Although the Professional of the month of this edition was born in Uruguay, its realization in the AV industry has been achieved in Argentina. That is why we chose Raúl Brasesco, general manager of AV-Comunicación, as the representative for the country of tango and football passion.Hector Gomez Perez
They say that success in life depends on the decisions that are made at a certain time, although chance also does its part in that difficult path, or at least it is the case of Raúl Brasesco so as not to enter into generalizations.
Our Professional of the Month was born in Paysandú, Uruguay, on January 18, 1959, but traveled to Buenos Aires in 1977 with the intention of presenting some admission exams for the career of agronomist. Taking advantage of his time in the Argentine capital, he visited his brother Daniel, who at that time worked in Special Electronic Equipment. This company was dedicated to the equipment of audiovisual synchronism and rental of slide projectors, cinema projectors and audio systems.
At that time they were working on the assembly of an audiovisual for National Parks, and he began to help without any ambition. This audiovisual would be used for a period of 20 days and there were no staff to operate it. "One of the owners saw me working with a lot of enthusiasm and offered me the job of operator. I gladly agreed and immediately called my parents to tell them I would stay for 20 days," Brasesco recalls.
The audiovisual sample was composed of 10 slide projectors, a cinema projector and audio system. "At that time the technology was very precarious, I remember that the projectors were locked, the film of the 16 mm film was cut, the synchronism system was not reliable and sometimes it was fired with the radio frequency of the intercoms of the security personnel."
The event was a success, and the 20 days Brasesco planned to stay with the company turned into five years. Since 1982 he worked in the technical part for an audiovisual production company; in 1986 he moved to the video projector company Keytech where he started as an audiovisual technician and when he retired, in 1992, he ended up being the manager.
A new project that shines
When Brasesco decided in 1992 to found AV-Comunicación, it rented the equipment it offered to its customers until it began to make its own team to become a video projection rental company. "Technology has advanced rapidly and three-tube video projectors have been replaced by LCD technology, DPL, etc. The power, resolution and the possibility of interchangeable lenses revolutionized the use of video projectors, "says the Professional.
In 2005 AV-Comunicación enters the MARKET OF LED screens; the first one acquired by the company was destined for a famous Argentine television program hosted by Marcelo Tinelli: Showmatch. In 2009 they completed their fourth year of working with them. In the same way they have made other programs such as Latin American Idol in their 2006-2007 seasons and participated in the concerts of such renowned artists as rolling Stone, Chayanne, Madonna, Gloria Stefan and Rod Stewart.
"Since we started with LED screens the company has grown a lot. The possibilities that this technology gives you are endless, since they have everything that an audiovisual designer wants for their setting: a lot of light, infinite amount of colors, you can work with the sun in front or in the rain, "said Brasesco.
From doors to inside
The nuclear family of our Professional of the Month is small. It is made up of his wife Elizabeth Murtagh, who is dedicated to the administration and his son Andrés, 20, who works in the area of event organization.
Although Brasesco states that the commitment to his work is full-time, due to the fact that he offers a personalized service for each event, he tries to make room for some hobbies. The first of them: the tranquility of home, because most of the time is spent in shows with many people, hence he prefers to see Boca Juniors, the team of which he is a fan, from the comfort of his home than in the same Bombonera. He is also a lover of travel and listening to music.
VA, a changing industry
According to Brasesco, the AV industry is constantly evolving, hence the importance of permanently training the technical and commercial staff that works in it. Regarding the objectives that a company of this type must meet in the face of customers, he points out that, in addition to the training of personnel, it is vital to have state-of-the-art technology paying special attention to what is purchased and in the place that is done; have a conscientious work of marketing, responsibility, punctuality, an important know-how, good relationship with suppliers and excellent management.
"The quality of each presentation and the conformity of the client are essential, since being such a small medium, dissatisfied customers mean the loss of the source of work," said this professional. In this sense, it considers of vital importance the work carried out by the entire team, which must be very flexible and resistant due to two fundamental aspects: atypical schedules and the high demand of customers.
"To achieve this goal, staff incentives are considered essential. They are treated as collaborators making them feel part of the firm," Brasesco said.
The local and Latin American reality
As far as the Argentine Republic is concerned, Brasesco thinks that the market for LED screens is very small and considers that the true consolidation of the industry has not reached its peak. In the same way, he says that the general evolution of the AV industry in his country has kept pace with the world and this is proven by the first level technologies used by the different companies in the sector. "In this, communications and the Internet have served as stained glass windows, so that the demands are constant and commensurate solutions must be offered," he said.
Regarding education for staff working in VA this is what the guest said: "This is an issue to consider; there is no specialized career that contemplates the variety of knowledge that is required to perform in our activity, for this reason it is that each company must train its own staff". An aspect that is not only typical of Argentina, but in general of the entire region.
To finish this note, this man who once ventured to Argentina to present an exam was investigated, who later, at the age of 17, called his home in Paysandú to say that he would stay 20 more days and that with the passage of time and professional successes he adopted the land of tango as his home, What were those reasons for his recognition in the AV industry in Argentina and Latin America and he concisely replied: "Effort and professionalism".
