Jean Pierre Magro

Tell us something/anything about yourself, something not related to your work and Factory Media Group.

I always knew I was different, ‘special’.

But not the kind of ‘special’ my mother thought I was.

I was simply not like everyone else. An alien amongst humans. There was always an unexplainable difference in my behaviour and my idiosyncrasies. I excelled in many fields but struggled with simple things.

For most of my life I was labelled as ‘anti-social’, ‘arrogant’, ‘aloof’ and ‘weird’.

I preferred the company of books than that of people. Social interactions did not make sense to me. Stories offered patterns I could understand. Not only did they teach me that dragons exist but that dragons can be defeated.

I had resigned to being slightly eccentric and nutty. Which artist isn’t?

So I vented my unattainable need for excitement and companionship through my writing.

Then an epiphany!

My youngest nephew was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome. I started reading about it and things started to make sense. So I devoured everything I could find and suddenly I understood –

This was me.

All those years of silence and fear slowly faded away. Everything became clear.

Aspergers syndrome is an autistic related condition of which few people are aware. Because of this, it is often wrongly dismissed as nothing. But the fact remains that it is there, hovering above you… conditioning you.

Is it a disability? I have no idea. I’ve lived with it all my life. It is hard. Sometimes the loneliness eats you from inside, making it almost unbearable. But there is nothing you can do. It is beyond your grasp. You just have to keep trying. And when you fail you need to get up again.

The biggest problem is when others fail to recognize it and judge you constantly for things you have no control over.

I do not seek pity.

Aspies are people who are wired in a different way, who perceive life in a different way.

But we still share one fundamental want in common with everyone else. We all seek to be happy. 

Can you describe a regular day in the life of Jean Pierre at Factory Media Group?

I’m either reading, writing, watching or playing.

Some people think this is a dream job. I say it is tough but very exciting.

Where do you get inspiration for your writing?

This is a very tough question.

I really have no idea. All I know is that every day I sit at my desk and stare at the blank page, sifting through the infinite possibilities until something leaps out and fires me up. I start stinging words together. Words become visions, visions materialize into concrete worlds.

I believe I am still Peter Pan deep inside. I have not left Neverland and have no intention of ever leaving. It nourishes my imagination.

When you think about Factory Media Group, what is the first thing that comes to mind? And why?

Storytelling.

Humanity has always lived in make-believe landscapes. Since the dawn of time, people have constantly created elaborate fantasies. The demand for them is immense. Just look at the vast numbers of novels, films, plays and games that are devoured. Even sporting events, political elections and criminal trials unfold as narratives.

Experts tell us that people dream and fantasize, our children romp and dramatize, as much as ever. We are hard-wired to do so.

The Factory Media Group takes storytelling seriously. We study all kinds of narratives, analyzing how they work or how they fail.

What has been the most valuable lesson you have learned working with international companies? Have you applied this lesson to your next project ‘Henry Waltz’ that will be launched in Cannes?

Christopher Morley, in Parnassus on Wheels, says “Lord! When you sell a man a book you don’t sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue – you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humor and ships at sea by night – there’s all heaven and earth in a book, in a real book I mean.”

This quote was plastered on one of our office walls in LA.

Whenever I embarked on a journey of building a story or a universe I always kept that in mind…

Our aim with Henry Waltz is to marry beautiful visuals with an amazing story. That is our target. That is our task.

When you started The Factory Media Group, did you think you would be in the place you are now? Is it where you hoped to be?

I believe in myself. But I always relinquished being in the driving seat because of the way I am. Finally, at the age of 37, I got tired of standing on the sidelines and decided to jump into the fray.

Yes, I knew that we would be here. I never doubted our team. We have the capabilities to succeed.

What is the best thing about what you do?

In the opening book of The Histories, Heroditus writes:

“When Atys was king of Lydia in Asia Minor some three thousand years ago, a great scarcity threatened his realm. For a while people accepted their lot without complaining, in the hope that times of plenty would return. But when things failed to get any better, the Lydians devised a strange remedy for that problem. The plan adopted against famine was to engage in games one day so entirely not to feel the craving for food… and the next day to eat and abstain from games. In this way they passed 18 years, and along the way they invented the dice, knuckle bones, the ball, and all the games which are common.”

Heroditus shows us that games gave a starving population a feeling of power in a powerless situation, a sense of structure in a chaotic environment. Games gave them a better way of life when their circumstances were completely squalid and unforgiving.

I am lucky because my job allows me to dream, to fantasize and above all to play.

What is your least favourite thing about what you do?

This industry attracts a lot of people. Some of which are not genuine. There are many who are after fame and glory. They are a waste of space.

Tell us something/anything about yourself, something not related to Babettopolis.

My current obsessions are Ancient Rome, Rosewater milk pudding, Madame Gres’ work, and creating the perfect Ramen bowl. My enduring obsessions are Paul Poiret, a good curry and gold shoes. I enjoy going for long walks, it’s hard work for the first hour but after that I feel like I can go on forever. Long walks are aided by the occasional sightings of birds or desirably located abodes. I rarely find time for long walks though. I would love to live in a traditional Japanese house for a month or so.  However I know I’ll probably stay on forever. I was an avid day dreamer and it served me well up until some two years ago, now I dream simply, within limits and it ensures a bearable level of self-discipline and productivity. I guess it’s a sign of growth. Or death. Speaking of death, I would like to leave this earth to the sound of Vinicio Capossela’s ‘Santissima dei Naufragati’. I do not believe in an afterlife, but I believe in dramatic exits.

Can you describe a regular day in the life of Maria of Babettopolis?

Waking up is a leisurely affair compared to when I used to have to wake up to catch the 6am bus.  I now wake up at a convenient time, never later than 9am unless I deserve the rest (such as in cases where I choose to work till 3am on intricate beading projects). It’s a humane hour and allows me to breakfast and exercise if I choose to. Instead I have tea, proceed to cat-related duties, switch on my laptop and answer pending mails. I usually try to make the best of the morning light to draft out and cut patterns. Sometimes I’d have to rush out on errands (I still use the bus; a later bus) and do not return till really late. However, on most days, I usually sew/cut/bead/stitch well into the late afternoon. Sometimes I miss lunch, sometimes I lunch on food prepared for me by very supportive family members. Fittings are often scheduled for late afternoon or the weekend and what remains of my evening goes towards answering more e-mails, having a rare break and leaving the house, updating my blog, sketching and brushing up on my audio visuals, receiving guests, possibly cooking for them. Then more cat duties and bed again. Never before 12am. Some days I just devote to clearing up the inescapable mess.

When you think about your company, what is the first thing that comes to mind? and why?

‘Discipline’ is the first thing that comes to mind. You need lots of it and you never seem to have enough of it. ‘Discipline’ is an enviable state of mind towards which I strive. I grew up in a very disciplined background with a stress on everyday excellence, however mundane your task. A discipline-scale makes the future relatively bearable in my quest for excellence. In my worldview, great artists and creators are simply higher up (or rather, further away) on the disciplinary scale, thus allowing only realistic goals and aspirations without totally barring myself from the possibility of becoming considerably better at what I do.

How long have you been sewing and re-purposing garments?

Just this morning I had a double take. I am used to telling everyone I started ‘only a couple of years ago’. It has actually been around seven. I started attending pattern-making lessons when I turned 18 and started my B.A. course in English. I do not count the, frankly embarrassing, attempts at ‘sewing’ from before that. I know it’s sweet (and perhaps nostalgic) to recount tales from before then about a young girl with dreams of becoming a fashion designer. However, 18 was my turnaround year. I realised that I was better cut out to take up a craft. So I stopped painting (for the good humankind) and focused on gaining a beautiful skill from scratch.

What motivates you to start a new project/design?

Funnily enough, it’s the ‘the start of a project’ which motivates me. I enjoy beginnings and knowing that I’m about to meet an entirely different set of needs and possibilities is motivation enough. The opportunity for a project itself motivates me. Knowing that I can add something special to my portfolio is also rewarding as is updating my blog/page with ‘work in progress’ posts.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Tricky question. I believe in drive and gumption or the lack of it rather than inspiration. One is rarely truly out of ideas and I fear that a ‘lazy’ state is often mistaken for an ‘uninspired’ state. I’m glad I realized the difference early on. I believe in working hard and overcoming bouts of lack of ‘inspiration’. Books and movies often come to the rescue. All that you’ve ever watched, listened to, read and experienced cannot take a back seat when you’re creating.

When you first started creating your original Babettopolis designs, did you think you would be in the place you are now? Is it where you hoped to be?

Starting out was a gradual process.  Never really thought sewing would take me anywhere else other than the confines of my room from where I used to sew for myself and very irregularly at that. However, as it usually happens, friends start showing interest and slowly you start coming to terms with the fact that ‘it’s a possibility’. To be quite honest, it has been a surprising journey and I only allow myself to plan day by day for Babettopolis. It kind of hit me in the head when I first set up stall at Patches Market with assorted costume jewellery and other hand crafted items; I realized how much I liked it and how relatively easy it was for me to create things that people would love.

First Patches Market

What is the best thing about what you do?

Knowing that what I’ve just finished is an indubitable one-off. I love the fact that I can still create desirable and exclusive things in a market saturated with mass produced items. It’s my little victory, or rather, a little victory I share with what I hope is a growing sub-culture.

What is your least favourite thing about what you do?

My least favourite thing about myself in relation to what I do is I can still get a bit impatient at times. At the prospect of drawing, say, a dress to a close I can get a bit too excited and want to see the finished product so I often have to consciously stop myself, have a breather and remind myself that there’s no hurrying good quality. I’m also not particularly fond of attaching sleeves.

Now, still in the early weeks of 2010, I have been trying to keep up with my resolutions more than I ever had in my life… I don’t ever recall putting so much importance to the start of a new year.

I am still unsure of whether or not I have now set myself for personal and internal failure by my endless list of what to do in the next 12 months, but I am conviced its worth a try, and that is reason enough!

So, I am ready for 2010, ready with pen and paper, notebooks and notes, new and fresh ideas and making the year better then the last.

Now, a year later the campaign continues with Asylum 626 where you wake up in an insane asylum in the hands of a mad doctor. Players are presented with flashbacks this time until they can break free from the shackles holding them prisoner. To give the game a more personal feel, players can login incorporate Facebook and Twitter, so that real friends can be included in the game.

“The big idea this year was how do we make this scare a lot more personal and really bring people into this interactive experience in a more tangible way?” says Hindman; group creative director at Goodby. “We really blurred that line between the virtual experience and the real-world experience.”

And like its predecesor, both games are only viewable at night between the hours of 1800hrs and 0600hrs; ultimately giving a more spooky feel….  all in the name of Doritos!

The latest interactive advergame promotes the upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie.

You start by signing in here and proceeding to a series of questions to figure out if you are more of a Watson or a Holmes, after which you select a friend from facebook to help you out with the investigation. I have already registered and it turns out I’m Watson, so I hired a friend to be Holmes… it should be fun!

“No Watson, this was not done by accident, but by design!” – Sherlock Holmes

Last week, the second edition of the Digital Arts was definetely the place to be in Malta to find new inspiration and connections in graphic design, PR, marketing etc. Among all the very interesting things that happened at DA Expo, I would like to write a few words about my experience and the seminars I enjoyed the most.

I really liked to listen to the conferences of Simone Wolf, from Typevents.

The first one, “Design Works for Me” aimed to help creative people to think more business-like, giving some useful keys and schemes of analysis to succeed the launching of a company (Unique Selling Proposition, SWOT…). Actually,  it was a bit basic, because as Mrs Wolf said, her presentation is initially made to last 8 hours, so it was just an introduction to this complex and wide subject. One hour is obviously not enough to teach a creative and talented person the rules and secrets of marketing a brand. Nevertheless I think it was useful to entice people to learn more about the strategic approach that must come with any business project.

Another seminar given by Mrs Wolf was “A banana is not a telephone” which was about good and bad design. It was also a very brief and introductory for the same reasons, but very interesting, nonetheless. The first part dealt with the expectations and the behaviours of the consumer, showing the importance of design related to those topics. The second part was a presentation of examples, and notably of the organisation Design For All that campaigns for the inclusion of the needs of disabled persons in design thinking.

I also appreciated the enthusiasm of Alex Grech from StrategyWorks, who told the audience about social media and how it appears more and more relevant for companies to use it. There was no breaking news, at least for me (I have been studying it for 4 years now), but it is never a bad thing to be reminded of all the figures and data that we have nowadays to prove the importance of social media. What was really interesting for me was this perspective related to Malta, because obviously it is not the same thing as in a country like France. For example, in a small island like here one could think that people don’t need social media to stay tuned, because everybody knows everybody. However, I learnt that 100,000 persons in Malta have an account on Facebook, that is to say one quarter of the whole population.

The Digital Arts Expo was also the opportunity for me to meet bloggers : Karl Camenzuli, who writes the very interesting Malta Marketing blog, and Dragan Donkov representing Scuba Works Malta.

I think it is really a good thing that Malta organizes this event, and I hope that the future editions will improve every year to help the development of Malta as a business place and highly technological country. And who knows, maybe in a few years when I will work in a successful communication agency in France my boss will send me to the DA Expo to catch new trends and network !

article by: l.frangi

As a child, we were constantly warned not to write on walls and any writing instruments were give with excruciating caution… those days are gone and I almost want to paint a wall for no reason but ti be able to scribble all over it. The dry erase paint from IdeaPaint has a myriad of uses and you can turn any wall into a creative wall, for brainstorming, for children to have the freedom to scribble on or just to write your own little notes. A great Eco Friendly product as well, think of all the paper you could eliminate! Are you ready to paint your wall?

http://www.ideapaint.com

AdAge quotes an Microsoft spokesperson who insists the brand plans to work with MacFarlane in the future:

“We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humor of ‘Family Guy,’ but after reviewing an early version of the variety show, it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand,” said a Microsoft spokeswoman.

Microsoft was also confronted by Apple’s legal department for their “Laptop Hunters” campaign which directly focused on teh price difference between Mac and PC… Microsoft’s response? “We’re just going to keep running them and running them and running them,” said COO Kevin Turner

In the end the commercial being aired is neither vulgar, nor offensive or pointing out price differences:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssOq02DTTMU]

Does anyone remember the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, where you make the story? This is the same thing in a commercial for a chocolate brand called Lacta from Greece. A very attractive ad with a lot of ‘holding you to the tube power’, and even more so with very little to minimal product placement, that some would find almost sacrilege.