We never pass up the chance to help improve and grow our community, so when we met Joel Malizia at the BurgBorn event back in June at the Mahaffey Theater, we were intrigued. He briefly talked about Et Cultura Festival during that encounter, and that was the seed that quickly grew into our sponsoring the event. Now, we are lucky enough to see Joel a couple times a month to excitedly discuss Et Cultura Festival, a brand new interactive, film, music, and arts festival in St. Pete. Joel has the heart and dedication necessary to grow such an extraordinary event from the ground up, and it seems the timing is perfect. St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay area in general are primed and ready for rapid cultural growth, and the inaugural Et Cultura Festival is helping to build the critical mass of that growth. The following interview details some of Joel’s history with his film company, Pilot Moon Films, and how Et Cultura Festival was born.
Joel Malizia
Director of Development
Et Cultura Festival
St. Petersburg, FL
What inspired you to found the Et Cultura Festival?
Our production company, Pilot Moon Films, has been sponsoring and covering festivals for the past 8 years. We made a groove for ourselves in the music industry helping musicians create live performance videos which led to us covering entire music festivals and we really enjoyed it. Three years ago we got a call from SXSW, a huge festival in Austin, TX, asking us to work on their Pro Media Team and we have done this every year since. Participating in this world class festival is what inspired us to see if we could instigate a “next-level” event in St. Pete.
What do you like most about the your industry and community?
The people. It is full of dreamers and creatives.
What challenges does your industry face?
The people. It is full of dreamers and creatives.
How do you measure your success?
I think a good way to measure success is if, and how well, I am able to connect with others. No matter what I am doing. I always do my best to connect with humans and when that happens, the rest takes care of itself… in addition to a lot of hard work.
What has been your greatest accomplishment in your career?
Starting Pilot Moon Films. In the beginning, just the idea of being my own boss gave me a charge, but now I am incredibly proud of the content we are able to create with our clients. That and I made a video for my daughter’s 1st grade class a few years back that gets me everytime I watch it.
What do you think is the biggest mistake companies make when working in your industry?
Doing jobs with money being the #1 priority. Production companies whose primary focus is making money usually find themselves working on projects that are far away from what feeds their spirit. They lose their original identity and become a machine that cranks out packages, formulas, templates, etc. so they can quickly move to the next job.
What is the most interesting trend you see in your industry?
People relying on bigger and better cameras to improve their product instead of focusing on content. Not sure why, but it seems to work for some companies. This makes more companies follow suit.
How has technology helped/hindered your work?
Focusing on technology in this business is a very sexy and dangerous distraction. Of course, the newest equipment is amazing and it enables anyone to provide a better “looking” product. I have found myself coveting gear and equipment that I don’t currently have access to. But, content is, and will always, be king! And the only technology need to come up with great content is a piece of paper and a pencil.
How do you stay on top of your field?
I have never been on top of my field.
What resources do you recommend? (Books, magazines, web, etc.)
– I recommend reading a lot of books and collaborating, in person, with as many people as you can.
– Connecting with people is the best way to open up your entire world and books are great portals into the human experience.
If you could give one piece of advice to Tampa Bay companies, what would it be?
Do what you love, find a niche and your business will grow.
What was your first job?
I worked at an AMC Movie Theater. Cleaning the theater between movies. Endless supply of pretzel bites, Cherry Coke and stomach aches. I had a blast.
What are your hobbies?
I love guitar and used to play all the time. But now, I think my hobbies are the same as my work. Ill get back to it, though.
Favorite food?
Lasagna
Last book you read?
