos de la participation de Martina Smrekova au festival CTM 2014.
Je vous prie d’agréer l’expression de mes sentiments distingués,Oliver Baurhenn