Undecity Interviews - Steve Sansweet

O prometido é devido!

Depois da entrevista ao nosso amigo Mark Newbold da Lightsabre.co.uk e do privilégio de conversar com John Ostrander, foi agora a vez de entrevistar o nosso Membro Honorário - Steve Sansweet.

Para quem não conhece, Steve Sansweet é o Director of Content Management & Fan Relations (Director de Gestão de Conteúdos & Relações Públicas de Fãs) da Lucasfilm Ltd. Acumula também a posição de maior coleccionador de Star Wars do Mundo.

Como sempre, a Fan Force Portugal fez questão de conversar sobre temas que não fossem já abordados por tantas entrevistas que já lemos nos média da especialidade.

E apesar de ser uma entrevista exclusiva, partilhamos com todos os fãs porque, o que queremos, é conhecer as pessoas que compõem o universo Star Wars, tanto do lado dos fãs como do lado dos que fazem a magia chegar até nós.

Como já dissemos, Steve é o Membro Honorário da Fan Force Portugal, antes de mais pela sua simpatia perante clube. Foi ele que nos abordou com as suas palavras de apreço, mas também pelo carinho que os fãs de todo o mundo tem pela sua postura descontraída e acessível. Factor que o faz Membro da FFPT, hoje e sempre.

Thank you for this interview and for enjoying being a Fan Forcer, Mr. Sansweet.

Aqui fica a entrevista na íntegra:

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FFPT - We all know Mr. Sansweet is, perhaps the biggest collector of Star Wars. How did it really begin?

Steve - I’ve always been a collector. It started with soda-bottle caps, matchbook covers, baseball cards—the usual stuff when I was a kid. I also grew up loving science fiction— books, movies, and TV. I had started collecting space toys such as Japanese tin robots just before Star Wars premiered. The movie blew me away and I started finding items to buy. But truly, my first Star Wars collectible had come months before the movie opened. A fellow reporter at the Wall Street Journal received in the mail the brochure that 20th Century Fox sent to theaters to try to get them to book the film. He looked it over and threw it in his wastebasket. After he left for the day, I went over, dug it out of the trash—and still own it today!

FFPT - Is there any item you pursuit that never got the chance to add to your collection?

Steve - Of course! All the time! I am not a wealthy man—although I spend much of my income on Star Wars items. There are many things that I would like that I have to either pass up or someone else buys because they are willing and able to spend more than I can.

FFPT - What is the object you value the most? Not necessarily the most expensive.

Steve - It’s not a single object, but a class of objects: fan-made items that I have either bought or that have been given to me as gifts. I probably now have a dozen or more Steve Sansweet action figures that fans have made of me—including one with long pointy ears and a Yoda-green face! I have a large Bantha piñata that won a craft contest in Mexico City, and a full-size Wampa costume from the same convention. A friend in Mexico also makes one-of-a-kind Star Wars vehicles out of tinplate. I have a great piece of R2-D2 stained glass. And I love the patches and other items that the 501st and Rebel Legion makes just for their own members.

FFPT- We've seen the evolution of Rancho Obi-Wan in Hyperspace videos "Visit Rancho Obi-Wan". What's the future of this space? Would you like to make it a Museum someday?

Steve - Well, it already is a museum—although a private one. Because of local government restrictions, it will always be private, but I still do occasional tours for charities and for fans who come to the area. That becomes more and more difficult, and must be limited, because I just don’t have the time while working fulltime, writing more Star Wars books in my personal time, and trying to pay at least some attention to my collection.

FFPT- Collecting can be a painful process. Can you share a story that you feel better pictures this arduous hobby?

Steve - Well it’s certainly painful to my wallet and bank account! ;) And it takes a lot of time and effort to keep up with it all. But I certainly wouldn’t call it arduous; once a hobby becomes “arduous,” it’s time to drop it and move on.

FFPT - Why is it so fascinating to collect Star Wars memorabilia?

Steve - I think the movies awakened or kept alive the child in all of us. These were breakthrough movies and captured the imagination of people worldwide. Collecting memorabilia from the series helps us keep those memories very much alive…and close by.

FFPT - We all seem to know you for your collection, but you are one of the faces of Lucasfilm Ltd Public Relations. What do you do exactly?

Steve - I work in the Marketing division of Lucasfilm. My two main jobs have been working on the strategic rollout of images for all of our projects—helping to decide who gets to see what and when. And I head Fan Relations, which means I am Lucasfilm’s liaison to fans worldwide, and the fans’ voice inside the company. My colleagues and I are also responsible for producing the Star Wars Celebration events.

FFPT - You, like no one else, have a clear and whole picture of the worldwide fandom. How would you describe the nowadays fans in comparison to the early 70s fans?

Steve - Fandom is stronger today than it has been at any time since the original trilogy. And that is amazing! Here we are two years after the last live-action Star Wars movie, and fandom keeps increasing in size and passion. The fans just don’t want to let go! And we’re seeing for the first time a multi-generational fandom, young kids and older adults, children and parents, all sharing their Star Wars passion.

FFPT - Being honorary member of such big and important fan groups you do understand how the Fan Force and the 501st Legion are so important to fans. What do you think these groups can do to worldwide fans?

Steve - Groups such as Fan Force, the 501st, the Rebel Legion and others have get-togethers that are a great opportunity to meet other fans and plan activities with them ranging from charity events to going on picnics. The local groups should promote themselves as much as possible so local people known they exist and are always looking for new members.

FFPT - You attended Celebration Europe. The European fans were eager for such event. What was your impression?

Steve - The fans loved Celebration Europe and we were very happy with the turnout. There were also lots of families with young children, which is very healthy for the future of Star Wars.

FFPT - Do you think it's conceivable to think about a Celebration Europe II? If so, could you advance anything?

Steve - We are currently examining the future of Celebration events: Should they continue? If so, where should they be? How often? What should they consist of? When we have it all sorted out and make some decisions, we will certainly share those with the fans.

FFPT - Have you seen any work on the production of the upcoming TV series? If so, what can you say about it?

Steve - The new animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is fantastic! I’ve seen a number of full episodes and they just keep getting better and better. I can’t wait until our fans get to see more than a 90-second trailer, as good as that was!

FFPT - Finally, being Fan Force Portugal Honorary Member, we would like you to leave a message to this Portuguese Star Wars Fan Club, to both the enthusiasts and the collectors.

Steve - I really appreciate being made an honorary member of Fan Force Portugal, a country I have always wanted to visit. We appreciate your strong support and enthusiasm for Star Wars…and I’m sure that Lucas Licensing appreciates your purchases! & Be strong with the Force!

Exclusive - Fan Force Portugal, November 2007