After working for numerous high-caliber companies at national and international level, Paúl Alonso Gómez, marketing director at Eboca, tells Go Aragón about his experience as a pilot of FPV racing drones and co-founder of a production company that makes all kinds of videos with drones.
This is one of the most recent innovations in the world of filming, the piloting of drones. Paul is passionate about the world of marketing and motor, and has managed to combine both passions to perfection. After working for companies such as Danobatgroup, Podoactiva or ELT, Paúl combines his work as marketing director at Eboca with another of his great dreams, his drone video production company.
Motorsport, RestArts Studio or Spicy Works are some of the production companies that Paúl works with. Although it is true that he makes all kinds of drone shoots (corporate videos, videos for influencers, drone photography…), it is also true that his specialty is motor events.
Tell us, what exactly is FPV drone filming and in what areas is it applied?
Filming with FPV drones differs from filming with traditional drones mainly because of the dynamism and also because of what the images transmit at the level of movement, speed and so on. Normally, with a stabilized drone we obtain more static shots, that is to say, another type of shots more similar to the cinematographic shots that we normally have in mind.
With FPV drones, although there is also a part that is cinematic flight, what is transmitted is a lot of speed, a lot of movement and a lot of adrenaline. That kind of sensations that is difficult to transmit with other types of devices.
“THE IMAGES WITH FPV DRONES STILL SURPRISE, AND IT DEPENDS ON HOW YOU FLY AND WHAT KIND OF MOVEMENT IS DONE, THIS TYPE OF IMAGES SURPRISE THE VIEWER MORE, THEY PRODUCE A RUSH”.
And the truth is that right now they are already being used in practically everything. Lately people have seen a lot of movies that have recently been released in the cinema, including obviously the latest Fast and Furious movie, in which these types of drones are used. There are FPV drones of different sizes, and some are capable of carrying film cameras. So, they are used for those kinds of action scenes where the director wants to convey something else, for example a little more adrenaline, movement, a little more tension. That’s what they are mainly used for.
Where does your passion for this type of filming come from?
Well, I’ve been flying airplanes and so on since I was 10 or 12 years old, I don’t know exactly, but for a long time. And from flying airplanes, one day I discovered drones, and I also discovered a little later that you could record and that you could achieve very cool things with them. Then I started recording, I started recording for myself, in a personal way.
And it turns out that, well, all this evolved and production companies started to look at this kind of tools to produce content. In the end it has all been a very natural evolution, that is, in the end you are one of the first in this world, you start to fly, you start to try new things and so on. Then when the time comes, if you are in the right place they call you, they call you because they say “Who does this?”; well, you do it because you were there. So some people are lucky, because obviously it’s lucky to have started at the right time and to have been where you had to be when all this started to hit hard.
I literally managed to turn what was a hobby and something I was passionate about into a job that, although I don’t know if it sounds quite right, I have managed to make profitable. In the end the material costs a lot of money, and obviously when there is a blow, things break and need to be repaired. So, well, being able to use it as a job instead of just as a hobby that consumes money is very good, really. And then, above all, to enjoy doing something you are passionate about.
Your extensive portfolio shows that you are one of the best FPV drone pilots in motor racing in Europe, what does this mean for you professionally?
Man, at a professional level it was a satisfaction to start with, and to continue with a big responsibility. At the beginning it was relatively simple because there were few of us, and well, little by little we have had to refine technique, style, types of drones and so on. But of course, there are more and more people and every time you have to be better because the industry demands it.
So, let’s see, you think that as a fan of the engine and also as a fan of the audiovisual world and marketing, I had in my head people who for me were references, both in the creation of audiovisual content such as Horacio Cabilla, Restars production company, and other colleagues who now I can call them friends. For me to have a reference, someone I admire and who later became my friend, my partner, someone with whom I work hand in hand, well, you can’t pay for that with money.
In your opinion as an expert, what is the added value that recording with FPV drones brings to events in the world of motorsport?
Well, as I said before, it is precisely the fact of being able to transmit to the spectator some sensations and feelings that otherwise would not be so easy to transmit. Why? Well, we are very used to see images with a camera in the hand, we are very used to see other types of images, but the images with FPV drones still surprise, and depending on how you fly and what kind of movement is done, this type of images surprise the viewer more, they produce a rush.
“SPICY WORKS, THE MAIN DIFFERENTIATION IS THAT WE HAVE TOOLS TO DO THIS KIND OF MOTORSPORT RECORDINGS BOTH CARS AND MOTORCYCLES.”
We are not talking about abusing, because of course, once the content is abused, it will no longer attract attention. But being able to combine the images from this type of drones with other images from handheld cameras and so on, is an added value. In that sense, there are editors who are artists and even manage to make you cry after watching a video.
In the end it’s a form of expression, I mean, for example, if you give me a handheld camera, I would shoot certain shots but I wouldn’t get anywhere near what my fellow camera operators shoot. For me, drones are my tool to express myself, just as my colleagues with the camera in hand are able to get shots and achieve things that I would not get close because it is not my method, it is true that with a drone I can express myself and I can do things that transmit.
When it comes to choosing the projects you embark on, what is it that makes you select some projects over others?
It’s complicated the truth, right now, of course, we are much more selective when it comes to work, and we look for a result that, for example, when you are starting out you are not so exquisite. I think you become more demanding as you evolve, so right now we are looking for bigger projects. Not bigger in terms of size, but for example in terms of the type of cars we shoot, or the type of shots we are going to get because of the environment in which we shoot.
It’s not the same to film a normal car in a circuit where we are already very used to, between quotation marks, as it is to film a 1,200 horsepower car on that same circuit that goes very fast all the time, and makes other kinds of movements. So, yes, we are becoming a little more demanding in terms of which projects we choose for the result we are going to get.
“WITH MONSTER A YEAR AND A BIT AGO, WE RECORDED SOMETHING THAT HAD NEVER BEEN RECORDED BEFORE, WE MADE HISTORY AS IT WERE”.
We, I speak in this case of Spicy Works, the main differentiation is that we have tools that others do not have to make this type of motorsport recordings both cars and motorcycles. So, we have tried to specialize in this type of content, obviously we do all kinds of content, but we try that our work and what we are known for, is for this type of work related to motorsport events.
In your opinion, what are the most important projects in which you have participated at an international level?
Well, as a driver I have it very clear, the most important project at international level is what we do in Qatar with the production company RestArts Studio, located in Barcelona. It is Horacio Cabilla’s production company, which I mentioned before.
We usually go to Qatar to shoot the World Rally Championship there, the Asia Middle East World Cup. We also filmed in the lower Qatar, specifically we filmed another orienteering race in the Qatari desert. These are, let’s say, some of the biggest projects I’ve been involved in at the international level.
Then, another very big project was with Monster a year and a bit ago, we recorded something that had never been recorded before, we made history as it were. We were recording in Courchevel, in the French Alps. We took two racing cars, we put them on the ski slopes and well, that was a crazy project, it was more like “project madness”. Imagine two racing cars on the ski slopes, from here to the top, through the Courchevel airport and so on. That was really crazy.
It’s something you don’t see every day and you’re not going to see it again because they’re not going to allow it anymore. And that’s precisely another thing that gives you a certain satisfaction, that you say, “Well, I was there, in something that will never be seen again”.
Also, in this type of extreme challenges, when a company or someone achieves it, in this case it was with Monster, Red Bull is not going to go after to do the same thing, of course, but they are trying to beat each other 1 to 1 but in different things, of course.
Tell us a little bit about the last projects in which you have participated.
Well, the last big projects related to motorsport events are all related to Volrace and Drift Spain, the Spanish Drift Championship. That and little more, some advertisement, some publi… I know that soon, this summer they come in a couple of very cool things, but this I will not be able to tell you until September or October surely.
What can you tell us about your relationship with the marketing world?
Well, my connection with the marketing world goes back almost all my life. I started on the commercial side at Danobat, and then I moved on to the marketing departments of companies. I am much more interested in marketing and communication. What is told, how it is told, how it is transmitted, how the image of a brand is maintained, etc. I have always liked that.
Later, I have tried to link it with photography and video, the audiovisual part, which has always been another of my passions. So it was a very natural evolution, that is, very natural in the sense that you know what you like, what you want, and you try to get those parts together.
It’s often complicated, but well, I can tell you that I saw clearly that I could take advantage of one side for the other and vice versa, that is, I could use my photography and video skills to the advantage of the company I was working for. And at the same time, the company gave me the opportunity to learn, to manage a brand and so on. So let’s say that a very cool symbiotic relationship was generated.
In addition to having a video production company with FPV drones, you are the marketing director of Eboca. How do you manage to combine both jobs?
With a lot of effort, because, well, being the marketing manager of any company implies a high responsibility. You have to be aware of a lot of things, and if you also combine it with something that is your passion, then logically it is double the work. What happens? For me, the part of marketing management at Eboca is something that fulfills me in a brutal way.
The team we have is excellent. Our president, Raúl Benito, is someone who understands perfectly that a person can have his job, but can also have his passion. And well, in addition to all this, my passion, I can use it in favor of my work, so let’s say that the circle is closed, and I personally think that everyone should have a passion to develop outside the company, because that makes you charge the batteries.
So when I go on a recording trip, for example to an event, which is usually on the weekend, I go, I record, and I put in a lot of hours. It’s true that I come back shattered, but I come back full of energy. Then, I dedicate that energy to my work as marketing manager at Eboca.
And well, I emphasize again that we have a brutal team, obviously I am not alone, because I alone would not be valid. Thanks to having such a good team and being able to work together as we do, things are moving forward.
One of the latest projects you are working on at Eboca is the new collection of cinema glasses in collaboration with the Puerto Venecia Shopping Center, and this collaboration has also given rise to a short film in collaboration with Brusau Films. How did this idea come about?
Well, at Eboca, one of the most important parts of our communication is the glasses. It is as important as our designer Sheila, who designs around 350 different glasses a year, so there are many people who want to collaborate with us. We are always looking for a way for Eboca’s customers, our coffee lovers, to learn something more. We don’t like to put a brand on our cups, in fact, if you look at all the cups that have come out, there has never been a brand.
The idea is that, even if someone hires you, all our cups have a plus, and now, at this moment, the campaign that is circulating is the one by Brusau Films. Brusau approached us, told us that he wanted to do something with us and in the end, after a lot of thinking, we managed to define the short film.
Let’s say that this short film is the consequence of all our work, because each of the 7 glasses designed for each day of the week, has a series of hidden films. Customers who have the glass in their hands can access a questionnaire through a QR code, answer it, and win movie tickets sponsored by Puerto Venecia. So, well, it was a 3-way collaboration that was intended to give a plus to our glasses and our customers.
Throughout your career, you have carved out a very powerful personal brand, what implications does this have when it comes to managing customer relations?
Well, I remember that people started to talk about personal branding when I was already in the marketing world, when social networks started. Personal branding? Well, each one of us is the way we are, so what I try to do is to be a good person, and that what I do does not have a negative influence on the person next to me.
What is the impact of all this? Well, I think that every step I take I try to take in a positive way, in the end those of us who move around the world already know what it’s all about and how it works. Someone has a project, has a budget or asks you for a budget, and the client knows if he wants a result what he has to pay, in that sense it is not very complicated.
Off-camera questions:
What is your favorite corner of Aragon?
Ibón de Plan (Huesca)
And a restaurant we can’t miss?
Casa Falceto (Coscojuela de Sobrarbe).
