The vocation of Guillem d'Efak Fullana-Ferré (Humanities, 1998; Doctorate in History, 2000) has always been linked to the world of culture and the myriad of professional paths this sector offers. He has never stopped learning and starting up his own projects, such as Musealia, Itinera Plus or Tria Llibres. But a phone call changed his life dramatically: the reputable literary agent Carmen Balcells chose him as her successor and now, two years later, he directs what is considered the most important agency on the planet in the Spanish language. 

- Why did you decide to study Humanities and do your doctorate in History at UPF?

I decided to do Humanities because at the age of 18 I was having real problems to choose which "arts" degree to choose. I was tossing up between Philosophy, History, History of Art... Just when I was doing COU the bachelor's degree in Humanities was approved and that saved me; this "all-in-one" subject meant I didn't have to renounce anything. Later, with clearer ideas and knowledge of the facts, I would go on to specialize. And that's what I did for my PhD, because I was attracted to research into ancient history and archaeology. I did it under the supervision of Maria Eugènia Aubet, to whom I will always be grateful. I got a predoctoral grant from the Ministry under her tutorship.

- What memories do you have of your time at the faculty? What role has the University played in making you who you are today?

My class, the second, was very lucky. A new degree, a new building, a small group of highly motivated students; but, above all, a faculty of exceptional lecturers full of the excitement of starting a very ambitious project at that time. These circumstances were unique, with names that have left their mark on me and a fundamental education. I am thinking especially about all those who have left us (Jaume Vallcorba, Josep Termes, Eugenio Trias, Paco Fernández Buey...), but also about lecturers like Fontana, Argullol, Aubet, of course..., and so many others.

- When you were 25 you founded Musealia, the first museums portal in Spain. How did this initiative arise and what did you want to achieve with it?

After a few years doing research I felt greatly attracted to getting out of the ivory tower of the University and exploring the practical applications of everything I had studied. Now I see that this has been a constant in my career, to demonstrate that there are so many professional paths in the field of culture. Specifically, in Musealia I wanted to explore the relationship, the impact of the then "new technologies" on culture. We were quite pioneering at those times. I have always had this obsession. Then it was museums, now it's literature, and later we will see. What is important is the total and revolutionary change of paradigm that the internet and technology are having at all levels of the cultural sphere.

"What is important is the total and revolutionary change of paradigm that the internet and technology are having at all levels of the cultural sphere."

- Between 2004 and 2005 you did a master's degree in the management of cultural enterprises at Boston University and, later, you worked as an intern in the Bronx and in the Metropolitan museums. You managed to do all this at the same time as creating Itinera Plus, a pioneer company that offers customized cultural itineraries. You are responsible for the routes about the Barcelona of Carlos Ruiz Zafón or the one based on La catedral del mar (Ildefonso Falcones, 2006), among many others. What has this project meant for you?

Itinera Plus ties up with what I was saying before about the practical, professional and economic applications of culture. It is a highly successful project that began with two classmates from Humanities, Lucia Conte and Lluís Bayot, among others. The almost four years between Boston and New York, with everything that implied and the experiences that I have lived, are absolutely fundamental.

- Back in Barcelona, you began your career in the world of publishing as part of the audiovisual division of RBA, under the direction of the current Minister of Culture, Ferran Mascarell. What was this initial contact with the publishing sector like? To what extent did it serve to open the doors of the sector?

I knew Mascarell from a postgraduate course at the IDEC, and things clicked and I found myself in RBA. For me it was important because it allowed me to learn, first-hand, about a dimension of culture I didn't know, the cultural industries. It was a very intense experience that I am not sure served so much to open the doors of the sector as to "toughen up" as I was in the front line of fire of a major business project.

- In 2009 you embarked on a new project and created your own publishing house, Tria Llibres, with Miquel Tuson. What challenges did you have to face to make yourselves a place in such a competitive industry? What would you highlight from your time there?

Tria Llibres began as a theoretical exercise in line with what I was saying earlier. My initial idea was to answer the question of what a publishing house would be like in the light of all the technological changes that were starting to appear. We went from the theory to the practice with Miquel and a group of enthusiasts with wonderful human and professional qualities. We didn't make a drama at all of any setbacks. The years that I was involved (since I have been with Balcells I have had to leave) were very nice. There I learnt a lot about the complexity of the job of editor and I also got to understand writers in depth. Both things have proved to be very important for the future.

"I learnt a lot about the complexity of the job of editor and I also got to understand writers in depth."

- Your life took a dramatic turn when, after sending your CV to an acquaintance who had asked you for it, you received the call from the lawyer of the famous literary agent Carmen Balcells making you a very special proposal. Can you explain to us what the whole process consisted of, from your first meeting with Carmen until she you formally appointed you as her successor in the company that bears her name?

I wasn't looking for work and it was all very unforeseen, curious and odd. When I was asked for my curriculum I was not told where or what for. The interview felt more like five o'clock tea in London than a job interview. Little by little we reached an understanding, and here we are!

- Now you are the brilliant new director of the Balcells agency, the most important on the planet in the Spanish language. What does your job consist of on the day-to-day? How do you feel having such a demanding position with so much responsibility?

Well, it's been almost two years now that I've been at Balcells and the feelings have, of course, evolved. It is a demanding job in a unique environment and in unique circumstances associated with Carmen's geniality at a very particular moment of her life. I am fortunate to be leading a great team that deals with the different stages that the agency experiences and has experienced with a fantastic attitude. So I feel privileged and highly stimulated, also because of the opportunity to live on a daily basis with top level literary talents. In the agency, what we basically do is defend the interests of the author and his/her work, and this includes a wide range of activities that is very, very interesting to do. In Balcells we can do this thanks to its exceptional track record and hard-earned respect that makes everything very special.

"I am fortunate to be leading a great team that deals with the different stages that the agency experiences and has experienced with a fantastic attitude."

- Carmen is highly esteemed by writers because she put an end to many publishing excesses (for example, she managed to eliminate life contracts). What you would like your legacy to be to the company? How do you wish to be remembered?

That's a hard one... For sure I would settle for the different stakeholders in the sector with whom I may have dealt, starting, of course, with the authors represented, to see me as a person who did everything possible in an honest way to enhance the traditional values of the agency to adapt them to the new context of publishing.

- Your CV shows that you are passionate about business in the field of culture and, more specifically, of publishers. How do you see this sector at the moment? To what extent are things changing what with the increasing presence of such conglomerates as Google, Amazon and Apple?

Uff... That's the crux of the matter, and for sure we don't have space here to go into this properly. The sector is clearly undergoing changes, in part precisely because of the effects of the impact of the internet and technology in the world of publishing. Google, Amazon and Apple (and many others) exemplify these effects which, on the other hand, are very broad and varied. In these circumstances, my task now is to defend the interests of the most fundamental part of the book chain, the authors, who are paradoxically the weakest. I am someone who rather sees opportunities than threats, but sometimes it is very difficult to sail against wind and tide. Nevertheless, I am optimistic. But, let's not kid ourselves! In our company the real problem is another and unfortunately all too well known, the very sad reading rate and the low value given to culture. This is at the heart of the matter, the rest just adds insult to injury. In this sense, altogether we can't be doing things well enough and we need to improve.

- To finish, what advice would you give someone who has just graduated and is taking their first steps in the working world?

To pose themselves tough questions, frankly: Am I really cut out for what I think I want to do? Do I have the qualities and the talent to do so? And is it what I really want to do? We often find ourselves doing things almost out of habit, when deep down we know that we don't have exceptional talent for it and that doing it, with all its consequences, will not make us truly happy. We all have a talent. We just have to discover it and fight for the chance to develop it.