Pablo Hidalgo Says Goodbye
Webmaster of the popular Echo Station substation,
Star Wars Index,
ends his work to go to Lucasfilm
by Pablo Hidalgo
Published 2/13/00
Webmaster of the popular Echo Station substation,
Star Wars Index,
ends his work to go to Lucasfilm
by Pablo Hidalgo
Published 2/13/00
No matter how I phrase this, being a big Star Wars fan, it's going to sound like I'm bragging. That really isn't the case, but I thought people should know. Especially long-time readers of the Star Wars Index who had to rest assured that I was closing down my site for good reason.
I am now the Internet Content Developer for The Official Star Wars website. In that capacity, I work with the rest of the Internet department (and several other departments) in selecting, editing and creating text, artwork, and multimedia that will appear on starwars.com.
There are other responsibilities that extend beyond the website, as I get to dabble with licensed magazine content, or skim through other written material to ensure a certain consistency.
The process began last fall, when lucasfilm.com placed their Content Developer position on their website. I kept making it onto a series of increasingly selective short-lists until I was flown down to Skywalker Ranch for an interview. I guess I said the right things, as I was hired shortly thereafter.
When I began mentally gauging the amount of work I had to do to wrap up my affairs in Winnipeg, to move down to California, and to settle there, I realized that more than three months of my life would be completely turned upside-down. That would be three months that I would neglect my website, the Star Wars Index. That factored into my ultimate decision to take the site down.
Now before people start whispering talk of 'draconian measures', I want to firmly state that the decision to take down my public site was my own, without any Lucasfilm prodding. Since Star Wars has now become my nine-to-six, I wanted to avoid burning out on my Index by letting it be something private (offline) that I could tinker with on my own schedule.
So while I'm sorry to see the public face of the Index go, I look forward to helping maintain the Official Site, and to bring to it new ideas and an eye for detail as only a Star Wars fan could.
Pablo Hidalgo
San Rafael
February 2000
A message from Echo Station webmasters, Dave and Loren:
On behalf of everyone at Echo Station, our staff and our readers, we extend our most heartfelt congratulations on your new endeavor. We also express our deepest thanks, not only for your providing entertainment to our readers, but also for allowing us to continue to provide Star Wars fans the opportunity to enjoy the portion of your Index that will remain on Echo Station for years to come.
Congratulations, Pablo. Enjoy yourself...you deserve it. The STAR WARS Index was one of the very first sites to join the Echo Station family of sites, and exemplifies the dedication and level of professionalism that can be achieved through a fan site. Obviously, LucasFilm recognized this about you as well. As sorry as we are to see you go, at least you're going with the knowledge that every fan in the world is incredibly jealous of your new station in life.
Sincerely,
David and Loren Phillips