He confesses that he is exhausted, that he has slept only a few hours for a long time, but he says he feels happy, very happy. Not in vain has he achieved his life’s goal: to be a businessman in the La Maestranza bullring.
José María Garzón (Seville, 1972) states that he was a vocational bullfighter and festival bullfighter in his younger years; In his new office in Seville, currently under construction, he will hang in a few days the head of a steer whose two ears were cut off in Jerez de la Frontera. 20 years ago he founded the company Lances de Futuro, which has gained prestige and recognition, and currently manages the markets in Seville, Málaga (until June 2), Córdoba, Santander, Cáceres and Torrejón. He assures that his secret is work, a lot of work, and his innovative spirit.
But he is also a cautious businessman. He flatly refuses to talk about what he will have to pay for the rent to the Real Maestranza, owner of the square, about Morante’s emoluments or what Canal Sur and Onetoro TV will pay for the broadcast of the April Fair. “Talking about money is cheap,” he whispers.
He conveys the image of a conversational and friendly man, and it is clear that his agenda is full. “When this interview is over I will go home to change my clothes for the third time today.”
“Being a businessman in this place comes with a lot of work and the help of God. I never applied”
Ask. Was last Easter Sunday the happiest day of your professional career?
Answer. Yes. I experienced it with a lot of nerves, and I thought about so many people who have helped me get here. My family and close friends know the work I have put into pursuing this goal. For me, bullfighting is a vocational issue, above all. I am happy because I have achieved the dream of my life: to be a businessman from La Maestranza.
P. How is this responsibility achieved? Do you have to apply? Is it the property that calls you?
R. It comes with a lot of work and the help of God. I never applied. They called me very shortly before the appointment was made public. You would have to ask the Real Maestranza.
P. How were the negotiations with the teachers?
R. I’m not going to talk about that matter. I have never spoken. Only my wife and I know him. I haven’t even told my lawyer.
P. It will not count, then, if the Real Maestranza has increased the percentage to around 22% of the gross billing of each celebration that the previous company already paid.
R. I believe that contracts are agreements between gentlemen and should not be made public. We better not continue there. I am transparent about my management, but I am not going to tell what a bullfighter earns or what I pay to the property. It is common in companies.
P. But the public dimension of both the Real Maestranza and its company would require greater transparency…
R. This is private property. I think I am known for my silences. I’m not a person to talk.
P. Tell me, at least, if you had time to do the math and conclude that the management of the Sevillian plaza can be a business.
R. You play with what you can intuit, without the exact data, which I won’t have for a year. You never know the result until a fair or a season is over. The economy is important, but it is not the most important thing in this case. I give more value to other concepts. I assure you.
P. But he won’t have come to lose money…
R. I have lost it in other places, like Almería, for example. The company must make profits, but this is not the fundamental reason that moves me. On the contrary, I have launched a very large investment: the recovery of La Venta de Antequera, where nine runs of the fair will be exhibited, a 10% discount for the almost 3,600 subscribers (with an increase of 34.6% compared to last year), the 400 tickets for young people, the poster presentation gala… And on December 30 I will know if it has been profitable or not.
“Business profit is necessary, but it is not the most important thing in this case. I give more value to other concepts”
P. From November 22, the day of his appointment as a Sevillian businessman, Morante became his main problem.
R. It was very important to have Morante this first year. If he didn’t come, we had to entrust ourselves to God.
P. And you began a pilgrimage through Portugal and La Puebla del Río to try to convince him. What were your weapons of seduction?
R. We talk a lot about bullfighting, the history, the vocation, about Paula. I had lunch and coffee many times with him and his agent. At no time did I squeeze him. If you see it well, fine, I told him, and if not, don’t do it. For me, the most important thing was the person.
P. Wasn’t there a blank check on the table?
R. We don’t talk about money.
P. In other words, they agreed that it would be four afternoons in the subscription…
R. …without talking about money. Once his reappearance was announced, we agreed on emoluments typical of a top figure.
P. Once the main unknown has been resolved, the payment is very similar to that of other years.
R. I don’t think it is like that. I remind you of some new names that were not there last year: Víctor Hernández, Aarón Palacio, Fabio Jiménez, Rafa Serna, José Garrido, Molina; one more celebration in San Miguel, the Corpus bullfight… The best ranches have always come to the bulls. For my taste it is not the same.
“I agreed with Morante that I would spend four afternoons in the subscription without talking about money”
P. There have been important bullfighters who have been left out.
R. They all have no place. We have designed what we consider the best offer for the fair, but we could be wrong. To taste, the colors.
P. By the way, you had announced that “the presentation of the bulls would go up one point,” and Sunday’s bullfight was poorly presented.
R. That is a very personal impression. I think the bullfight looked extraordinary and very even. But the bull is opinionated, I understand.
P. What do you think of the triumphalism that took over the square and the ears that were awarded?
R. I think we witnessed a unique spectacle due to the presence of King Juan Carlos, due to the number of people who came from outside… Everything else can be qualified. Morante was immeasurable; David took a gamble, as did Roca Rey. The public requested the ears, and Morante’s second one is the power of the president. There is no reason for concern.
P. The April Fair will be televised by Canal Sur – seven celebrations – and Onetoro TV – eight. How much does each one pay for the broadcast of the celebrations?
R. You have to see how journalists like to talk about money, and I don’t. I don’t talk about that topic, I see it in a low light. I’m not talking about private contracts.
P. Yes, he will talk about excellence, which, as he has commented, is his current aspiration.
R. The excellence for Seville is that La Maestranza is more of a bullfighting temple, that the public sees that they are arriving at an 18th century monument where a person risks their life, and that they know how to appreciate that feat. The excellence to which I aspire, furthermore, is to educate the public, organize actions in schools and universities, open days in the plaza, like the one scheduled for Friday the 10th, recently we were in the Seville prison talking about bulls with the inmates…
P. In other words, you are a happy person and businessman, even if you don’t know if you are going to make money.
R. I am. Exhausted, but happy. Keep in mind that, as of today, seven afternoons of no tickets can already be counted. And I repeat that, in this adventure, money is not the most important thing for me.