Access All AreasAccess meets The Flash Pack‘s MD Jerome Maas on a wintery, rainy day at Soho eatery Chotto Matte. Over espresso martinis, black cod soaked in yellow chilli miso and spicy edamame, Maas tells us about his ‘family’ business, meeting Damon Albarn and the future of event photography
“We are currently based behind the Volcano Coffee Works in West Dulwich. One of the team there decided to launch a pop-up cocktail bar called One Point Eight and after sampling some of his on tap espresso martinis we brought him into our launch party for his first event. They’re doing really well now.”
“I saw Damon Albarn in a bar in Notting Hill once. I’m not normally one for celebrity intrusions, but given the fact that Blur’s The Great Escape was the first album I bought, I had to go and shake his hand. I even got a photo (right) – what a legend that man is.”
“Yes, we take photos, but we also create other content for brands such as video, animation and other digital experiences. This content is then amplified through our social media software – and just so happens to be delivered by our beautiful handmade kit.”
“I have to say, Augmented Reality is going to be big this year. It’s potentially going to be worth billions in the next two years. As a business we are constantly reviewing new ways to deliver our creative content and this could be a nice platform to do this.”
“London 2012 passed me by because I was so focused on launching the The Flash Pack at that time. I watched the Closing Ceremony and it just hit home what an amazing thing it was that I’d missed out on. I tried to get tickets to the Paralympics but ended up not being able to go. It was a huge thing, it was right on my doorstep and I didn’t go to anything. It was quite sad but I was just so immersed in the business.”
“We try and get involved with people we like – whether that’s bringing in filmmakers, photographers, techies or even mixologists. Our business is a family. Everyone’s really tight, and it’s important to have a shared ethos. When we think about who we want to bring in to help us out; it’s about who we have that connection with.”
“The first concert I went to was Michael Jackson’s Dangerous tour at Wembley Arena in 1992. At a mere seven years old, the sheer number of people with all eyes on the stage was quite something. The atmosphere was incredible. I think Kris Kross – remember them? – supported him. That gave me my first taste of events at such a large scale and I remember it vividly.”
This feature originally appeared in the February issue of Access All Areas, out now.