It’s that moment right before the action starts, when the adrenaline is about to kick in. Imagine that feeling multiplied by hundreds or thousands. That energy is always present for Seif Fawzy either during a sports event or an art one.
Seif Fawzy, 28, is a partner and the Chief Operating Officer at The TriFactory, an Egyptian sports management company specializing in endurance sports events and training. He’s also one of the four founders of Gyptian, a platform for arts, culture and photography.
“Both arts and sports have very passionate communities. It’s exciting trying to offer for both of these communities the best experience possible,” said Fawzy.
Warming Up
As a kid, Fawzy used to play several sports including football, basketball and running for track. His family had a different philosophy when it came to sports, “instead of making me dedicate my time to one sport, my parents put me in all sports.” Working in sports had always been at the back of his mind, but he never thought he’d be working in sports full-time.
Originally a lawyer, Fawzy studied Corporate Law at UCL in London, then worked in that field for a couple of years in Egypt. In April 2015, while he was switching law firms and quitting his job, he knew that Ayman Hakky, who worked in sports events at the time (now founder and CEO of The TriFactory), was also quitting his job. That summer, The TriFactory was born with its first event, The Aquathlon. “When summer was over, and it was time to get a job, I realized I don’t really want to wear a suit for the rest of my life. I wanted to do something I was passionate about. I, instead, became a partner at The TriFactory and it’s mind-blowing that it’s been four years already.”
created by dji camera
The Start Line
The TriFactory’s founding members Ayman Hakky, Mahmoud Abdelhakim, Mohamed El Beltagy and Fawzy have made sure the past four years were productive.
One of the reasons the company’s been kicking is their very strong team, which eventually translates to on-ground success. A big example for how this internal strength pushes the company forward is the Sahl Hashish Endurance Festival. “This event grew from being Sahl Hashish Triathlon with around 300 people, to offering multiple races and various experiences for 1200 people.” That’s just one of many successful endurance sports events done by TriFactory including The Pyramids Marathon, Aswan 42 and most recently Tough Mudder.
Tough Mudder is a global obstacle course event featured in around 19 countries, and Egypt is now the 20th. “This was a huge step in TriFactory’s development. We had 1300 participants and people are already asking about 2020, and we are excited to be offering it again this year!”
In adrenaline-driven events like these, Fawzy’s favorite moment is always the start. “Getting people together at the start. Music is blasting. There’s a countdown. Everyone’s tying their shoelaces and getting their playlists ready. It’s also a special feeling when it’s very early in the morning, maybe the sun is still coming up. It’s very difficult to replicate that.”
Filling the Frame
From armbands, sneakers and sand to hammers, frames and lights, Seif Fawzy has taken another venture in the realm of arts.
Fawzy’s photographer friends, Sherifa El Demerdash and Nour El Demerdash were talking to him once about not being able to showcase their work. It made him think, ‘why don’t we start our own thing where we can exhibit your photography?’
Seif Fawzy’s family are quite art-oriented, his parents are art fans and collectors who raised him and his brother with this mentality. He has also lived in a few countries including Tunis and Austria, where he was exposed to different cultures and arts. So, when he found an opportunity to discover more art and help out friends, he did. “Gyptian is a place for photographers to exhibit their work but it’s also so much more than that.”
Gyptian held two exhibitions so far, See Another Side and Connection Cairo, the latter had added art installations alongside photography, and they’re looking into expanding in 2020 but with photography as their main focus.
The four founders of Gyptian, Nour and Sherifa El Demerdash, Gamal Helmy and Fawzy pay special attention to adding context to their exhibitions so that the audience feels connected to the stories being told and the storytellers behind them. “Art does not exist in vacuum, it reflects the city, the culture… Context is key.”
Final Touches
There’s a reason for artists not organizing their own exhibitions themselves, it’s a very tough process. But the best thing about organizing it, well, “when all is done and ready… all the frames are dusted, all the lights are on, and you take a deep breath, take it all in and enjoy it with your team. Admiring your own work for two minutes before everything gets too hectic.”
If Fawzy has learnt something during his endeavors in both fields, it’s that one should never wait for something. “Nobody told us as TriFactory to do the Pyramids Marathon, we did it. Now, ministers, ambassadors and global media attend that event. It’s the same thing at Gyptian. See Another Side’s message was so strong that the former Minister of Tourism Rania Al-Mashat attended. I don’t think you should ever wait for somebody to throw an opportunity at you. Just do it yourself.”
