The thankless part of this writing exercise is the brief account that remains and the inevitable lack of accuracy towards our Clients who, undoubtedly, will each have their own version of the story from that particular time. It is memory – or the lack of it; it is recollection – of what did not remain; it is the inconsequential urgency of everyday life in pursuit of a Vision (or the need for one) – without ever truly acknowledging the road, the journey, the path or the work itself. That is the process: becoming aware that the “Man at the Helm” must learn to enjoy the voyage. Whether sailing close to the wind, running before it, or simply drifting. Looking back after all these years, it is wonderful to see what we have already achieved. What we have already lived. And throughout every PART of this 10 Years, Same Values, the intention remains exactly the same: to tell, to recount, to reveal, to leave a mark, to reflect, to celebrate and, above all, to remember how we evolved throughout the process. At least, that is how I see it.

The Viking stood beside us in many battles that must never be forgotten. In many projects that form part of our identity, our journey and our mission. The Viking – whose surname, fittingly, is Guerra – never feared a single one of them. He embraced every challenge with everything he had. Fearlessly. Head on.

And there were plenty of them. More than plenty. I have already spoken about all the work we carried out for the municipal company Loulé Concelho Global: videos, photography, reports, among countless multimedia projects created by him. I have already mentioned some of the content we produced for Designer Outlet Algarve, filmed and edited with his collaboration, namely the photographic work with the dancers and actors Cristina and Cláudio; the Late Night Shopping events; Hello Summer; together with the editing of countless short clips created for that social media era, which was beginning to accelerate at a breathtaking pace. I have also mentioned that it was he who “cleared” dozens of pending edits for Grupo Timing, including the Oh My Dog video, the Success Stories of many employees hired through Timing, along with several other projects we produced on a smaller scale. And I have also referred to the fact that he handled, produced and edited dozens – if not hundreds – of pieces of content for Meeting Place: Healthy Days, advertorial features and events, Dominguinhos, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, advertising campaigns, among many others.

But it is in this chapter that I want to highlight two major milestones in B16’s evolution (during this year of 2019). Both were connected to that “meeting place”, MAR Shopping Algarve: the Algarve Chef Experience project and the One Magical Night project. I believe that both even helped to strengthen our relationship with the Centre Management, tighten the bonds between all those involved and, above all, demonstrate that B16 also makes mistakes. Even when we do, our values, ethics, way of working, integrity, commitment and dedication are far greater than any difficulty that may arise.

We are here for the Ironman, not for the “100 metres”. And both the Viking and the “owl” understood that. And they helped me. So much so that there was a moment when it is necessary to pause… This one.

It was in March that we began the Algarve Chef Experience project. We spoke with each of the four Chefs, in their restaurants at MAR Shopping Algarve, within the environments they themselves had chosen, in the places they had selected to help elevate each of the four restaurants involved in this greater project. There was an urgent need: to communicate their stories through the shopping centre’s communication channels, in order to attract more people, whether through the quality, the product, the producer or the concept behind each of them.

For some people, discovering that the homemade pasta at My Pasta required a complete redesign of the kitchen and of the entire in-house production process, due to the size of the equipment and the production method itself, is what makes this restaurant something truly special. For others, it will undoubtedly be the aromatic herbs personally selected by Michelin-starred Chef Louis Anjos for the final touch, serving as the distinguishing feature that makes them choose this restaurant over any other Italian restaurant in the shopping centre.

For some people, learning that the international experience and worldwide professionalism of Michelin-starred Chef Leonel Pereira enabled him to condense decades of expertise into a small and limited kitchen, expressing it through eloquent combinations of flavours, spices and cultural fusions at his Thay Brás restaurant, is what makes it remarkable. For others, it was undoubtedly the unique menu, combining practical Thai street food with Portuguese classics, that brought together such an exclusive and unusual offering in the same place. This one was my favourite..

For some people, the richness of a French Bistro, with all its surprises, charm and mystery, creates the desire and the need to have such a place replicated in the Algarve. For others, it was undoubtedly the sparkle in their eyes when watching a bustling professional kitchen, filled with people, expertise and refinement, accompanied by a glass of champagne and foie gras prepared and cooked right in front of them by Chef Guy D’Oré.

For some people, MAR Shopping Algarve offers every kind of international dining experience, whether through the major international chains or through the exclusive local concepts that remain there, such as Portuguese Lab, Chef José Domingos’ restaurant, whose menu celebrates Portuguese classics, Algarve specialities and a selection of unparalleled Alentejo delicacies. For others, it is undoubtedly the presentation of each dish, the size of the chips, the fried egg on top, the octopus, the codfish or whichever element stands out most on the plate that convinces them to return for another meal.

We got to know these people. We shared moments with them.

Louis, a family man, tireless worker and entrepreneur who never seems to sleep and who searches for excellence in every detail of what he offers; Leonel, the former Marine, who has helped build extraordinary hotel projects around the world yet brings together the flavours of East and West in a unique fusion here; Guy, the experienced host who knows how to welcome people, creating a sense of familiarity at his counter while delighting everyone with another touch of French cuisine; and José, a lover of the Ria Formosa, also a family man, trainer, entrepreneur and professional chef with decades of experience, firmly grounded and fully aware of his mission.

We watched them cook. We tasted their food. We did not pay for the dishes they offered us. They were gifts. They were delicious. And the video productions we created with them carried that same sense of heartfelt gratitude.

It was in March of that year that we had the opportunity to discover, taste, experience, live and truly understand what lay behind the Algarve Chef Experience project, a concept inspired by the Time Out Market Lisbon, yet one that never achieved the same level of acceptance in the Algarve. We do not know whether it was due to a lack of publicity, insufficient promotion, the boldness of the concept, a lack of awareness among its target audiences or for any other reason. The truth is that today the project has come to an end. It no longer exists at MAR Shopping Algarve. It is part of history. It belongs to the past. And the people who believed in it deserved far better than such a premature ending. We loved that food. We might have paid a little more, perhaps 25% more than we would have at an international chain restaurant, but there we were eating fresh ingredients, expertly prepared, carefully controlled, all with the purpose of celebrating the craftsmanship behind quality food. Someone failed to recognise the true value of that project. And I, who loved Chef Leonel Pereira’s Pad Thai, now have to eat it somewhere else.

Regardless of all that, B16 filmed the restaurants, the preparation of the dishes, the staff, and interviewed their founders. But, because of the “trip to the waves” I mentioned two chapters ago, the raw footage remained on the hard drive waiting to be edited. And I suffered because of it relentlessly, constantly, deafeningly, painfully, and profoundly. It became a recurring experience to bump into the Chefs and receive a look, a question or a gesture that simply asked: when will it be ready? When is it coming out? We’re really looking forward to seeing the final result… Is it finished yet? And I never knew how to answer because I had no alternative. What I was doing at the time paid the bills; what still had to be done had no way of being done yet. I would get there eventually, but I honestly didn’t know how. More than half a year passed between March and October. As you can imagine, the Chefs’ expressions shifted from curiosity to disappointment, then to sadness and frustration. The shopping centre itself kept asking me about the final outcome. The atmosphere became one of unparalleled discomfort. And, even today, I still feel guilty about the absence of that project, because we were unable to present the videos when they had been requested. I do not blame myself for the project itself not having been successful, but I take full responsibility for this brutal silence, this painful absence, this unbearably slow delay.

It was João Guerra and Ricardo Flôxo who helped me edit the content. At the time, interviews had to be transcribed by hand. There was no AI capable of doing it in under five minutes as there is today. Back then, it meant hours of “pause-play” to write down everything that had been said in every interview. I transcribed every single interview. I found beautiful moments that could be cut into standalone clips for social media, as well as the must-have highlights from each of the four Chefs’ interviews. It was a project that began with me and João Costa, then became my responsibility alone, and finally passed to João and Ricardo, always with me closely involved. I knew exactly what we had and what we were still missing. I was fully prepared to present everything we had produced and edited, together with a communication plan for the Shopping Centre itself.

It was only in November 2019 that we managed to schedule a meeting to present the final result to the Chefs and the management team of MAR Shopping Algarve. There were many of us sitting around that long, silent table. It was overwhelming. When I arrived, the General Manager was there, the Marketing Director, members of the shopping centre’s management, the four Chefs (some had brought guests), Ricardo Flôxo, and myself. Cold faces. Serious looks. I felt ready to be executed against the wall of responsibility. I gathered my courage and stood there, taking every bullet. The meeting began with the words of the management team. Later came the words of the Chefs. Every one of them lamented the delay in presenting the final result. I slowly absorbed every shot that struck my ribs, my chest, my neck, my arms, my back and every other part of my body. I felt every single one. But I wasn’t afraid. Finally, it was my turn. I collapsed. Completely broken. Wrapped in a mixture of emotion and personal resilience. I apologised repeatedly, explained the delay by describing everything B16 had gone through regarding human resources over the previous months and, above all, accepted full responsibility for the entire process. The company is represented by me, and in any professional relationship that is the kind of commitment people expect. Commitment, responsibility, one’s word, honour and dedication. That was exactly what I accepted. I even told them that, if they did not like what I was about to show them, I would re-edit every video according to each Chef’s expectations. I spoke in Portuguese. At one point, I looked at Director Herman. He did not understand my words, but he understood my intention. And so I began, one by one, video after video. Play. I looked at each Chef and asked, “What do you think?” Then another. “And this one?” “What do you think of this one?” “And this?” After several hours, the atmosphere in the room changed. It shifted. It transformed. Suddenly, we were all back in the same place again. Sharing the same excitement. The same expectation. And the problem was solved, right there, in that very moment.

It was a difficult lesson. Today I would do things differently. I would handle everything in a completely different way. But that is how it happened, and that moment has become part of who I am, part of B16, and part of the professional relationships I have built ever since. Perhaps the world we live in today (2026) no longer reflects just how remarkable those videos were at the time – because today we consume everything, all the time, and everything quickly becomes fleeting and forgotten – but back then those films breathed, moved people and captured something genuine. And I threw myself into them wholeheartedly.

I would highlight one video from each restaurant:

I believe this moment was extremely important in rebuilding the Shopping Centre’s management team’s trust in B16.

…

A few weeks later, we were invited to take part in what remains the most beautiful moment I have ever experienced in that place. Beside me was João Guerra who, from the very first moment, embraced the challenge as though it were his own.

I must confess that, at first, I did not fully grasp what we were about to do.

The challenge presented to us was to document a programme filled with Christmas activities, something we had already become accustomed to doing in previous years. This year, however, was different. It was not simply about attractions, events, decorations, ideas, competitions, gifts, promotions or activities for different audiences. There was one particular moment within the programme. An initiative called A Magical Night, which involved accompanying a group of children from a residential care home in Loulé. Children with pasts, stories, backgrounds and circumstances so profoundly heartbreaking that I hardly know where to begin in describing the pain I felt as those responsible for their care shared their stories with me. Extraordinary human beings. Truly selfless people.

I watched them, listened to them, heard their stories, and could only think of my own daughter and wonder how anyone could do such things to children who were guilty of nothing. The children. It was the children. Everything began with them in this project and continued far beyond it, as you will discover in the following chapters.

And it was these particular children who created a bond between João and me unlike anything I had ever experienced. Guerra and I became one. It is impossible to measure. Impossible to describe. It belonged to us. And because the film is protected by copyright, image rights and distribution rights, this is another video that requires a specific password to access, just as happened with a previous chapter. If you would like to watch it, you will need to email me directly (bruno@b16.pt). What I can promise is this: it was the most beautiful, moving and unforgettable project I have ever had the privilege of being part of since I began working with MAR Shopping Algarve almost ten years ago.

Later, several months later, after the Christmas festivities had ended, we visited the residential care home to present the film we had produced. The children, the carers, those responsible for the home, the MAR Shopping Algarve team, ourselves, and perhaps some other spiritual presence that transformed that moment into something eternal, all watched it together in silence and with complete attention. We filmed that moment. We recorded it. We captured it on a mobile phone. The resolution is poor, but it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed. The children hearing themselves speak, remembering Father Christmas, the evening at the shopping centre, the activities, the affection they received, everything that had been prepared especially for them. It confirmed that our commitment, our work and our devotion to that particular cause had produced immeasurable results. For me. And for João Guerra.

My parents taught me that professional fulfilment is where everything begins. The starting point. The very essence of all the other forms of stability we seek in life. If we are happy in what we do professionally, everything else gains strength and clarity. I have never been afraid of hard work. I have always committed myself completely. I have always given everything I had. I know no other way. And when I say “everything”, I mean every stage of the process: the challenge, the approach, the tasks, the objectives, the methodology, the execution, the purpose, the reward, the concept behind it, the necessity. Everything. The process has always fascinated me, even when the tasks themselves were repetitive or so physically demanding that they became exhausting. The process has always inspired me, even when the solution to a challenge seemed impossible and no clear alternative existed. The process has always inspired me, whether I was working alone or alongside others, because innovation lives within action. The process. The processes. The way information is processed after experience. From my very first job onwards. Picking tomatoes in the Ribatejo under the blazing sun. Washing car windscreens at traffic lights on Saturday mornings. Welcoming and assisting clients in a gym from sunrise until sunset. Driving, parking, transporting, cleaning, washing and vacuuming hire cars at Lisbon Airport. Conducting surveys for the Opinion and Polling Centre of the Portuguese Catholic University. Being an intern. A kitchen porter. A bartender. A labourer. An operator. A marketer. A Producer. A Director. A Trainer. A Communicator. A Managing Partner. A General Manager. A Director. An entrepreneur. A volunteer. A writer. Every single role that brought me to where I am today has become an inseparable part of who I am. And whenever I think back to these projects carried out alongside João Guerra, I know, without the slightest doubt, that despite the effort, the difficulties, the challenges and the purpose behind them, I am profoundly happy doing what I do. I consider myself fortunate. I fought for it, and fulfilment does exist. It is worth it. To everyone who dreams of becoming an entrepreneur but still has doubts: there are incredibly difficult moments, but the victories carry the colours of an unforgettable happy ending. B16 makes me happy. Truly happy.