Here is a message sent to me by Diego Castillo, Brother’s Director, for all the readers of the blog.
Diego Castillo: Hi, I’m not used to get involved in this kind of thematic forums, and even less in
thematic forums and even less to get involved in anonymous
anonymous debates, in order to say things face to face we had the microphones
the microphones on for 4 days in a row.
Before I say goodbye to all of you, I would like to
thank you again on behalf of Brother Group
Jorge, Liliana, ASCAP, Universidad Veritas,
and all those incredible people who supported us
support us at all times making us feel at home.
us feel at home.
We would also like to thank
all those who trusted us and welcomed the project with open arms.
project with open arms. To those who
understood from the first moment what it was all about, to those who
those who approached us willing to listen, learn and intelligently
to listen, learn and intelligently
and intelligently took advantage of the event to take something useful away with them.
We also thank all those who criticized us.
criticized us. Perhaps because they never understood that the
Superschool Weekend was, is and will be an event for students.
students. Why? because it is organized by
a school of creatives, precisely the most awarded
the most awarded creative school in Latin America and the one that
that contributes the most teams to the best agencies in the region.
the region. The same creative school that came to stay in
to stay in several of the most important cities in the region
cities in the region, with the support of the local creative
local creative community that was not satisfied.
Previously Buenos Aires, Mexico DF, Guayaquil,
Santiago de Chile, Lima and Montevideo have had their own
Superschool Weekend, attracting more than 2,000 students, and
students, and leaving a legacy of change and
and renewal of local creativity.
However, it is true that Brother has held the Superschool Weekend on several
several times the Superschool Weekend for professionals
professionals at the express request of the organizers
organizers and with a clear objective: the creation of a Circle of local
of a local Creative Circle. Of course, another
another was the round trip, another the conferences and another the result of the
the result of the event. Or did someone in San José really
seriously thought that a round trip where on Saturday and Sunday afternoon
Saturday and Sunday afternoon you had to work with briefs
was for professionals? You only have to
just go to Brother’s official website or read the articles that appear
that appear almost weekly in specialized media such as Adlatina
such as Adlatina or Latinspots to find out what Brother is
what Brother is all about and what a Superschool Weekend is.
Superschool Weekend. As an extra piece of information, and to
doubts that the Superschool Weekend is for students, I can tell you that the
is for students, I can tell you that in all previous Superschool Weekend
previous Superschool Weekends, the team that won a gold
as a prize an annual scholarship to study at
Brother.
Since there is no Brother in San Jose, there were no scholarships.
there were no scholarships. One more fact: at the Superschool
Weekend in Santiago de Chile, the winning team of
a gold in TV with a campaign for the MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards Latin America, in addition to winning the
the scholarships for the whole team, their commercials were
their commercials were produced by Stanley Films and Mostro
Stanley Films and Mostro, and has a promise of airing on the same channel.
and has a promise to be aired on the same channel. And it is here where I
I recognize that Brother did not live up to its promise.
I am committed to awarding scholarships for the winning team
team to study at Brother Buenos Aires in 2007, and in the
Buenos Aires in 2007, and in case they are professionals, they will
professionals will be able to donate them to whomever they want.
For those who question Brother’s philosophy or teaching methods, I can only say
Brother’s philosophy or teaching methods, I can only tell you that,
beyond the verifiable achievements, our school was
school was founded in 2000 and the most talented creatives of the
the most talented creatives in the Latin American market
Latin American market, such as Carlos Bayala,
Carlos Pérez, Hernán Ponce, Fernando Vega Olmos,
Carlos Baccetti, Rodrigo Figueroa Reyes, and a long list of names
a long list of names that you can check out on Brother’s
Brother’s official website. Anyway, it is a matter of
is a matter of criteria, I trust mine and my school’s and together
my school and together with all the people who form the Brother Group
Brother Group we are convinced that the teaching method
that the teaching method we use is the right one.
At least that’s what the results show. So many
I don’t think there are that many people in Latin America
there are. A note published in Latinspots.com, a well-known regional
regional advertising media, on Wednesday, February
Wednesday, February 28 is a case in point. Y
I also don’t believe that so many talented people
commit themselves to a dubious project. Here is the
link https://www.latinspots.com/website/nota.php?
notaid=12589. Among the criticisms I have been able to
hear some very funny and contradictory things.
Like someone who claims to be a “professional” whose
whose opinion is that the conferences did not bring him
nothing new, but nevertheless he praises the examples downloaded from Youtube
the examples downloaded from Youtube, the trendy tool for the creative.
tool for the creative. The point is that if it’s on
Youtube, it’s not new. So what a curious thing
curious thing, it seems that in today’s world of advertising
advertising world today everyone is a professional until proven
proven otherwise. It should be the other way around.
It may also be that the criticisms are because a group of foreigners
a group of foreigners dared to say respectfully what they really thought of the works
what they really thought of the works presented
during Saturday and Sunday night. Well, in the
the rest of the world people say what they think,
you know, and that’s how societies evolve,
telling the truth to each other, without a lot of spin.
around.
The idea was never to come to Costa Rica to say how things should be done.
how things should be done, but how things are done elsewhere.
things are done elsewhere. Anyway,
people who resist change have every right to do so.
right, it may be then that hope is placed in the new generations.
hope is in the new generations. And there will be no way
there will be no way to stop it in a country that is an example of individual
individual freedoms. Let us hope so. A couple of years ago
couple of years ago, the Brazilians started to call Argentinean
Argentine editors to improve television. E
Incredibly, the Argentines put aside their pride
pride and started calling Brazilian art directors to improve
Brazilian art directors to improve graphics. This is just one example of how
example of how sometimes changes come when you really
when you really want to improve. Another example
that comes to mind is the Superschool Weekend in Guayaquil
Weekend held in Guayaquil in October 2006.
2006. At the end of the event, which was attended by 50 students and 50
attended by 50 students and 50 professionals, the same
the same professionals signed up to take courses at Brother.
Brother. What was their excuse?
Brother because in a year’s time the students
students coming out of this school will take our places.
places”. Sure, it sounds bad, but it would have sounded
worse if those same professionals had been left napping
napping on the assumption that there was nothing to improve.
there was nothing to improve. In the end, in general, the
ego is useless if there is nothing to defend it with.
to defend it.
For better or for worse, the Superschool Weekend
served to wake up many people who seemed to be asleep.
asleep. Keep writing in spaces like this,
please continue, it’s the best thing that can happen to you if the
the intention is to improve. Maybe that’s what was missing,
isn’t it? Talking, discussing, debating, criticizing, saying things to each other’s
in your face without filter, without sweet words, reality as it is.
as it is.
A lot of people are celebrating all this commotion and
I hope that those who criticize today, tomorrow will understand
what it is all about. It is about changing what they do not like.
they don’t like. And changes are coming, it has already happened in Argentina,
already happened in Uruguay, it is happening in Mexico and it will surely
will surely happen in Chile, Ecuador and Peru
soon. It is not every day that creatives or
Costa Rica come to Costa Rica every day, creatives or schools of creatives willing to
to lend a hand in whatever is needed, so it is not a
to waste the opportunity.
Once again thank you very much to all who supported us, and good luck to those who did not.
who supported us, and good luck to those who did not. We will
We will meet again very soon, especially with the people who want to
people who want to lead the change. Which is
a lot of them.
Diego Castillo, CEO of Brother Group,
among other things.