I was born in Madrid on September, 1981 and since I was a child I lived the magic of theater due to family tradition, since my grandparents dedicated themselves to the world of theater.
As a child, I have always loved everything related to computers and construction games, one of my best memories was my first programming course in 1991 as an after-school activity. While many children played soccer, I spent a lot of hours developing my own video games and small programs using GW-Basic, Cobol and PASCAL. I also loved playing with the type construction pieces like Meccano and I removed the motors of other electric toys and tried to adapt them to my construction sets.
When I started in this business in 1999, I was just 18 years old, at my first job I was the “errand boy” where I remember paint the office, changing light bulbs, going to stores, after all this, I became an usher and then, I did the show at night. After that period of learning, I started in the lighting department, something that did not convince me, and finally I fell in love working as stage carpenter. I spent around one year working in a workshop building scenic sets.
At the beginning of year 2000, I did my first Musical: “La Bella y la Bestia” where they had a very old automation system manufactured by Hudson Scenic. I started there as carpenter. In 2002, I started in the musical, “El Fantasma de la Opera”. After a car accident, I was transferred to the automation department covering some roles for holidays. Finally, in 2003, I began to specialize in scenic automation and I was hired as automation technician for the musical in Madrid: “Mamma Mia!”.
I had the great privilege to work in the most important Opera venue in Madrid: Teatro Real. During this years, also I worked for Cirque du Soleil and Franco Dragone around the world.
I have experience working with: Platforms, stage wagon, turntables, floor track systems, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, chain hoists, lift platforms Spiralift®, Serapid®, etc. During my professional career I have acquired experience from different automation manufacturers: Silicon Theatre Scenery, TAIT/Stage Technologies, Waagner Birò , AVW Controls. and Microtrol.
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, the entertainment industry stop all the activity. I was so lucky to had a new job in this industry in my first Theme Park as Show Control Specialist for Puy du Fou Spain.
After few months on this project, I returned to do Musicals as automation freelance for two of the most biggest companies: Stage Entertainment Spain and Silicon Theater Scenery BV. I had the privilege to participate in the installation of the first fully automated private management venue: Teatro Coliseum in Madrid (Spain), installing around forty fly bars plus some stage elements (revolve, lifts, stage wagon…) and doing all the show programming for “Tina El Musical”. Few months later, Stage Entertainment Spain bring me the opportunity to get a new role as Automation Troubleshooter. This position will allow me to manage all the automation equipment in two great venues in Madrid: Teatro Lope de Vega and Teatro Coliseum.
I consider myself a disciplined and very demanding person, who is passionate about his profession. It is really gratifying to see to the audience how they enjoy and stand up every night at the end of the show. I like to learn day by day, have new challenges and I do not like monotony at all. Inside of my field, one of the parts that I am most passionate is do troubleshooting and carrying out maintenance on different systems. Another thing that fascinates me the most, is conducting courses and training for new automation technicians.
The scenic automation is expanding in the entertainment industry, but we can hardly find monographs or documents to begin to understand this new technology implemented in this industry, that is why, a few years ago, I ventured to write a small monograph about Basic concepts of the Scenic Automation. This Spanish book explains the concept of stage automation, using a friendly way to learn how the industrial automation can apply to the entertainment industry. I have used this book in some of the training courses that I have conducted.
With this website, I would like to show you my work experience. Also, I would like share with you, the best moments that I live during my professional career as an Automation Technician for more than twenty years. Looking back, I can feel really proud of where it came from. There is a quote that I feel really identified:
