PePcon Speaker Dossier: Michela Di Stefano, the Digital Publishing Geek
In the PePcon Speaker Dossier series we’re getting up close and personal with some of the coolest people on the planet: the print, PDF, and digital publishing gurus who’ll be the speakers at the conference! You’ve read their books, seen their videos, and liked their Facebook posts, now you can get to know them a little more personally, and have something to talk about when you meet them in person at PePcon.
“What’s a PePcon?” you ask. PePcon: The Print + ePublishing Conference is a massive 4-day multi-track extravaganza of all things print, PDF, and digital publishing, produced by the same folks that bring you this web site, InDesignSecrets.com. The seventh annual PePcon will be coming to San Diego, June 5–8.
The Michela Di Stefano Dossier
Geek Cred: Michela Di Stefano is a Digital Trainer and Adobe Certified Instructor, and has been involved in the graphics industry for over 25 years. She is a speaker, trainer, focusing on Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, PubCoder, Twixl Publisher, Mag+, and Ibooks Author. Founder of DPE User Group on Facebook, founder of Studio 361° and Digital Publishing Explorers Live Event.
Hails from: Brescia, Italy
First job: My first job after my diploma as accountant and bookkeeper, Trade High School, nothing connected with creativity or graphic computer….
First computer: 1990 Mac Plus
Lefty or Righty: Righty
Geeky or Nerd: Geeky
Do you prefer pen and paper or keyboard: Both of them because I like to pass from one to the other often during the day.
What tech hardware do you use most: I love iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.
Favorite Website: InDesignSecret.com, the endless resource for geeky people like me.
Favorite Authors: Paulo Coehlo and Anthony De Mello
Favorite Food(s): Meat, a nice juicy, bloody steak. I’m definitely not vegetarian or vegan ;-)
What’s in your pockets right now? Nothing :-( But my purse is so full and heavy that I call it the Anti-rape bag—it’s better than a weapon!!
Coffee is…my short break in the never-ending working day.
At 6am I am usually: Still sleeping, the alarm clock rings at 6.30 AM, but you should ask me about the evening hours. At 23.30 (11:30pm) I am still checking emails, doing invoices, making estimates and so on. At 23.45 (11:45pm) my head falls on my keyboard and I go to sleep.
What motivates you to do what you do? Confucius said it best: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”
Where does your passion come from? When did you discover this talent?
From 1990-1993, was my first job working on a Macintosh, teaching: MacWrite, Aldus Page Maker 1.0, and Photoshop 1.0. It was the beginning of DTP.
And, I also recently discovered that my geeky DNA comes from my father. He is 86 years young and just bought his first smartphone and selfie stick!
Favorite moment from a previous PePcon: My first PePcon 2014, specifically the Ignite InDesign evening event, I spoke about Flow Magazine, it was amazing!! (This fun moment was caught on video and is available on YouTube https://youtu.be/gZxnw9amomE).
Her PePcon 2016 Session: Choosing a Digital Publishing Solution for You and Your Client This session is perfect for anyone who wants to focus on the digital publishing marketplace and needs to lead client choice in the right direction (devices, formats and softwares). Together we will explore what are the factors that influence those constant changes.
Are there any sessions (other than your own) that you are excited for at PePcon 2016? I’d like to attend the session: “Robots Built My Layout: The Future of Publishing” because I’m curious to know how to speed up some workflow without cloning myself. I’m sure some speaker knows how to do that. ;-)
Website: https://www.studio361.it/
Social Media: Tw: @Micheladistefan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studio361.brescia/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/studio-361
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Studio361Brescia
Behance: https://www.behance.net/studio361-team
Want more Michela? Register for PePcon: the Print + ePublishing Conference 2016 and join us San Diego. Not only is this the #1 conference for creatives within the publishing industry, it’s also the best place to mingle with the masters and build a community of colleagues from around the world.