Meet Fleet Captain Diego Herrera

[StarBase 118 Staff]

After being appointed Captain at Large for 2014 and Staff Member of the Year Fleet Captain Diego Herrera has certainly had an eventful 2013.Lets see what we can learn from the following interview conducted by Newsies Reporter Jansen Orrey.

Jansen: Congratulations on your award.

Diego: Thanks very much!

Jansen: It must mean a lot to be chosen as Staff Member of the Year by your peers.

Diego: Yes! I was really grateful for the award and the write up that went with it was awesome. Made my Christmas!

Jansen: What do you think it was that led them to select you?

Diego: It’s tough to answer that question without sounding like I’m boasting, but the citation that Fleet Admiral Wolf listed in the awards ceremony basically covers it. I wanted to make sure I put a good shift in this year – I love this group because you can get reward out of writing with other people but you can also get reward out of organising things for them to take part in that are valuable, fun and memorable. Writing Improvement Month’s author interviews and Fall Fest were two big things for me this year. Both took a lot of work but both were absolutely worth it. I had support from some of the major players in the community – Fleet Captains Jaxx and Nicholotti and Fleet Admiral Wolf for both events, with no small contribution from Commander Reinard for Fall Fest. Then you have the people who hosted and attended chats. It’d be easy for me to sit here and claim glory for both of those things but without the help and support I had, nothing would have been possible. The author chats back in February were one part of a much larger event as well, which had a great many contributors!

Jansen: And how about being selected as Captain at Large for 2014?

Diego: It was really cool to be offered that position! It’s great to be able to represent the captains on the Executive Committee and it’s nice to be trusted with that responsibility!

Jansen: What outlook can you give us for the coming year?

Diego: In what respect? Are we talking for the fleet, personally, or both?

Jansen: Both as well as in regard to the Executive Committee. Do you have any personal goals after such a blockbuster year?

Diego: If we’re talking in general terms then I would like to capitalise on last year. The easy goal to set is to do as much. A better goal would be to beat that. I want to keep up my participation with the fleet, SIMming and OOC, and contribute wherever I can to help us continue to be the fantastic roleplaying group we are today!

Jansen: What is it that drives you as a writer within the group?

Diego: As a writer? I would have to say my characters. I’ve had a blast writing for all of them this year and a special shout out to Tallis Rhul who passed away IC – he set the benchmark for all of the characters I write. I don’t know if it’s normal/usual to be giving shouts out to fictional characters, but I just did! I’m enjoying seeing where Diego’s path is leading him and there’s a gaggle of other characters I’m writing for who have been great fun to play as well.

Jansen: You did some amazing things this year. Can you give us some insight into what it took not only to organize but to make everything seem so seamless?

Diego: Wow. That’s a tough question. There’s just a lot of correspondence is the best answer to that, I think. Correspondence, general writing and just making sure things are running according to plan. It’s taken a lot of online time and plugging away at the keyboard but it’s definitely all been worth it. And how to make things run (or appear to run) seamlessly? Preparation. Pretty much all of the projects I’ve worked on I haven’t done so alone, so where I’ve been in a leadership role I just make sure everyone knows what the story is and we all work together. That’s really where the success of the group lies!

Jansen: Thank you so much for the insightful answers and your time here. I am sure people will find it all very illuminating.

Diego: No problem! Great talking to you!

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