Photograph courtesy The Open Inc.
For Sebastián Encinas, life is all about narrative, which may seem ironic for someone who is severely dyslexic. But there are many ways to tell a story, a lot of them visual. Encinas”™ Manhattan- and Madrid-based company, The Open Inc. ”“ now with an office in Greenwich as well ”“ helps fashion houses like Nelly D. Janian (Page 8) as well as investment, technology and real estate firms tell their stories through commercials, websites and photographic services. His clients have included Armani Exchange, Cadillac, Cartier, Emporio Armani, Foot Locker, GQ Australia (with singer Ricky Martin), Kenneth Cole”™s Mankind Legacy fragrance for men, Lexus and Visa.
A particularly effective legacy spot for GEICO, directed by Julian Diaz Merino, shows a man tooling up his motorbike. As he drives off, the voiceover observes: “Eventually, we become memory. We become love. We become others. And they pass on your legacy.”
As Encinas is fond of saying, “A leader does not seek to shine but makes others shine.” His goal is to shine a light on the companies he collaborates with. And it is a collaboration. As he noted on his website: “Excellent commercial producers not only take the time to plan; they do their homework. They guide their client through an extensive process of due diligence by identifying the goals of the commercial, the audience for whom the commercial is intended and the tone, texture and energy the commercial needs to represent the product or service accurately. Excellent producers listen intently to their clients and, when necessary, challenge and elevate the ideas and intended approach.”
Listening to people ”“ and then going deep inside himself to come up with creative solutions to their needs, connecting the dots in new ways ”“ has been a product of Encinas growing up severely dyslexic, in Madrid. This challenge, he said, has nonetheless never stopped him from achieving his goals. Rather, it turned him inward so he could reach out.
“I discovered two important things,” he noted on his website. “I am very effective in seeing the big picture, and I learn best with the use of introspection”¦.I become very focused, giving me the ability to think and imagine a bigger picture, which in turn allows me to notice things that other people aren”™t likely to see.”
In Madrid, where Encinas studied film direction at Septima Ars, the city”™s film and TV school, he also worked in various aspects of the visual arts from age 19 ”“ designing for La Maison Folle, an interior design company, and becoming its project manager at 21. Some 10 years ago, he came to the United States, freelancing and studying art direction at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan before creating his own business.
“Technology is the greatest equalizer in the modern world,” he wrote on his website. “That”™s why our vision is imaging a clear and concise way of communicating along all platforms to maintain an articulate message.”
For more, visit the openinc.com.
