Tatxo Benet, founding partner, president, and CEO of Mediapro, has been the third guest of the Esmorzars de Forquilla meeting series organized by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, sponsored by Indra and with The New Barcelona Post as a collaborating media outlet.
Tatxo Benet offers us a deep insight into the essence of one of the most influential audiovisual companies on the global scene, with one foot in Barcelona, but with a planetary implementation. With a mix of pride in his roots and a passionate defense of collective self-esteem, Benet addresses issues such as the perception of Barcelona and Catalonia or the centralization of the television industry in Madrid.
— It seemed to me, during lunch, that you have the feeling that you are not quite a prophet in your own land. Is that so?
— No, no: I have never thought that, honestly. And I have no desire for personal recognition. I have many friends here. It is where I live and where I feel most comfortable. I don't have that feeling. Besides, what is important is the group and the projects that this group of people leads.
— Not even at Mediapro level?
— No: it was an observation. Surely, as Mediapro, we have received more distinctions and more recognition abroad than at home. But this is because we are an international group. And, to a certain extent, it is normal. But we feel very comfortable where we are. We work a lot here, just as we work a lot abroad. Therefore, I don't say it as a reproach to anyone, but to explain the importance of our group in a global context, as a leader in the audiovisual sector.
"The team that created Mediapro was born and has grown within a Catalan ecosystem that makes us be a certain way," Tatxo Benet— Tatxo Benet, Are you a global company, but with a very local DNA?
— We are a global company, but we always adapt to the local identity of the places we go. If we are in Argentina, we try to be a very Argentine company, with people from there and with a lot of the DNA from there. And the same happens with Chile, Greece or wherever. Now, it is evident that being from here gives us a specific idiosyncrasy. The environment where you live creates you as a person and, ultimately, it is people who influence companies. And the team we have created at Mediapro was born and has grown within a Catalan ecosystem that makes us be a certain way. It is nothing genetic, but simply the ecosystem. It is the cultural acquisition that each one has and that, afterwards, transfers to the company.
— From Barcelona to the world?
— I am from Lleida and I always claim it. And I say it with pride. Now, it is true that I have lived in Barcelona for many years. A city that I would not change for any other city in the world. I think it has many virtues and few defects. And the defects it has, many times we attribute them to ourselves without having them, because we like to mortify ourselves a bit and attribute certain defects to ourselves. It seems that speaking well of something you do in Catalonia or Barcelona is a sin. Others speak well of their own and no one reproaches them for anything. We have to be more positive.
"Televisions, which are state concessions, have been installed in Madrid", Tatxo Benet— Is it the fruit of a specific moment?
— Barcelona has had a period in which some Barcelonians, for the simple fact that they did not like the political color of the mayor's office or the political color of the party that governed Catalonia, have despised their city and their own country. This is a very serious mistake. You can be American and you may not like Trump, but what you will never do is say that the United States is a horrible country. Here, however, campaigns have been carried out among the people of Catalonia and the citizens of Barcelona against the city and against the country itself, magnifying and inventing defects to politically influence or to produce changes in the governance of the city or the country. And this is a very serious mistake, because it greatly damages people's self-esteem and, afterwards, it is difficult to recover it.
— Now that we are talking about self-esteem, there is fear, in certain circles, that Mediapro will bet more on Madrid than on Barcelona.
— We have divisions that have more weight in Barcelona and we have divisions that have more weight in Madrid. In the world of content, we have more weight in Madrid, yes. To a certain extent, this happens because Madrid, due to the state system we have, is where a large part of the audiovisual industry is concentrated. Television stations, which are state concessions, have set up in Madrid. And many times you have no choice but to go where you find the audiovisual industry.
— The power of being the capital of the State?
— Yes, it is true: the State, centralized in Madrid, grants concessions, and the concessionaire wants to be close to the one who granted the concession. But we have our studios full here, and the commitment is to continue making productions for everyone from Barcelona. In addition, there are other divisions, such as experiences or rights, which are practically entirely in Barcelona.