Interview with Hector Ayuso - OFFF

How did you start your career? Tell us about the history of you please.
I started off studying film direction in Barcelona.
As soon as I finished school I decided to get a computer and set up my own digital editing studio and this is where it all started. I slowly began to explore and discover all the possibilities that the computer offered at that time and of course I discovered the internet. For a while I worked designing and program websites for Spanish companies and for some clients in London. Then one day I had the idea of organizing the OFFF Festival. Since then, most of my time goes into this project and alternatively -if I have some time left- I work on art direction in campaigns of other events, I work on visuals, do some commissioning and collaborate in other events.

What are you doing now? Any plans for the future?
I am now working on the visuals for a party, doing drawings for a stand and of course working on the organization of the next OFFF05.

Tell us about the past, how did you coe up with Online Flash Film Festival conference idea?
As I explained before, I have a film direction background but especially have experience with web design. And one day I had this huge craving for movie making and I thought that maybe both the internet and Flash could give me the opportunity to do a lot of things in a very simple way, without having to spend a lot of money and dealing with big production issues. From that personal craving I started figuring out a way to show the work of so many people who, just like me, wanted to tell stories and needed a platform to screen them over the world.
Then over the time OFFF grew up to become a bigger event that not only shows clips in Flash format but holds this section within a much bigger event holding a lot of other disciplines.

Are you planning to do it in 2005?
Yes, as I explained earlier, at this moment we are working of the production of OFFF05, signing off contracts with venues, closing dates, speaking with sponsors and artists...

Ever thought to make it outside the spain?
Yes, so far we have had a few proposals and opportunities and honestly we would love it. But for now there have not been the ideal circumstances for it to happen. It is quite complicated. Even doing it in our city, Barcelona, takes most of our time for the whole year. So if we had to organize it somewhere else, we would have to find production staff and people who could replace us in organizing the event. And that is quite complex but we do expect it to happen outside Spain someday :-)

What do you think about online communities? Like Digital Abstracts?
I believe that they are absolutely necessary and a huge support for a lot of people out there. Even though I think that we are coming to a point where the net is over-saturated. I have the feeling that there are a lot of clones spread throughout the online communities who simply imitate or even copy the content of others who have been around for a much longer time. In any way I think that they are giving a very important support to digital art.

A little bit about you. What are you doing each day? How do you earn money for life?
For a long time I have had the privilege (at least this is what I believe) to work from home and set up my own timings.
So I usually wake up quite early, check my email and a bunch of websites that I see every day, then I prepare breakfast and finally sit and organize the rest of my day according to my needs, priorities; most of the time being dedicated to OFFF and the rest to freelance jobs that I may be doing. So I basically make my living working on projects for other events, brands and agencies, a part is graphic design, another part is website design and programming, commissioning, etc.

I heared that this year, in Valencia, whas the last conference at all, is that true?
I am not sure if I understand your question but I can tell you that Valencia was just another chapter in OFFF’s brief history and I hope we will be telling a lot of other OFFF stories in the future.

You are living in Spain, did u ever think to move outside? US for example? Why?
No, I haven’t thought about living outside Spain. I am very happy working here, especially in Barcelona. It is a great city to live in and I cannot complain about the work. It’s okay.

OK, your last comments are welcome here ;)
Nothing much! Many thanks to be there and for reading till the end. ;-)