Emma Garcia He is 50 years old and has been chaining projects at Telecinco for more than 20 years. Her great opportunity was given to her Paolo Vasile, in 2002, when it was released at your side. The Basque communicator says that she experienced the departure of the network's great boss “with sadness and affection.”
“I have always felt very understood by him.” About his successor, Alessandro Salem, declares that he is “a very close guy” who “has very clear ideas.” “That they want to talk to you, to know how you are and what you think about everything, makes you feel more part of this group,” he explains in an interview with Informalia about the new CEO of Mediaset. We speak with the presenter of Holiday its future in the chain, and we take stock of 2023 taking advantage of Christmas.
How do you live Christmas? Do you celebrate these dates a lot?
I live it to the fullest because I don't stop between Madrid, Donosti and Ordizia. I like to celebrate, although there are also moments of nostalgia for the people who are missing, in my case for my father. But we have to celebrate and smile at the new year so that it can smile at us later.
Are you superstitious? Do you do any rituals on New Year's Eve?
If someone proposes it, I'll do it just in case. I like to eat the grapes at their own time, concentrated and without choking. I never drink alcohol, but my brothers-in-law and I have a tradition of having a shot of pacharán to start the year with joy. It's the only time I do it.
You end a year in which Fiesta has consolidated itself on Telecinco. What balance do you make?
We are happy with Fiesta. The balance is very positive, because we have been establishing ourselves and people take us as the reference magazine of the weekend. I am happy to be there and grateful to the network, which allows us to continue after all the changes that have occurred.
Fiesta is more fun and spontaneous than other programs. Does the weekend lend itself to letting your hair down?
We are looking forward to enjoying. Then, when we get angry, we are also real. We have evolved, we have gotten along… and with the director, Eva Espejo, I get along very well. This atmosphere is transmitted to all collaborators and we are all absolutely involved.
Your profile is also more casual than before.
This format allows me to do it and, furthermore, it is live. You can open up more, tell things about your life and bring out your most mischievous side.
Were you more self-conscious before?
It depends on the program and the people you have next to you, but it is true that I am in a very good personal moment and, if you are comfortable, it is you. You are getting to know me more and more. I am very introverted and it is difficult for me, but only at first. It usually happens to me that when I bring out the other part, they are a little surprised. But I still have to open up more, the same will happen to me in 2024 (laughs).
The move from Viva la vida to Fiesta meant a change of production company. How is it working with Unicorn Content, Ana Rosa's company?
At the time I was a little intrigued by the change, because it caught me off guard and I was a little afraid, because for me it was a total change. And I have to say that I left a great production company and I have found another one that I am happy with, both with Ana Rosa and with Xelo [Montesinos, socia de Quintana] and the entire team. I'm very grateful. In addition, it has allowed me to get to know Ana Rosa more.
What have you discovered about Ana Rosa as a boss?
As a professional it was clear that she is admirable, especially with everything that has happened, but I have discovered her as a person and I admire her very much. She surprised me, because we had barely met or spoken, only in some meetings, even though we have been in the chain for a long time. I have found a person that I really like. And the same thing happened to me with Xelo. They are people who know a lot about television and are passionate about its work.
Have you never wanted to start a production company?
I already have a lot of things… (laughs). I want to enjoy my work and give it my all, but I have enough of being in front of the cameras. I greatly admire people, like Ana Rosa, who can do both.
How have you experienced the change at Mediaset in 2023?
I haven't noticed it much, because the weekend is like an island, but I have lived it with curiosity and enthusiasm until everything has settled and we have met the new team and the new CEO. Changes don't scare me, they are good, they revolutionize you, they take you out of your zone [de confort] and that is always positive. There is a new line in the chain and the new team has very clear ideas and cares a lot about its people, so I am very happy.
What has Salem transmitted to you if you have had any encounter with him?
On a personal level, he is a very close guy. And on a professional level, he has very clear ideas. He comes with a great desire to work and to know the opinion that each of us has and he is also interested in knowing how we are doing. Not only has he taken care to convey to us the idea that he has, which is something fundamental. That they want to count on you, know how you are and what you think about everything, makes you feel more part of this group and this change, which is slow but on the right path.
Have you taken the opportunity to ask him for new projects?
I don't usually ask, but everything that can come and in which they can see me, why not. I start 2024 with a great desire to do things and try myself in everything. This is continuous learning, but with 10 hours a weekend I'm not bad.
Did you imagine that you were going to have such a long and constant career when you debuted in A tu lado in 2002?
I don't usually think about that much. My motto is to give everything year after year, lest it be the last, and enjoy the work. But not even in my wildest dreams would I have thought about it. This year I have been working non-stop for 22 years and chaining projects. But I still have so much to learn…
Vasile gave you your big chance. Did his departure from Mediaset affect you on a personal level?
We knew that one day he was going to leave. I lived it with sadness and affection, thinking that a stage in his life and his life with my professional life, which has been very beautiful, was ending. I have always felt very understood by him.