"We Stand on the Shoulders of Giants", Interview with Alberto Feás, Communications Manager

There has to be someone that thinks of and writes all of Montana Color’s content and texts, from MTN-World news to what you are reading right now. That someone is Alberto Feás, who after 11 years of working and generating content for Montana Colors is now in charge of the communications team. Through this interview we will gain an insight into the person he is.

Describe what your job entails.

On an organizational level, I propose the strategies and tone that are necessary to the main communication mechanisms of the Montana Colors’ brand: from finding the best communicative solution to expressing not only what our products are for but what they mean, to nurturing and defending graffiti culture. I am also personally in charge of a lot of the content that is posted on Montana Colors' networks, from MTN-World, Montanacolorstv to TikTok. In the communications team, there is Maria Cano, content editor for MTN-World, Doctor Louis Pierre Boivin, Community Manager, Nuria Serrano, MTN Ideas content creator and David B. Rock, our video maker.

What was your work experience before MTN?

I didn't have an intense working experience before working at MTN, as when I stopped studying, I only had short term jobs: from stacking shelves in a supermarket to setting up stages. The rest of the year I earned money painting for businesses or events and through hustling.

Briefly explain how you joined Montana Colors and what your journey has been like.

Pol Pareja and I ran a graffiti magazine called Goodfellas, so we were in constant contact with Albert Guarch regarding both magazine distribution and advertising. Pol and I were regular Montana Shop Barcelona customers and organized the launches of each issue of Goodfellas under the supervision of Dario Chemello, who at that time was in charge of the store and restaurant. When I finished my university studies, Dario offered me the chance to work in the store and after a year Angelo Lospinuso, current director of SprayPlanet USA, offered me the chance to take charge of MTN-World, under the supervision of Antonio Garcia Mora, until now the director of Tramontana. A few years ago, Miriam Alarcón came in as head of marketing, she knew how to redirect my responsibilities and optimize my capabilities.

How has Alberto changed in 11 years?

I believe that, against all odds, I have become a more responsible, orderly and conscientious person. What is commonly known as maturing. But I haven't changed too much either, since I still have the same interests and the same way of looking at life that I had when I was a teenager. I’ve always thought that if 14-year-old Alberto would be proud to see what he had become in the future, it meant that I was doing things right. Turns out Virgil Abloh had a similar phrase...

Are you worried that graffiti could just be a passing fad?

I believe that fads no longer exist, in the same way that subcultures no longer exist; only trends. And graffiti is already part of young people’s imaginations in an almost immovable way. The rise of urban culture in recent decades has had a lot to do with it, although I'm not sure if it's a cause or effect. Now, graffiti as a tool of expression is more available than ever to any young person. That doesn't necessarily mean that everyone is or wants to be a graffiti artist, but it does mean that they have an introduction to the culture and some knowledge of it.

What do you think of Jordi Rubio's departure from Montana Colors?

It is always a shame when the inventor of the project, the person who generated all this adventure that at the beginning seemed impossible, abandons ship. But in the end it is exclusively his decision and one that we must respect and assimilate with optimism: as Yako Muñoz said, “change is a good thing”. Jordi is not the only important person that has recently left Montana Colors, however, now is the time to stay positive and take advantage of everything that has been built to gain momentum and go even further. As Isaac Newton said, "we stand on the shoulders of giants".

What changes have occurred or are likely to occur in connection with all this?

In addition to being the soul of Montana Colors, Jordi was a person with a vision that pointed in many different directions and his entrepreneurial nature made him make key decisions instinctively. Now certain types of decisions must be made much more rationally and therefore require more planning time. The personal nature that Jordi imbued in the company now must be shared by all of us who work at Montana Colors and in some way we are ambassadors of the peculiar nature that our brand has.

Multinational companies and graffiti, how do you see it from a graffiti artist’s perspective?

I find it funny when someone says contemptuously that Montana Colors is "a multinational company", because it shows that they know very little about how the economy of the world works. Montana Colors manufactures, distributes from, is headquartered and pays taxes here, even if we have subsidiaries that distribute our products in the USA, Australia or Germany. And this is not the strategy of a multinational company. In fact, most spray paint brands depend directly on real multinational companies for whom graffiti is only a small part of their turnover. Inevitably, graffiti has consolidated a market to be reckoned with, and this has had both positive and negative consequences on the scene: everything is now more accessible than ever, but it is said that there is less magic and charm. However, thanks to this, many graffiti artists can make a living directly or indirectly from painting, or at least gain some recognition at the height of their work, something that would not be possible if this whole phenomenon had not developed so much. But anyway, in the end all these issues are irrelevant, because, if we’re talking about graffiti, the reality is only on the streets.

So, do you think that graffiti has lost the magic it had when it was more of an underground culture?

The magic still exists and is felt by everyone who picks up a spray can and paints in the street. I think that sometimes, when we think that past times were better, we don't realize that what we really miss is that we were 20 years younger. But right now the kids are feeling that magic too, albeit in a different way, just like every person. Sometimes we find it hard to grant others the possibility that their experiences are just as beautiful and exciting as ours... or even more so.

Of all the projects you have done for Montana Colors, which one are you most proud of?

The video that David B. Rock and I made about the figure of the writer Sabe FYS, for his MTN Limited Edition. Very few videos manage to express in one single testimony everything that painting graffiti means and in such a sincere and real way. The interview published in MTN-World in 2019 with Senk CMS also had a great impact both because of the enormous talent of the protagonist and because of his insight and knowledge.

A few months ago, we posted MontanacolorsTV’s latest video, a very special short documentary that David and I filmed in London and whose process has been a fascinating experience. Check it out, you won't regret it.