L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano EXPLORE OUR STOREFRONT OF PRODUCTS MADE IN ITALY PLUS A LOT MORE... HTTPS://ITALOAMERICANO.ORG/SHOP/ scenes, often without recei- ving any award, but who are the pillars of a cinemato- graphic work's success. W h a t i s y o u r b a c k - g r o u n d a n d w h a t d i d you do in Italy? I (Sergio) have been an a r t d i r e c t o r a n d g r a p h i c designer for 20 years, and I have made in recent years an animated series called SuperHillCool, about rival Italian rock bands grappling w i t h c r a z y t o u r s i n t h e United States and around the world. It allowed me to win 15 international awards a n d g e t t h e i n t e r e s t o f American entrepreneurs in c o m p l e t i n g t h e p r o j e c t . Anna has extensive multi- s e c t o r a l e x p e r i e n c e a n d thanks to her personality, and a decidedly out of the ordinary sensitivity, she has managed to make the most of every area, developing and honing incredible skills in business management, m a r k e t i n g a n d c u s t o m e r r e l a t i o n s . S h e i s a l s o a n excellent designer and has helped me a lot with my ani- mated series. Why did you choose the USA? Our projects and ambi- tions were evidently too big for Italy's ability to under- stand, support and enhance art in all its forms. And it is a great pity, given that we were born and raised in the world's greatest cradle of art. W h a t d i d y o u f i n d special in America and in Las Vegas? Here in America, and in Las Vegas in particular, we have found people able to perceive the potential of our entrepreneurial vision, and this is finally allowing us to e x p r e s s o u r s e l v e s a t o u r best, albeit with great diffi- culty. W h a t d o y o u l i k e about Las Vegas? Anna and I had the plea- sure to notice how Las Vegas outside the Strip is a simple, e x t r e m e l y l i v a b l e a n d dynamic city, made up of people who still know how to smile and be genuinely supportive. It is also full of beautiful and unaltered nat- uralistic views that we per- sonally adore. W h a t a r e y o u m o s t proud of? I n a s h o r t t i m e a n d despite the pandemic, we have managed to make great s t r i d e s , w e h a v e h i r e d i n c r e d i b l e c o l l a b o r a t o r s from America and different parts of the world (including Italy). The Festival is getting c l o s e r a n d c l o s e r t o t h e m o d e l w e h a d i m a g i n e d since the beginning. This is giving us the opportunity to expand and to consolidate the festival's international position, as well as that of our other projects. What is your goal for the future of the festi- val? We have already laid the foundations for the creation of platforms to protect our p a r t i c i p a n t s , i m p l e m e n t their technical / artistic and entrepreneurial knowledge, to promote globally their extraordinary work, as well as to extend our collabora- tions with other festivals and sponsors. We hope that the Vegas Movie Awards ™ will become more and more a great, internationally pre- s t i g i o u s p l a t f o r m , w h e r e only the best emerge, but where everyone can feel wel- come and find inspiration for their careers and their lives. Continued from page 18 LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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