Profile
I am a senior digital interactive multimedia producer and team leader who has worked with major NGOs and corporations (United Nations, World Bank, BBC, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Food and Agricultural Organisation, International Labour Organisation, Interim Iraqi Government, Palestinian Authority, European Union, FIAT – Agnelli Foundation…)
I treasure quality and I take responsibility and ownership of all projects I work at.
My experience combines a creative approach, formed in years of musical, photographic and video productions, with a technical competence acquired in years of interactive multimedia and on-line work.
My work is my choice and personal interest, as a result I am as enthusiastic about it now as I was at the beginning of my career.
I have the proven ability to coordinate the work of professionals, making the best of each one’s abilities, and having done the jobs myself in the past I can better understand and communicate with professionals in a wide range of creative and technical fields.
Finding simple solutions to complex problems, even in conflict situations, is something that gives me great satisfaction. I enjoy initiating processes that can evolve and change with time, continuing to work even once I left them.
I am accurate and meticulous, paying attention to the details while never losing sight of the bigger picture, having worked at multi-million dollar projects making the best possible use of resources.
I am a natural multitasker and have often juggled several projects simultaneously, sometimes remotely coordinating the work of content producers and developers and I always enjoying the challenge.
I have always worked with a foot in the future.
The first video work I did was with black and white open reel tape systems in 1980. In 1986 I was part of the team that produced the first true interactive multimedia product made in Europe, a videodisc encyclopaedia. In 1996 I was part of the team that produced one of the first web sites including 3D animation and sound. In 2001 I participated in the first UK large scale experiment of live performance involving artists interacting remotely with each other’s virtual projection, with the combined result being broadcast live on the web as streaming video. I like to be there first and pave the way experimenting new tools, looking to the future with a knowledge and understanding of the past.
Interests
Besides my interests in the visual arts, music, literature, photography and cinema, I am passionate about world cultures, crafts, antiques, architecture and languages.
I have a strong interest in the environment and green technologies.
I love travelling and mixing with people of all kinds and feel strongly about human rights and the fostering of peaceful, positive development.
I play with various ensembles and organise music events, often in the context of visual art events.
From 2002 to 2010, while working at the BBC, I made a series of independent video documentaries on music and musicians, in Cuba, Senegal, Gambia and the UK. These I wrote, filmed and edited myself.
I wish to apply this experience to international development work, combining video and the web, social networking and mobile devices, to foster communication, education and the free flow of information.
On-line examples of work and activities
- robat, main work site and related projects
youtube, video works
flickr/robateye, photography
myspace/VagueOrchestra/salottimusicali, music and projects
Education
Master in Globalisation, Ethnicity and Culture at Birkbeck University, London.
Training in journalism and video production at the BBC, London 2006-2009
Diploma in Audiovisual Communication from the Laval University of Quebec at the International Labour Organisation of the UN, Turin, 1982
Diploma in Photography and Communication at Balbis Institute, Turin 1975
Various professional training courses.
Languages
Italian (mother language), English (main working language), French and Spanish (fluent), basic knowledge of various other languages.
Work experience in international context
My keen interest in development and global social issues brought me to apply my skills as a multimedia expert to a variety of projects for International Organisations and Governments.
The way in to this area was provided by my work at the International Labour Organisation of the United Nations in the early ‘80s where, besides the teaching and course development work, I had my first experience in producing photographic and video documentaries on global development issues. That set the pace for most of my later experiences, bringing me in contact with realities and people from around the world, and providing me with precious skills in dealing with complex multicultural issues.
Following the ILO experience I was called in to produce documentation for conferences and project reports for the ILO in Geneva and the Food and Agricultural Organisation in Rome.
From 2000 to 2005 I worked on several assignments with Adam Smith International, in London, as a multimedia consultant. My role was to design the multimedia aspects of large projects, choosing and managing designers and developers, translating the content produced by ASI and their collaborators into web, CD Rom and print products, liaising with content producers and the client.
These projects included a CD Rom on the balance on armaments in the Middle East, a web site and on-line communication system for the Palestinian Authority, a web, CD Rom and print toolkit on privatisation of public enterprises for the World Bank and the basis of an on-line communication system for the Interim Iraqi Government.
Remotely coordinating the work of all involved required skilful coordination and use of the appropriate technologies.
Despite the obvious challenges due to the nature of the subject and context all these were delivered in time and to the satisfaction of the clients.
Two more mixed media interactive toolkits for the World Bank are currently (2011) being developed on Intelligent Transport Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa with IBIS Transport Consultants.
The World Bank toolkits are being used around the world by government officials, the on-line systems for the Palestinian Authority and the Iraqi Government were the foundation for subsequent developments.
Work experience in Education
Working as a lecturer and course developer has been a consistent part of my career.
After contracts as a photography teacher at the S. Carlo Professional Institute in Italy and a Islington Youth Club in London (1978-79) I spent three years (1980-83) at the International Labour Organisation of the United Nations in Turin, Italy where I developed a series of courses on the use of audiovisual aids in teaching and training for teachers from developing countries.
The challenge was to design modular and portable materials that could be used in a variety of social and cultural contexts in different parts of the world, understanding the psychology and culture of the intended audience.
The students would then return to their countries with the materials developed together to be used in their work.
The courses and workshops were run in English, French and Spanish with mixed groups, including people from different cultures, religions and social backgrounds. This presented serious communication challenges and required great ‘diplomatic’ tact, but resulted in very successful projects and long lasting professional relationships. It was always a matter of personal satisfaction to receive feedback from the ex students, informing me of the long lasting results of our work.
From 1987 to 1990 I worked as a media resources coordinator at the Working Men’s College in London, a traditional institution that needed catching up with technological developments. I was given freedom to design and set up a support unit that was producing teaching materials and supplied resources to the lecturers. I also had the opportunity to set up a very early incarnation of a digital visual production unit, based on the first multimedia computers available by Apple, also training the lecturers in the use of publishing and graphic software. The College was left with a very efficient AV lab that was truly cutting edge for those days.
In the same period I also worked for a season at the London College of Fashion producing photographic and video documentation of the students’ work and the fashion shows.
Back in Italy from 1992 to 1995 I was in charge of developing the computer graphics and publishing courses for a new department of a prestigious private institution, the European Institute of Design. The courses, where I was also one of the main lecturers, were a success and greatly increased the popularity of the institute and the number of students.
In the same period I also lectured in a series of workshops by Apple.
From 2000 to 2008 I worked in a similar position at the Barnet College in London, developing a series of new courses (BTEC and Foundation ) and lecturing multimedia and digital video, thus expanding the activities and students base for the College.
The same happened at the SAE Institute in London, in 2002 – 2003.
In all these situations I found myself in uncharted waters, initiating processes, establishing infrastructures and developing content intended to develop and grow over time.
Work experience as an independent multimedia designer
Over time I expanded my competencies from music to photography, from the written word to video and then interactive design, all eventually combining in multimedia work.
In 1985-86 I was part of the team that produced the first large scale interactive product in Europe, a Videodisc encyclopaedia on Italy at the Fondazione Agnelli. My role was to choose all the visual content to illustrate the sections written by various contributors, liaising with them and the image providers, selecting the images, archiving them and supervising the process of digitalisation.
As the project was a pioneering one the obstacles were many and daunting, but the final result was an example for many interactive products that followed.
In 1992 I was director of multimedia in one of the first companies producing interactive products, mainly on CD Rom, in Italy, Multimedia Italia. Our work was based on untested technologies and new methodologies, and every day required inventing new solutions, which we always found.
After a series of consultancies for various clients in Italy I was offered a job as interactive designer with New Media, one of the pioneering multimedia companies in London, where I worked in 1995 before setting up with two friends our own interactive design company, Liquid Light, where I worked until 1997. Liquid Light was at the cutting edge of interactive design technology and creativity and we managed some impressive projects for clients such as IBM and Microsoft and produced some early websites for several minor clients, among the first including animation, video and sound ever produced in the UK.
Liquid Light is still going strong in the hands of the other two original founders and I occasionally collaborate with them, like in the recent production of a website and multilingual on-line communication system they designed and produced in 2009 for the African Development Bank.
From 1997 to 2006 I mainly worked as freelancer for clients like ETUCO (European trade union organisation) for whom I designed an interactive toolkit meant to provide common tools to trainers across Europe; a website and networking system for practitioners in international development for Creative Xchange; an on-line journal with advanced interactive features and several media rich mini-sites illustrating the work of associated artist at ResCen, (the Research Centre for Performing Arts of the Middlesex University), for whom I was also technical coordination for the Cellbytes project, setting up two networked performance spaces where 24 artists developed a performance over 10 days during which the artist’s work in progress in one room was filmed on video and fed via the network to projectors in the second space and vice versa. The artists in each space interacted with each other’s projected image, the resulting video was then digitally manipulated and streamed live on the web, another first of its kind project.
From 2006 to 2009 I worked at BBC Radio 3 interactive, where I was part of the team developing and maintaining Radio 3’s website and where I set up a digital video production unit and trained their personnel. I produced a series of video documentaries on live events, world music and musicians and set up a YouTube channel where I published around 200 short movies we produced in 2008-09 which received over 80.000 views in 8 months.
I was also part of the syndication team, in charge of exploring ways to use social networking (twitter, facebook, myspace, youtube, audioboo etc) to reach and interact with a wider audience, which enabled me to explore the fast developing area of social networking and on-line cooperation.
Between 2002 and 2010 I managed to carve enough time to make a series of independent, low budget, short video documentaries on music and musicians, in Cuba, Senegal, Gambia and the UK.
These I wrote, filmed and edited myself, and this experience, combined with the BBC work, enabled me to acquire skills that I want to apply in the future to international development work, combining video and the web, social networking and mobile devices, to foster communication, education and the free flow of information.
In October 2009 I started a part-time MA in Ethnicity, Globalisation and Culture at Birkbeck University, to be completed in July 2011. The dissertation I am working at deals with human trafficking in the context of globalisation and in connection with widespread corruption.