If you’re curious, you will do fine. Just stay that way, and don’t get to satisfied with yourself. Enjoy what you do, but keep asking questions. Question everything…

 Please give us a brief bio of yourself.

I'm Senior Integrated Producer at Leo Burnett/Lapiz. I've worked in the video game and advertising business. I also drove an ice cream truck for one summer in college. Quite an eye opening experience. I went to the Rhode Island School of Design where I studied Film, Video and Animation. I have two teenage boys and they spend a lot of time looking at screens of various types. Totally my fault. - TG

I’m Founder / Executive Creative Director at Encident and The Electric Factory. I’ve worked in the industry for 12 years trying to push it forward since its beginning basing my effort on innovation and experience. I am a University professor in the Communications school. I have always been interested in working in our team’s motivation and in the opportunity we have everyday to create trends and to develop the future. I’m a frustrated musician and an optimist by nature. -JC

 What do you do for inspiration?

Look around. Generally not at my computer, but sometimes I find it there too. Travel. Talk to lots of different people.  - TG

Talk to people. Question my self and explore other ways to see problems, identifying new opportunities and options not difficulties. -JC

 What do you regard as being your biggest achievement?

Being able to work with a group of talented and curious individuals as myself. Feeling that we are part of something greater than a simple opportunity the industry allows us to, that we are the industry and fight to help it grow alongside other great companies all over the world. Enjoying everyday with my wife and family and feeling happiness when starting a new workday. JC

 How many hours do you work each week?

This is very hard to determine. I love what I do and am addicted to it as it is part of my life. This may be because I feel that I am always building something new and always thinking and working for the company and our clients. Work for me is not an obligation. It is simply a joy. JC

 How do you relax or unwind?

I walk a lot, without music, simply listening to the sounds of the city and what people talk. JC

 If you weren't working on the internet what would you be doing?

Dancing!!! - TG

 What's your favourite part of your job? What's the hardest part of your job? What do you do when you get stuck?

Favorite part of my job is working with super talented and creative people on projects of all kinds that lots of people get to see, and being the one that makes things happen. The hardest part is dealing with people that are not open to new ideas, and want to do only what has been done before. - TG

The best is to see the eyes of your employees, the conviction of feeling you are doing your best and inspire them to do the same. I am thankful to the dynamics of our industry that presents constant challenges that allow us to be always adapting. JC

 If there are any pivotal experiences/decisions you could point to that helped shape your career, what would they be?

For me it was just having my parents totally support me in whatever it was I wanted to do, even though they had no understanding at all of what I was doing. They let me make my own decisions, and fail and then succeed on my own terms. - TG

 In terms of software, is there anything new you have been playing with lately or that has impressed you?

-          Workflowy! – TG

-          We are keen on all things Adobe, their new Creative Suite 6 is great. JC

 Who is your target audience?

For us as a production company our target audience is Advertising Agencies as we work in partnership with them to create great innovative digital experiences. As far as the projects we work on they are always unique so we like to think we talk to everybody when we do what we do. JC

 What area of web design lacks the most?

I still feel like designers too often design for their own tastes, which is good a lot of the time, but they ignore or dismiss how people actually interact with the online world. Sometimes you just aren't as important as you'd like to think and you just need to make something that works really well. Also, and perhaps contradicting this, I feel like the same standard of production quality is not applied online as it is in other visual medium. The thing needs to work for sure, but it should also look great and be as finely crafted and beautiful as any other type of media. - TG

 Has winning FWA awards helped you in any way?

They have helped me feel like someone notices that i work hard to make stuff awesome! - TG

 When dealing with major clients, how difficult is it to meet the needs of such wide target audiences?

Very. The hardest part is often not the "audience" but the client's internal technology limitations. And the problem is that the client technology limitations rarely match the capabilities of the actual users the experience ends up being dumbed down to make a small group of people happy. - TG

 What did your very first site look like? Is it still online?

Not still online, and it looked pretty good for the capabilities at the time. This will date me, but it had a really awesome Java audio player app. - TG

Our first site is no longer online but showed 12 years back that what motivated us was the experience with digital and a focus on the return on interaction instead of the ROI.  What we were creating back then were very visually rich site and this is why we have known The FWA since then. JC

 Are there things you do OUTSIDE of work to ensure that you are in the right mindset to be creative and/or successful in whatever you are doing?

Getting weird with friends and family. Traveling. – TG

Walk around like I am a tourist in my own city and behave as one. JC

 The web is getting out of the web. Do you find that thinking in digital solutions alone hinders you? Do you feel the urge to solve the problem using all mediums necessary?

It doesn’t hinder me because I don’t think in strictly digital solutions. As an integrated producer, my job is to have a handle on all types of media and create stories that seamlessly wind there way through each, using each medium’s strength to elevate that part of the story. - TG

I don’t believe in something 100% digital. Ideas are getting more liquid caused by the new integrated platforms and the power of the masses in the media. These new challenges require that we think of ideas transversely and to know that once launched we can only control up to 70% of what goes on. The rest is unpredictable as people we can only observe, adjust, correct or confirm. JC

 Looking 10 years in to the future, how far can websites go?

I’d be surprised if we have “web sites” at all in the form that they exist now. Mobile will continue to develop until it is even more integrated into your daily interactions. I’m looking forward to implants. – TG

In 10 years I imagine all content personalized and integrated. Without frontiers and with a virtual reality 100% integrated to the physical world although 100% segmented. JC

 Of all the websites you/your company have produced, which one are you most proud of?

I have to say 2. One done for AXE a while back with a strong and innovative idea.

The second one we did for DDB Costa Rica and it was one of the first to integrate Twitter API with the web but also the physical world with real-time visualization.

 There is perhaps a shift in web use these days. We are seeing a decline in the purely experiential sites in flash with huge production efforts, to a relationship with clients based on tools and services, that many times have simples interfaces. How do you see that trend developing? Will Flash suffer?

That’s a tough one. I don’t know about Flash. I do agree that the “big show” experiences are becoming less important and the “conversation” is more important now. And people tend to have a more intimate relationship with their devices so the cinema type experiences make less sense. BUT as technology develops I have a feeling we will be able to see much more in the way of seamless integration of amazing immersive and beautiful experiences, but as a part of how you see the world. As wonky as Mobile Augmented Reality is now, I see that type of thing really taking off at a certain point and just blowing minds. Literally. - TG

 What are your views on design/graphic school. Do you think someone can get into the field without educational experience in a school environment?

I went to art school, but I studied film. I learned everything I know about the digital world just doing it and having to figure it out. I think if a person is naturally curious then they will do just fine. The great thing about school, especially art school, is a community of people all dedicated to making stuff and experimentation. If you can find that in other places, I’m not sure school is so very necessary. – TG

I believe in people first, then on their credentials. It is their way of living, of being and their concerns that define if someone is worth adding to our team. Anyone can add to a group as long as they have a high emotional capital. I’d rather hire more on emotion than intellect for these artistic positions. If we find someone emotionally strong we’ll take the effort of educating him/her to fit our needs. JC

 What would be your ultimate vehicle to travel in?

Not really a vehicle, but I’ve always imagined a vast underground tube system that would just shoot you around to where you wanted to go. Not super practical, especially if you get stuck. Outside of that I would be into teleportation. -TG

 What country excites you the most in terms of innovation?

Uruguay, of course. The beef there is pretty awesome too. – TG

 There must be a project that you have always dreamed of doing, what is it?

The underground tube system... or teleportation. - TG

 What does the future hold for your company, or you as a person?

Just being able to do what we like the best way possible as imposed by our own way of doing things. JC

 What is the most expensive thing you have bought in the last week?

Premium spark plugs. - TG

 What type of overcoat do you wear when Flashing, basically are you a labels man?

No labels. Something comfortable and form-fitting. - TG

 Any parting shots or pearls of wisdom?

If you’re curious, you will do fine. Just stay that way, and don’t get to satisfied with yourself. Enjoy what you do, but keep asking questions. Question everything… and I mean that in the nicest way. – TG

Simply that one should follow the path you think is right. Risking trying and learning from your own mistakes, admitting them and sharing them. Attributing success to the team. JC

 It has been a privilege, thanks very much

The privilege is mine. Thanks for creating and curating such a great showcase for beautiful and inspiring work. – TG

Many thanks to you for inspiring so many people in our industry. JC

Encident