L'Italo-Americano

T he future as we i m a g i n e d i t b y watching science f i c t i o n m o v i e s c o u l d b e c l o s e r than we believe. In particular, a p r o j e c t c r e a t e d i n 2 0 1 2 from a vision of entrepreneur E l o n M u s k , w h o hypothesized a super speed ground-level transportation system, in which people could travel in a hovering pod insi- de a vacuum tube at a very high speed, could soon beco- me reality. Italian director Andrea La Mendola, who moved from Turin to Los Angeles in 2007 to continue his career in cinema and who started in I t a l y w i t h h i s p r o d u c t i o n company, Indyca, is part of the project. With the skills he learned behind the camera, a degree in engineering linked to the world of software and the world of visual effects, and an innate managerial talent, La Mendola has impressed the t o p m a n a g e m e n t o f H y p e r l o o p T r a n s p - ortation Technology, to the point he not only was a s k e d t o d i r e c t a documentary on the project, but also to be in charge of the c o m p a n y ' s i n t e r n a t i o n a l engineering team working on t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e Hyperloop bullet train. A n d r e a , y o u a r e c u r r e n t l y t h e C h i e f O p e r a t i n g O f f i c e r o f Hyperloop TT but when did your adventure in the USA start? I came to California for the first time when, through the University of Turin, I was a s k e d t o d i r e c t a d o c u m e n t a r y a b o u t L o s Angeles as seen by David Lynch. I stayed in LA for three months and fell in love w i t h t h e c i t y . B a s i c a l l y , I thought it could have been the right place to achieve my goals. So, in 2011 I decided to enroll in a directing class at UCLA, I graduated at the end o f 2 0 1 2 a n d f r o m t h e r e I b e g a n t o e x p e r i e n c e t h e world of independent cinema in Los Angeles for a while. I s t a r t e d w o r k i n g a s a n assistant director for short f i l m s , m u s i c v i d e o s a n d independent film projects. W h a t d i d y o u l i k e about Los Angeles? The feeling of being able to dream. And that your dream i s a c t u a l l y w i t h i n r e a c h . There is an inclusive energy that makes you try, do even more, push yourself beyond your limits. In my opinion it is not an easy place. You have to be very proactive in your actions. How did you go from t h e m o v i e i n d u s t r y t o working for Hyperloop TT? In 2015, I got to know the f o u n d e r o f T T , Transportation Technology, who asked me to help him d e v e l o p t h e c o m p a n y ' s message with a documentary about Hyperloop. We wanted to tell about the experiences of all the people who were working on it. To make this documentary, I practically interviewed scientists from all over the world who told m e a b o u t t h e H y p e r l o o p project, and I found myself in a fairly unique position: I was in fact one of the few who really knew all those involved i n t h e p r o j e c t , i n v a r i o u s departments and in various fields. A n d w h a t h a p p e n e d then? I realized there were many things that could have been i m p r o v e d w i t h i n management, organization, product development, so I took my ideas to the CEO of the company. And they told me they were interested in using not only my skills in film, but also in engineering. I n f a c t , I d i d s t u d y engineering and so I was able to combine together creativity and technology to improve the company and create a more efficient management. What fascinated you about Hyperloop? It is a project that makes you dream, because it shows how our life can change in a radical way thanks to the i n t r o d u c t i o n o f a n e w , e x t r e m e l y f a s t t r a n s p o r t system that would enable us to travel from one city to another in a fraction of the time it takes nowadays. It's like seeing for real the future we used to see on TV or at the c i n e m a , b u t e v e n b e t t e r , b e c a u s e t h e p r o j e c t i s environmentally sustainable. The system produces more energy than it consumes, and it has such a high value and social impact it has to be developed. Personally, I felt I had the duty to be part of it. Are you based in LA? Yes, but we have offices in France, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Brazil. To date we have more than 30 countries involved in this project, more than 800 contributors and m o r e t h a n 5 0 p a r t n e r c o m p a n i e s . W e c u r r e n t l y have an area where we test the technology in Toulouse, France. What is the next step? The next step is creating 5 kilometers of Hyperloop for every day travel. On the one hand, it'll attract people, who w i l l e x p e r i e n c e t h i s n e w t r a n s p o r t s y s t e m ; o n t h e other, it'll be an opportunity t o s h o w c a s e H y p e r l o o p i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y , s o t h a t g o v e r n m e n t s c a n t h e n propose the project in their o w n n a t i o n a l o r r e g i o n a l context. Is it accurate to call it a superfast train or is it reductive? It is not a train, it is not a plane, it is a combination of t h e t w o . T a k i n g t h e advantages of one and the o t h e r , H y p e r l o o p w i l l b e considered a new transport s y s t e m i n a l l a s p e c t s . However, it is clear that, in our collective imagination, it i s v e r y m u c h c l o s e t o a superfast train because it moves just a little above the ground. The initial project was d e v e l o p e d i n 2 0 1 2 b y Elon Musk, who then left it open source. He has a l w a y s b e e n a g r e a t supporter. Y e s , a c c o r d i n g t o E l o n Musk the Hyperloop would be a valid alternative to a high-speed train to connect Los Angeles to San Francisco. Then he didn't have time to develop the project, because he was busy with SpaceX and o u r T r a n s p o r t a t i o n Technologies company was the first in the world to take t h e p r o j e c t i n h a n d a n d d e v e l o p t h e g r o u p c o m m e r c i a l l y . B u t L o s Angeles - San Francisco is not one of our upcoming projects a t t h e m o m e n t . W e a r e moving to other territories. In the United States, we have a p r o j e c t t h a t c o n n e c t s C h i c a g o , C l e v e l a n d a n d Pittsburgh, another in the UAE and also a series of other routes that are in this phase of… let's say… preliminary analysis. On a personal level, do y o u f e e l y o u h a v e achieved your American dream? P r o b a b l y b e i n g i n t h e United States led me to see my life in a slightly different w a y , t o m a k e d i f f e r e n t choices and to re-evaluate a whole series of things that came with me from Italy. But w h e n i t c o m e s t o m y professional path, I must say that Italy has been equally important in terms of growth, education and culture. I took a bit of the positive aspects of I t a l y a n d m a n a g e d t o enhance them in the United States. Clearly, here they give you incredible opportunities that in Italy may be harder to come by. What is your dream? My dream is to make an impact on society. One of the reasons I've always loved cinema is because it allowed me to tell stories to a large a u d i e n c e a n d l e a v e a message. I noticed the same p a t t e r n i n t h e H y p e r l o o p p r o j e c t b e c a u s e , t h r o u g h innovation and technology, we can create a message and i m p a c t s t r o n g l y t h e community. LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Andrea La Mendola by a HyperloopTT tube (Photo by Fabrice Meuwissen) THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano Andrea La Mendola's story, from movie sets to the future of transportation SILVIA GIUDICI

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