258
holding it back from realizing its great potential. It started in 2009 with a
legacy of 11,000 euros, a sum that was increased by 6000 euros put up by
Corporación 5. Another 5000 euros that should have been contributed by the
IAC was not forthcoming. In the absence of a wealthy patron, the Foundation
gets by from the little income it receives for certifications, which barely covers
the cost of processing the documentation involved. It has to be said that the
Foundation has sunk to such an extreme level of penury that it has sometimes
had to resort to taking out a loan to pay the paltry salaries of its two permanent employees. Its Director, the soul of the Foundation, Luis Martínez, an
expert in communication (Chap. 20) has no salary and regards his work as a
labour of love, so all the gains described earlier are also the result of personal
commitment.
The cultural—not the economic—success of the Starlight Foundation
reminds me of what occasionally happens with low budget films, which can
sometimes achieve a quality and fame denied many lavishly funded superproductions. This causes me to reflect on patronage in Spain and other matters.
There has been no way to get any sponsorship. Neither have we been able, or
known how, to set up a company capable of competing in the international
market for trademarks required by sustainable cultural tourism. It seems we
are not cut out to make money.
F. Sánchez
holding it back from realizing its great potential. It started in 2009 with a
legacy of 11,000 euros, a sum that was increased by 6000 euros put up by
Corporación 5. Another 5000 euros that should have been contributed by the
IAC was not forthcoming. In the absence of a wealthy patron, the Foundation
gets by from the little income it receives for certifications, which barely covers
the cost of processing the documentation involved. It has to be said that the
Foundation has sunk to such an extreme level of penury that it has sometimes
had to resort to taking out a loan to pay the paltry salaries of its two permanent employees. Its Director, the soul of the Foundation, Luis Martínez, an
expert in communication (Chap. 20) has no salary and regards his work as a
labour of love, so all the gains described earlier are also the result of personal
commitment.
The cultural—not the economic—success of the Starlight Foundation
reminds me of what occasionally happens with low budget films, which can
sometimes achieve a quality and fame denied many lavishly funded superproductions. This causes me to reflect on patronage in Spain and other matters.
There has been no way to get any sponsorship. Neither have we been able, or
known how, to set up a company capable of competing in the international
market for trademarks required by sustainable cultural tourism. It seems we
are not cut out to make money.
F. Sánchez
