Mic’d Up at 4YFN: 35+ Interviews in 4 Days for MWC’s Startup Event

Case study • Event content • Presenter/interviewer • 4YFN @ MWC Barcelona • Fast turnaround video production

I was hired by 4YFN (the startup event alongside MWC Barcelona) to interview and present on film as part of the official promotional content.

In other words: I spent four days talking to some of the smartest people in the world of technology while trying not to trip over any cables.

The ask

The Marketing Director at GSMA asked me to support an external film crew (WeLoveMartha) by interviewing key people at 4YFN 2026, held at Fira Gran Via, Barcelona. This wasn’t my first stint, I have been doing this for a number of years for 4YFN so I was pleased to be coming back to work with the team again.

The mission was simple (and slightly unhinged): capture punchy, usable quotes and moments that would fuel highlight videos during the event and continue promoting 4YFN afterwards.

Deliverables

• Daily highlight videos: 45 seconds
• Social snippets: 30 seconds
• Full highlight video: 3 minutes

If you’re building an event campaign (not just “posting while you remember”), the broader playbook is here:
https://oliverbam.com/news/event-marketing-playbook/

My approach

1) Plan the schedule like a campaign (not a diary)

Alongside the 4YFN Marketing Manager, I created a tight daily schedule and a structured interview plan.

Each interview had a 30-minute slot in our interview room — unless I grabbed someone “on the spot” after their session (which, honestly, produced some of the best moments).

2) Create questions that feel natural but edit well

I built a core set of questions for everyone (great for consistency in edits), then added tailored questions depending on the person’s background, role and what they’d just spoken about.

Some sponsor questions needed pre-approval which is totally normal at big events and we accounted for that in advance.

3) Make production easier while filming (not later in the edit)

We aligned with the film crew on exactly what “good” looked like: punchy quotes, clear soundbites, and a structure that could be cut into multiple formats.

One small but mighty trick: I used hand signals to flag standout quotes as we filmed — basically “that one will cut nicely”.

It helped the crew and editors move faster, because they weren’t hunting for gold in an ocean of perfectly nice sentences.

What happened on the day

Thanks to the planning, the project ran smoothly. We hit the scheduled interviews and then went beyond the list, catching speakers immediately after their sessions and working the exhibition floor to capture quick reactions from exhibitors, corporates and investors.

I was able to speak to a number of notable speakers such as Azeem Azhar (Founder, Exponential View), Rodrigo Liang (Co-Founder & CEO, SambaNova), Carmen Palacios-Berraquero (Founder and CEO, Nu Quantum), Rob Moffat (General Partner, Balderton) plus some exceptional startups such as Rodrigo Baon (Head of Growth, NeuralTrust) and the award winner José Faria (CTO, Biorce) to name a few.

Unexpected request (my favourite kind)

On day two, the event Director asked if we could create a new video style: me on camera, guiding viewers around the venue while highlighting key areas and stats.

So I did what any sensible person would do: said “sure” and then immediately went to check with the film crew.

They liked it. I wrote a script quickly, planned locations, and we shot it.

(Sometimes the best content format is the one you didn’t plan, as long as you can execute fast.)

Results

The videos were well received by the production team and the event directors — but the best signal was performance.

The Social Media Manager at GSMA told me the posts were “one of the best performing” during the event.

What this proves

Great event content isn’t about filming more. It’s about capturing the right story moments in a way that editors can ship fast across formats.

With a clean schedule, a strong question framework, production-friendly signalling, and a flexible film crew, you can create content that performs during the event and keeps promoting afterwards.

Want the “how” behind the scenes?

• Prep like a campaign: https://oliverbam.com/news/event-marketing-playbook/
• Plan your social outputs: https://oliverbam.com/news/event-social-content-plan/
• Build the follow-up system: https://oliverbam.com/news/post-event-follow-up-system/