I don’t even know where to start talking about Franchesca. Life introduced us in a comical and unexpected way. We both lived in the Dominican Republic and worked on the same TV channel, working in studios across from one another and never crossing paths. During my last week of work before leaving to do my Master’s in Barcelona, a colleague decided to introduce us because Franchesca was going to Barcelona as well and it was good to be in contact, because after all, we were Dominicans going to new lands. The conversation went a bit like this:
Alex: When are you going to Barcelona?
Franchesca: Next week.
Alex: Me too!
Alex: Which university are you going to?
Franchesca: Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona.
Alex: Me too!
Alex: What master will you be completing?
Franchesca: The one in Design and Management in Audiovisual Production
Alex: Me too!
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Although it possibly was the other way around because Franchesca speaks much more than I do (she is a kind of “Miss Congeniality” and I am quite shy). That day we said goodbye and we didn’t cross paths again until we were in an elevator on our way to class at the UAB. The rest is history.
Aside from being one of my closest friends, I always say that Franchesca is my professional soulmate. For most of our projects, if we weren’t doing them together to begin with, we always collaborate on as if they were our own. We share the same passion for our careers. We dream of changing the world and leaving a mark in some way. That passion, after the hard decision to cancel our TV show “Via Latina” (because there is no greater challenge than finding advertisers in traditional media), brought us at different times to the United States, and here we are.
Before coming to the United States, Franchesca spent many years in Barcelona and her blog Camara Flash was born. Camara Flash is a project that began among a group of friends and now covers entertainment content in Spain, Latin America, and the United States.
Latinas in Media – Who is Franchesca?
Franchesca Guim – Franchesca Guim – I am a dreamer. I’ve always dreamed of a successful career and leaving a mark on the entertainment journalism field. I was born in the Dominican Republic, but I like to say that I am a citizen of the world. I lived almost ten years in Barcelona, Spain, and now I live in Miami. I always move around to move closer to my goals.
LM – Why such passion for entertainment?
FG – Music has always played an important role in my day to day life. One of my favorite things in life is to go to concerts, and since I was a little girl I was interested in knowing more about the artists that I liked. When I got the opportunity to work as an entertainment correspondent, I started interviewing artists and understanding more about the music industry. I created a bond that has become essential to me.
LM – How was Camara Flash born?
FB – For years I worked as a correspondent for several TV shows in the Dominican Republic. At one point I had the idea of making entertainment segments that would roll alongside a channel’s programming. The project never stuck, but since it already had a name, logo and I always had new content, I decided to create a blog. Over time it has been growing and expanding to other topics like lifestyle or cooking.
LM – What has your blog achieved?
FG – On a personal level, so much satisfaction. I’ve proven to myself that I am capable of much more than what I think. On a professional level, I have grown a lot and I have learned from my mistakes. The best of all is to feel that there are people who trust in my work, like when an artist genuinely thanks me for a good interview. Also develop certain criteria, which today allows me to identify when an artist is going to take off or a song will become a hit.
LM – What is the most viewed video on your YouTube channel?
FG – I was called to interview Maluma! He had just started singing and was not known. The day of the interview was complicated for me and I couldn’t go to the location where he was. Since I did not want to miss the opportunity to interview him, it occurred to me to do a Google Hangout. With few resources, basically my computer and Internet connection, I was able to do the interview and in the end it was very fun. As of today, it is the most watched video on our YouTube channel.
LM – Who is the artist you most enjoyed interviewing?
FG – It is very difficult to choose one, but certainly my conversations with Franco de Vita, Diego Torres and Pablo Alboran marked me greatly. It has also felt very nice when interviewing artists like Carlos Rivera or Ricardo Montaner in Barcelona, and after several years, when we met again in Miami, they remembered our previous meeting. That was incredible!
LM – What do you think is necessary for an entertainment blog to stand out from so many others that exist?
FG – Creating quality content is indispensable, in addition to injecting your personality. That is what will differentiate you from others.
LM – What do you think are the challenges when it comes to turning a blog from a hobby to a business?
FG – The first thing is that you have to spend a lot of time working on it, as long as you can. Second is to make the leap. You need to lose the fear to launch it and if you decide to turn it into a business, you need to be aware you’ll have to sacrifice many things: time with your family, a full-time job, etc.
LM – What tools do you consider essential when it comes to creating content and handling your blog and social networks?
FG – Tweetdeck to schedule posts on Twitter.
A cell phone with a good camera. I love this kit!
Microphone to have audio input.
Lights to take good photos of products that I want to highlight.
More about Franchesca!
A book: “Los cuatro acuerdos” – Don Miguel Ruíz (English version:”The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom“)
A blog: I have to say CámaraFlash and my personal blog!
One “Latina in Media”: Leila Cobo
One social network: Instagram
One App: Snapseed
One brand: Nutella
One phrase: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain” – Vivian Greene
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