“Every masterpiece deserves recognition,” he says. Hector Maugeri after “+FACES” received the Martín Fierro de Cable 2025 to “Best Talk Show”. The host of the series chosen by more than 350 figures, considers that thanks to the teamwork of the production, the technical team, the set design and the details designed especially for the guests, in each report the magic happens of connecting all the emotions so that the interviewee bare their soul.
Maugeri has almost 40 years of experience in graphic journalism, 33 of those years were in CARAS, but in 2024 he was encouraged to make the leap to television and took charge of the program that featured Mirtha Legrand, Susana Giménez, Natalia Oreiro, Julio Chávez, Pampita, Marley, Cris Morena, Adrián Suar and many more.
News: What was the moment when your name was said at the Martín Fierro ceremony?
Hector Maugeri: From the moment we were nominated it was very emotional for me. The nomination indicated that the program had been validated by my colleagues at APTRA. I have belonged to APTRA for almost 40 years. I didn’t go with the expectation of winning, but rather to enjoy that night. I was accompanied by Liliana Castaño, who was the general producer of the cycle, my friend and the woman I chose to share my professional life with. On a personal level, there was my older sister, who represented all the family wealth that I need for my life. The family is a very strong pillar. When they said: “+FACES”, on that journey along the red carpet to the stage, my entire life, the effort, the work, the dedication, passed me by. And gratitude to the people. I felt the program come to life when I started receiving hundreds of messages from people all over the world. More than 350 people from all walks of life attended, divas, actors, actresses, musicians, models, politicians, designers, chefs, athletes, comedians. A very playful space was created. It’s an experience, it’s not just a television show. Nothing in “+CARAS” is left to chance, there is lighting, a scenography that defines me and makes me feel comfortable, an aroma created so that the interviewee feels in another dimension. They all do a job with a lot of love.
News: What was the main challenge?
Maugeri: When Jorge Fontevecchia proposed making Caras TV, the challenge was to recreate on television what had been built on paper. I thought about how I would like to reach the public, in what way, respecting the spirit of CARAS, which was always very aspirational. While the set was being built, I had a period of introspection, I thought about how I wanted to be as a host and interviewer, I thought about my references, but one day I felt that the only thing I had to do was be myself in the best way, and if that came through the screen it was real. That was my biggest secret, having been me. To do a daily program I have to connect with a different emotion every day. I get up early and prepare for the interview, it doesn’t matter if it’s someone I’ve known my whole life, if we’re friends, the ritual is always the same for everyone. The most important thing is when I feel like I start to touch the other person’s heart during the report.
News: Why do you think that with you the stars dare to tell everything, even things they never said publicly?
Maugeri: It is the magic of the encounter. It has to do with the journey of almost 40 years in the profession, the other knows that you know and you are not improvised. The interviewee feels cared for. What I do is accompany a tribute report to the person who comes. I’m very focused on that. I learned to listen deeply to what the other person says, to look them in the eye. It’s very rare that something happens to me. That place we built is exactly for that.
News: Do you feel like television was a place you should always have been?
Maugeri: Somewhere I was always clear about what my goal was in my career. I always dreamed of a talk show called “Masks”, when I was very young. When this proposal came, I wanted to pay tribute to that dream, playing with the “+” and the CARAS logo. I believe in decrees, I decreed everything. APTRA members told me that it is the first time that a program starring a member has been voted on. He broke the mold. It comes at a very particular moment in my career, after more than 30 years in graphics without rest, doing television renewed me. In almost 350 guests I changed my clothes 300 times, there is image care, it is quite a job. There is no time for anything else, I live for the program.
News: What is special about the genre of reportage?
Maugeri: Throughout my career I specialized and studied the genre of reportage. I wrote the book “Divas” that compiles reports on the most iconic women in the country, crossed by pain, heartbreak, passions. I always tried to go a little further than what that meeting between two people meant. How to handle the discomfort that painful or very private situations can cause, without feeling like they are being disrespected. The secret to a good interview is who interviews you, how you connect with the other person. We work with vulnerability.
News: Would you say no to any interviewee?
Maugeri: Everyone can give something. I do not judge or prejudge. I loved interviewing people I didn’t know. There is also the freedom to ask whatever you want, there is no downline. I don’t play any role, I don’t build any character, I am extremely professional and disciplined, sharp, attentive, when I laugh, I laugh, I do it as I always did. The interviewee also notices this. Each character builds their own space of inspiration and for me that is art. It’s a glorious, intimate moment. Many tell me: “It’s like I’m spying on two people’s conversations.”
News: What do you receive from the public?
Maugeri: The most beautiful thing and what moves me the most is the people. When you can cross the screen, what comes is the emotion. I also care about leaving a good message, some hope. Beyond the darkness that we all go through, if you have studies, preparation, believe in yourself, your goal appears. I am moved by the tenderness of people who tell me: “You are with me until I go to sleep.” For me it is something new. Throughout my life I accompanied the most famous personalities in the country, I saw how people looked at them, the things they said to them, and now it is starting to happen to me. It is something that excites me and gives me a very strong feeling of gratitude.
News: And when you got home after the ceremony and were left alone with yourself, what did you feel?
Maugeri: I arrived and Amanda (ed: her adopted greyhound who had been thrown in a garbage bag on a route in Escobar) was waiting for me and we said: “We won, we won”, and we jumped. The greatest joy is when you do public work and people hug you.
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