7 - 13 June 2001

Mr Xarabank gets down to business

Until recently, very few things seemed so incongruous as mentioning (Joe) PEPPI AZZOPARDI and “Business” in the same context. Circumstances, however, have a tendency of changing things around a little bit and creating precedents. This week KEVIN DRAKE seizes the opportunity over lunch at the Pegasus Restaurant at Le Meridien Phoenicia, to create yet another “First” by shocking an interview out of “Mr Xarabank”, the man whose words and interviews have appeared in each and every scrap of paper under the Maltese sun – but never, ever, in The Malta Business Weekly!

Peppi. What’s the story so far?
Well, I’m 41 years old (but look older because of my white hair), I’m married to Mandy and have a three-year-old son, Xandru. I’m a partner in a company called Where’s Everybody? (W.E), a company that has been in existence for the past two years or so.

Has this been a new experience for you? I don’t believe that you’ve ever been involved in a business concern, or have you?
(Smiles) Funnily enough (a fact that very few people know about) I actually started working in business. Many years ago I was the co-owner of a car hire company together with my brother. But I wasn’t at all comfortable in that line of work. I
didn’t feel that it was “me”. Notwithstanding the fact that it was a successful company, I left. It still is a successful business and, to date, I believe that my brother has a fleet of well over 100 cars.

So in actual fact you’ve done a full circle and gone back to business?
Let’s say that what I am involved in now is a business; but it’s a significantly different one. There’s a great deal of creativity involved in our work. The way Where’s Everybody is set up involves people who look after the creative side of things, others who look after the administrative, commercial and financial side. I’m definitely not one of the latter! (laughs). There are battles going on all the time between the “creators” and the “money-men”. I always feel a little bit out of my depth when it comes to money matters. I never think in terms of money or costs. I look after the creative aspects and the production logistics.

So you’re not involved in negotiations or with the commercial side of the company?
Oh no! Never. The others insist that I never go along with them when negotiations are taking place. (smiles) They know that I’d probably make a fool of myself or of them!

What happened after you left the car-hire business?
I worked for a short time in a factory. I worked as a storekeeper elsewhere. Then I decided that I wanted to teach and I spent 13 years as a media, social studies and drama teacher at St Augustine’s. After those 13 years I left teaching to devote my time entirely to producing television programmes. This went on for about three years before the partnership was created.
Did TV warrant your leaving a full-time job to devote yourself entirely to producing programmes?
In this day and age you can’t produce good quality television programmes on a part-time basis. It’s a mistake to do so and the result would be amateurish. You need to be available at all times and do whatever is necessary, whenever it is necessary.

Somebody once described the Maltese as being a nation made up of 350,000 amateurs. Do you concur with this view?
No. Definitely not. We have a problem though with regards to our outlook. That might be amateurish at times. When it comes to training we also have serious problems. Very few people bother to train others adequately. More often than not the “training”, the learning curve, begins the moment you’re thrown in at the deep end. My first TV “training” was also my first time in front of the cameras, on-air. Some people have a natural talent for certain things while others don’t. It’s very unfair to expect that everyone will perform in the same way in those circumstances.

Is talent something you’re born with or can it be learnt?
It’s the Nature/Nurture debate all over again isn’t it? Are you a tabula rasa when you’re born or do you already possess certain qualities? I tend to believe that we are all born with certain innate ‘directions’, if you like, within us. A particular pre-disposition towards certain areas rather than towards others. You could call that ‘talent’ too, I suppose.

Have you changed much as a person over the years, especially with regards to your beliefs and views?
Very much. Although in some cases I’ve become more extreme than I ever was before. My views on hunting for example. I’ll be the first one to admit that I am full of contradictions too; and it doesn’t bother me in the least. I am in conflict with myself all the time and question everything, including the things that I think I believe in wholeheartedly. But that’s a good thing. It means you are not complacent, you aren’t vegetating. I have no difficulty whatsoever with changing my views and opinions. The world, everything, is in a constant state of flux. In this continuous state of change, why should I keep myself anchored to certain views as if they were dogma? If you do that you will stagnate and become irrelevant.

Has fatherhood changed you in any way?
(Smiles). Before I myself became a father I used to think that all the parental pontificating about “how your life changes” was just sentimental pap. I do the same thing myself nowadays! (Smiles). I’ve changed in the sense that I can’t possibly envision my life without my son. It’s too hard to explain it to someone who isn’t a parent and there’s no need to explain it to people who are. On the other hand, it has never even crossed my mind once to compromise my beliefs or my journalistic approach just because of the fact that ‘Now, I’m a family man’. I don’t think I’ve changed much with regards to how I look at money, either. I’ve taken out an endowment insurance policy for my son so that when he’s older he’ll be self-sufficient, but that’s about it. When it comes to children and the family, spending time with them is far, far more important than anything connected with money and what money can buy.

Do you try hard to “Make the time”?
I don’t “try”. I make certain that I have the time to go home and be with my wife and son.

Are you a good time-manager?
It depends. For a start I sleep very little and many times I work till late. Having many hours at my disposal means that I find the time to do everything I need to do, including being with my family. It’s very important that you don’t waste time. I never do. To be honest I don’t even know what it means to lie back and do nothing.

Do you consider yourself to be a workaholic?
Sometimes yes, and it bothers me. Being a workaholic is as serious a problem as being an alcoholic. It’s OK to be very dedicated towards your work, but when you start feeling that you can’t cope with life unless you get a ‘fix’ of work. Then it becomes a serious problem. I think that one of the root causes of ‘workaholia’ is this need to constantly prove yourself – to yourself and to others.

Do you feel this need to “prove yourself” constantly?
Yes. Proving myself to myself mostly.

What are your goals?
Apart from good health? Very few. Just to keep on doing what I’m already doing. I tend to feel very often that I’ve reached “the peak” work-wise. So I suppose that when you feel that way, staying on that peak becomes your priority. Otherwise, I don’t have any big plans or projects for the future.

Are you an ambitious person?
I’m ambitious with regards to what I’ll be doing at the time. It’s important for me to do my job very well. However, I’m not ambitious when it comes to ‘expanding’, to building little empires. At W.E. I think that I’m the one who offers the least contribution insofar as business plans and future projects are concerned. When discussions arise regarding future prospects and company plans, I tend to keep back.
If “continuing to do what you’re doing” is a goal, then aren’t you, by your own criterion of needful change, going to stagnate and become irrelevant?
If you remain static, of course you will. But I do change with time. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing the same type of work for a relatively long period of time. It’s all about standards. If you want to keep on doing what you’re doing as per-
fectly as possible, you need to change, you need to innovate. In order for you to do well and remain relevant you need to embrace change on a daily basis.

Doesn’t this mean that you’re being led by circumstances rather than you leading the way?
Circumstances do play a part, yes. But in many situations I have to be the one who takes the bull by the horns and implement changes. Last Friday’s programme of Xarabank was a case in point. When the Planning Authority objected to alleged “problems” within the recording studio, I could very easily have cancelled that evening’s programme and gone off home. I decided to uproot the programme lock, stock and barrel and go elsewhere, with seven hours to do it in! These troubled moments tend to bring out the best in me. It becomes a challenge to maintain standards (if not improve upon them) while flying in the face of adversity.

Are you a perfectionist?
Yes. But a perfectionist vis-à-vis my vision of what is perfect. I think that perfection is relative, it’s not an absolute thing.

Do you pay a lot of attention to detail?
Very much. When it comes to editing, for example, I change things over and over again until I feel that it is perfect.

Couldn’t that be construed as Indecision rather than Perfectionism?
Hah! But there will always be an improvement – eventually. (smiles) At times some of my colleagues become so exasperated that they will edit something without involving me and then forbid me categorically from making any changes! (I still do, though!)

You said that you weren’t terribly ambitious. Don’t you think though that a modicum of ambition is necessary in order to succeed?
I don’t think that it’s a question of ambition. Having said that, however, I suppose that I am ambitious in many ways but not in the conventional sense of the word. I am ambitious to always improve upon quality, to improve standards. I don’t look towards the future either. I live very much on a day-to-day basis. I haven’t a clue as to what I’m going to be doing in October and, to be frank, I’m not overly concerned either. I believe in myself, I know that I’m going to be doing something (whatever that may be), so I don’t worry about it.

Xarabank has been running for the past four years. Will it go on indefinitely or is there some criterion for bringing the series to a close?
I’ve always maintained that I’ll bring Xarabank to an end as soon as the ratings drop. Others feel that the best time to bring a programme to a close is when it has peaked and so it’ll be downhill from then on. Xarabank has definitely reached a peak so, with that forma mentis, it would be the ideal time to “pull out the plug”.

According to the last national media survey, 160,000 viewers watch the programme on a weekly basis. It’s incredible. You can’t surpass that. Nevertheless, the next two years are going to be characterised by the European Union issue and the general elections, among other things. There are going to be innumerable controversial subjects warranting discussion. Keeping that in mind, therefore, why should I dump Xarabank just for the sake of change, only to replace it with a (probably) poorer replica of the original? In that way I would also be throwing away four years’ worth of public goodwill that the series has generated. It’s also very important for me to enjoy what I’m doing.
The moment I stop enjoying my work – It’s time to move on. I haven’t reached that phase yet with Xarabank.

You mention enjoyment as being a top priority. Isn’t financial gain equally important?
Money isn’t my main consideration. I live comfortably and that is all I want and need. I don’t save money, I don’t invest. I’m not at all money-obsessed.

But hasn’t Xarabank’s success also generated financial success for you?
Up to a point. (Smiles). Successful TV programmes don’t always involve the equal distribution of rewards. Our company is paid a lump sum to deliver a completed programme. We don’t benefit
directly from any surges in advertising revenue or from any other benefits which are directly related to the success of the series. It’s not necessarily an ideal arrangement, but...! (shrugs and smiles)

Many people might be labouring under the perception that your main motivation is your commercial interest. Is that so?
Not at all. I’m not very commercially minded, myself. I much prefer to stress the importance of quality and maintain standards. I obviously do have a say within the company when it comes to commercial matters – but hardly anyone ever takes notice of me anyway. (Laughs). The most important thing I’ve learnt in these past two years with W.E. is that you can’t be expected to do something for nothing. There has to be satisfactory financial remuneration attached to any work that you do. I used to believe otherwise but I readily admit that I was wrong. When somebody else is making money off your hard work and efforts, why shouldn’t you be adequately rewarded too?

What about people who enjoy doing certain voluntary work even if no payment is involved?
In Malta a very stark division is made between work you enjoy doing and work that you are paid to do. Work you ‘enjoy’ doing is normally considered to be voluntary work not carrying any remuneration. This is wrong. Ideally, all work should be work you enjoy doing and work for which you are fairly paid. I don’t fully agree with the concept of volunteers either (volunteers who are used in lieu of full-time employees). First and foremost there’s a reliability problem. Volunteers cannot be depended upon the same way you rely upon full-time workers, especially when it comes to tasks that are far from appetising. When you are paying someone to do a job it’s not a matter of choice or goodwill anymore but more a matter of responsibility and obligation. There’s far more dependability involved that way and things get done better.

On various occasions you’ve worked with large groups of people. Do you see yourself as a Team-
player or as a Leader?
I think that I need to be the one leading the way. This might well be a defect in me. Nevertheless, I’ve also been learning (rather late in life) that you do need to delegate work to others. You also need to accept the fact that when you do delegate, work is not necessarily carried out in the way that you yourself would do it. This does not mean that a job would be done badly, just differently. It’s not always easy to accept.

Ethics have always been an important issue for you. Do you think that we have a problem with ethical behaviour in Malta?
As far as Xarabank is concerned, we never stop discussing and arguing about issues of an ethical nature related to the programmes. It is a top priority, especially for me. Ethics in a “Business” context is a different matter. As a race, I don’t think that we are very conscious of the ethical implications of what we do or don’t do. Too many things are either taken for granted or not given any consideration whatsoever. In my view anyone who evades paying taxes is a thief and a robber, no better than someone who beats an elderly person up and robs him. I make no distinction between “white-collar” crime and other forms of crime. Actually, I think that white-collar crime is more serious because there exists the public perception that it isn’t such a grievous “sin”. There’s obviously a religious-values problem here too in that too many people don’t even consider the evasion of taxes to be a sin.

Do you prefer to be surrounded by highly motivated people or do you prefer to have people around you that you yourself need to motivate?
I definitely prefer to have motivated people. I can’t stand the thought of people not completing a job or lacking the motivation to see something through. I feel comfortable when I am working with
people who follow things up and who take a genuine interest in what they are doing.

How did you become involved in television?
My first serious TV involvement was in 1987 with the Ahn’ahna jew m’ahniex? series. My first foray into the discussions “arena”, however, came about a few years later and was pretty much a lucky coincidence. Lou Bondì (who is also a partner in W.E.) was presenting Pjazza 3 at the time and he asked me to help him out by presenting a special edition programme that very evening. This was a discussion programme at Christmastime involving just children. I accepted and the rest, as they say, is history.

Was it just a lucky break then?
Looking back, I realise that all the qualifications I had ever obtained were directing me towards this profession and towards these journalism-oriented programmes: Theatre (MTADA), Journalism, Political Studies, Communications and Sociology. It wasn’t planned that way but I guess that it was a fortunate combination of factors and coincidences.

What keeps you hanging in there?
Not the money! (smiles) The financial considerations have to be there in order for something to come into existence, to keep on going. It is a pre-requisite. One has to earn a living, and so on. But once that pre-requisite is satisfied, my true motivation is having a sense of achievement. I need to do things well. I need to know that I’m doing something well and I need people to acknowledge that I’m doing it well.

How important is public recognition to you?
Extremely! (smiles) I like being popular and I make no bones about it. Call it a constant ego-trip if you like! (Laughs) I suppose that everyone has the propensity for ego-
tripping in some form or other – mine might be a little bit more pronounced. Although I confess to getting off on being popular, I also slam the “ethical brakes” on all the time. With this I mean that I will never, ever do anything to promote myself at the expense of ethical considerations. If something is ethically dubious I will steer clear from it even if it means losing the opportunity to get a “scoop”.

Many people acknowledge Xarabank to be a roaring success. What makes it successful in your eyes?
Xarabank is the programme that provokes the most discussion in the country. That, for me, is success. I was away a few weeks ago and I had the Sunday paper cuttings involving references to Xarabank sent over to me. There were 40 different cuttings! (Swelling with pride).

Do you enjoy being at the centre of controversy, being discussed?
Yes. Up until a few years ago I would actively seek out controversy. I don’t any more. Having said that, however, if someone decides to drag me into one, I’ll jump right in and promise to give as good as I get.

What do you think are the main benefits to be gotten from success? What are the drawbacks?
Believe it or not, one of the main benefits of success, as far as I’m concerned, is that success helps me to keep my feet firmly on the ground. Sic Transit Gloria Mundi – the glory attained in this world
passes by very quickly. People’s tastes, likes and dislikes change constantly. If you keep that thought in mind you realise how precarious your position is, especially so if you’ve reached the proverbial “top”. Today I’m “Mr Xarabank”, tomorrow I could well be “Mr Nobody”. I keep that in mind all the time.

What about the negative side of success?
What negative side? (Laughs). Is there a negative side to success? (Smiles). Well, with regards to popularity and being popular I’ve been through three phases. First phase was being popular and really enjoying it. The second phase saw me still being popular but pretending to really hate it! (Laughs). This, my third phase, is being popular but occasionally craving a little bit of anonymity. Having said that, the moment I feel that I’m getting a little too much anonymity... I’ll go right back to phase one!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
The higher you rise, the harder you’ll fall (laughs). I can really visualise that, you know? That’s why I try to keep as close to the ground as possible, so that when I do fall, the impact will be gentler (smiles).

Peppi, what’s the secret of success?
Always know where you’re coming from and always know where you’re going. Create a set of goals and always keep them firmly in front of you. You need to believe in yourself and in what you are trying to accomplish. Not either/or. You must believe in both simultaneously. You also need to be a good listener and have your ear very close to the ground. Be aware of what people want from you. Be aware of what people are thinking, feeling, saying. It’s also very important to learn how to work with others. You can’t think of yourself as being the alpha and the omega. Everyone has something to contribute and everyone you meet has the potential to teach you something new.