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Gus Carballo reminisces that when he was 16, he used to work to pay for his expenses and dreamed to be able to do what he liked most: films. A native from the City of Buenos Aires, he would go to the 2pm show when he had the theater all to himself and “the ritual of being alone in the darkness, in absolute silence waiting for the film to start, was magnified.”

The Director studied in the Centro de Investigación del Cine in Buenos Aires where his adventure began. “Afterwards, life, music and my interests led me to discover other paths in the audiovisual world, such as advertising, musical videos, TV and video art, enabling me to manifest in the diverse manners of audiovisual narrative” he said. “After the teenage illusion of doing what I liked when I wasn´t working became a job, but a pleasant and motivating job, the kind that makes me want to wake up each morning and that allows me to learn something new every day and return home with a new revelation.”

His career as a Director started in Madrid and Barcelona. He currently lives in the U.S. and is part of the Carbo Films team, with whom he works for the Hispanic and Latin American market. He has shot more than 100 films around the world, together with great agencies and brands, including Fanta, Reebok, El Corte Inglés, the Spanish Tourism Office and the Real Madrid. His creativity and narrative sensitivity have been acknowledged in diverse advertising and film festivals.

“The main challenge of my work is to communicate, translating emotions into a language that everybody can understand and receive. That is why I think how it is portrayed is essential. Regardless of the end or the means, every message is loaded with an emotion and it is fundamental for it to be delivered without distortions to the viewer, the consumer, fan or general audience” confessed Carballo. “My greatest satisfaction comes when I manage to get my job to awaken feelings in people, touch some fiber that generates a smile, a tear, an illusion.”

Carballo finds inspiration “in the street, in people, in reality and in the fantasy about reality.” He enjoys all the genres and their challenges, but finds himself very comfortable with advertising and musical videos. “In these cases, as Directors, we must act as agencies, because we are generating creativity from scratch and together with the record company´s marketing department. Along with the enormous creative experience that these type of projects offer, they also render an extra in terms of production. Adapting to lower budgets than the ones in big campaigns, achieving optimal results, gives us a plus when facing commercial projects, of the so-called ‘digital’ type. It is time for the agencies to also adapt to this type of work” he explained.

He is also very interested in theater and the actor´s work, since he considers that working with actors in theater labs opens up infinite paths that lead to creativity. “I have the aim and wish to develop a theater project as soon as I have the time. I have been working and learning for years with one of the best directors and acting teachers in Latin America and Spain” he highlighted.

The films that have accompanied him on this journey are It´s a Wonderful Life by Frank Capra and Café de Floré by Jean-Marc Vallée. “I have seen them so many times, I can’t count them anymore. These films open up new paths each time you see them”.

In the last year, he made campaigns for Reebok, MTV, Buckler beer, Coppadis and the Parkinson Research Foundation. In record projects he directed Diego Torres´ most recent launch together with Rubén Blades with the single Hoy es domingo; Tu enemigo by Juanes with Pablo López, and the video Say yay which represented Spain in the Eurovision Festival, that is held each year with an audience of 400 million people.

The filmmaker would love to work with Coca-Cola. “I think their campaigns go straight to people’s hearts. They are usually based on wishes, and dreams to be pursued or something that can be shared. I see lots of things in common with my job and my way of communicating. I think we could form a good synergy if the opportunity arose.”

Carballo aims at a future where he continues to discover things each day, learning in each project, finding a challenge in each film and enjoying his work the way he imagined it when he was 16.

Production Company:
Carbo Films, USA
Contact: Dora Medrano
T +1-310-823-5400

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