Behind every article published on Thursd is a team of people working together to inform, inspire, and connect the global floriculture industry. While readers experience the finished result, much of the work that shapes each story happens long before an article goes live.
Melissa Maingot Gerstein has become one of the people making sure those stories reach their full potential. And those articles with the "Thursd Look" get written. Over the years, her role has grown from editorial support into a position that touches nearly every part of the publishing process. From editing and website management to SEO, content planning, and LinkedIn distribution, she helps ensure that quality remains consistent across the entire platform.
Her work may not always be visible to readers, but its impact can be seen throughout Thursd every single day. Get to know all about Melissa and her life behind the magazine. This article is the second in the new People Behind Thursd series, where we introduce the people who help shape the platform behind the scenes.
Dating Back to Where It All Started
Back in 2017, Melissa finished college as a Business Administration professional. Although she enjoyed the span, experiences, and skills she learned during her career in Quito, Ecuador, she was always curious about flowers and the world behind them, thanks to one of her close school friends, Daniela Lobato. A long time ago, she decided to take a stroll through Agrivaldani, Dani's company, and there was something there that definitely caught her eye, leaving the door wide open for any future opportunities in the industry.
Even though Melissa was not an expert in the flower industry, she was willing to learn and drench herself in everything that had to do with flowers. It was here that the job hunt started. Days, nights, and weeks searching and applying for jobs that had to do with flowers. That's what she wanted, and she was determined to find it.
After some time, her first job landed. She became a copywriter for a rose company in Ecuador. Moving freely, learning at her own pace, making new friends along the way, this freelance job gave her a pretty good and basic start to what the industry was, but there was SO much to learn. This was the moment when Melissa decided she wanted to make both flowers and marketing her career for the years to come. After working as a copywriter and content specialist for some years, Thursd appeared on her LinkedIn. The golden ticket that changed her life for the better.
After a thorough interview with Arnold Wittkamp, CEO and Founder of Thursd, she started a trial period to see the fit both with the industry and the magazine. Fast forward, Melissa became the Senior Editor of the Thursd team, and has now been with the team for four big years! Thursd has given her the skills, education, information, sources, creativity, and inspiration to do what she best does today: create, write, and tell stories that are waiting to be heard and shared with the world.
She shares:
"I want to help growers, breeders, consumers, florists, and anyone who loves the flower industry communicate their stories creatively and originally. I want to help them find their brand voice and share their stories with the world because they matter. Much of the flower industry's marketing is not exploited efficiently, and that's my goal. Giving brands a voice, giving brands a creative way of expressing their ideas, giving brands humanity, feelings, and educational value through words."
Working for the Best and Biggest Online Floral Platform
"When I first joined Thursd, I expected to spend most of my time writing and editing articles. I quickly discovered that the role involves much more: following trends, communicating with people across different countries and time zones, covering events, researching new topics every day, and constantly adapting to the fast pace of digital publishing."
So, what surprised her most when joining the team? Melissa says:
"What surprised me most was the way Thursd worked from day one. When I started, the team was very small – just Arnold, Marcel, Regine, and me. Even though we were all working remotely, communicating with them felt incredibly easy. I was genuinely impressed by how a team could work so closely together despite being separated by thousands of kilometers and up to seven hours of time difference. It quickly showed me that physical distance doesn't have to limit collaboration.
Another thing that really stood out was the level of trust I received. From the beginning, I was given responsibility and the freedom to make decisions, always knowing that we all shared the same goal: making Thursd the best platform it could be. That trust meant a lot to me and is something I still value today. It created an environment where everyone felt accountable, not because someone was constantly checking on us, but because we all genuinely cared about the work we were doing."
Working remotely also changed her perspective completely. It taught Melissa how to organize her own schedule, manage her time, and stay disciplined without someone excessively looking over her shoulder. She realized that remote work is a skill in itself. Many people assume that working from home means being less productive or less committed, but her experience has been exactly the opposite:
"It has allowed me to focus better, be more efficient, and take even greater ownership of my work because I have fewer distractions and I work from a place that gives me peace: my home."
How Her Job Has Evolved Through the Years
Melissa's role has evolved significantly since she joined Thursd. She began as a copywriter, contributing just a few articles each week while familiarizing herself with both the floral industry and the platform. Those first months allowed her to develop her editorial voice and gain a deeper understanding of the stories that matter most to the global floral community.
Today, she is the longest-serving member of the editorial team and has grown into the role of Senior Editor, SEO, LinkedIn, and Website Execution Specialist. Beyond writing and editing, she plays an active role in shaping Thursd's editorial strategy, optimizing content for search, managing the platform's daily publishing workflow, and strengthening its digital presence, as well as content planning for the accounts she manages. All of this has been done from different parts of the world, including Ecuador, Peru, Madrid, Amsterdam, Argentina, Dubai, and more, because she is also an expert world traveler while working and delivering top-quality pieces, aka, a digital nomad.
Melissa believes that quality and speed don't have to compete with each other. With years of experience writing for Thursd, she has developed a workflow that allows her to publish efficiently without compromising accuracy or storytelling. Every article begins with research, followed by careful editing, SEO optimization, and fact-checking before publication. Experience has taught her where to focus her time, making it possible to react quickly to industry news while ensuring every story reflects the quality and credibility of the platform.
Melissa also serves as Thursd's LATAM representative, traveling to some of the region's most important floral events to report directly from the field. Through interviews, event coverage, and original storytelling, she brings the people, innovations, and trends shaping Latin America's floral industry to Thursd's international audience. Over the years, her role has expanded from writing articles to helping define how the platform communicates with readers around the world.
With this comes the question: Which project are you most proud of so far? Melissa answered:
"It's difficult to choose just one project because I'm proud of how my role has grown over the years. If I had to pick, I'd say I'm most proud of helping build Thursd's editorial department into what it is today. From writing a handful of articles each week, I've become involved in editorial strategy, SEO, LinkedIn, website management, and representing Thursd throughout Latin America. Knowing I've contributed to the platform's growth in so many different ways is probably my greatest achievement."
Skills, Education, and Learning Every Single Day
Life is more fun when you learn something. Whatever it is, learning opens up your mind, gives you more creative outputs, and, all in all, gives you the experience you need to keep going.
When Melissa joined Thursd, she expected to become a better writer. What she didn't expect was how many different skills she would develop along the way, especially managing and working in a CMS system she had never been familiarized with. Over the years, she has learned SEO strategy, website management and creativity, LinkedIn strategy, digital publishing, and how to optimize articles so they perform well without sacrificing editorial quality. She has also developed strong interviewing skills, learning how to make people feel comfortable, ask meaningful questions, and transform conversations into stories that readers connect with.
Beyond the technical side, she believes one of the biggest skills she has gained is adaptability. Every day brings a new topic, a different person to interview, or an event to cover, which has taught her to learn quickly, work independently, and confidently step into unfamiliar situations. Looking back, she realizes that Thursd has helped her grow not only as an editor but also as a communicator, a strategist, and someone who can connect people and stories from around the world.
She is a true storytelling star in the world of flowers! Need to tell your story? She's got you. Need to step up your brand voice? She's got you. Need someone to visit your farm and tell what's happening? Once again, she's got you.
An Endless Love for What She Contributes to the Flower Industry
Melissa's dream is for the flower industry to be connected through emotional and educational stories. She looks forward to connecting with people and enthusiasts who want to share this with the world, as well as growers, breeders, and anyone interested in the flower world.
Melissa's favorite part of the job is meeting the people behind the flowers. Through interviews, event coverage, and her travels as Thursd's LATAM representative, she has had the opportunity to speak with florists, growers, breeders, designers, and creatives from all over the world. She enjoys discovering what inspires them, learning about their journeys, and turning those conversations into stories that others can connect with.
She also loves that no two days are ever the same. One day she may be writing about floral design, floral fashion, architecture in between nature, while the next day she might be covering an international event, interviewing an industry leader, or researching innovation and trends in the industry. That constant variety keeps her curious and continuously learning. For Melissa, the most rewarding part of working at Thursd is knowing that every story has the potential to inspire someone else while helping connect the global floral community.
But it's not all about flowers! Outside of flowers and storytelling, Melissa's other great passion is Pilates. It has become an essential part of her daily routine and one of the ways she stays grounded, whether it's starting her morning with movement or ending a busy day with a class. For her, moving her body is a way to reset both physically and mentally.
"I'm currently working toward becoming a certified Pilates instructor, and it's a goal that excites me just as much as my work at Thursd. I truly believe flowers and Pilates are the two things that make me happiest. One allows me to express my creativity and connect with incredible people, while the other keeps me grounded, healthy, and present. Being able to combine both passions in my life would be a dream come true, and honestly, I can't imagine a more perfect balance."
Because much of her work as an editor involves spending long hours in front of a computer, she makes a conscious effort to stand up, stretch, and move every thirty minutes throughout the day. She believes these small habits help her stay focused, creative, and energized, especially during long writing and editing sessions.
Looking ahead, Melissa hopes to continue growing alongside Thursd while helping the platform reach even more people around the world. As the company evolves, she sees herself taking on an even greater role in shaping its editorial direction, expanding its presence across Latin America, and continuing to tell the stories that connect the global floral community. To know more about her journey, visit Melissa's LinkedIn account and give her a follow!
