Month: October 2014

Exchange Visitor Profile: Tim Fitzgerald

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Name: Tim Fitzgerald

From: Birmingham, United Kingdom

Intern at: Escape Plan Productions (Austin, TX)

Q: Tell us about one of your favorite projects you are working on in your internship.

I am only a month into this internship, and it has been filled with a number of great projects; anything from basic editing, to really involved work from the start of the project to the finish. My personal favorite project I have worked on in my time so far in Austin has to be a 45 second bumper film that we made for Fantastic Fest 2014. Our film, Clownin’ Around (Warning: Contains scenes of violence, horror, and gore), was pretty highly regarded at the festival and almost won an award presented by Edgar Wright. On this set, I was the boom operator and sound designer, so I really got to experiment with some new and interesting design techniques.

Q: Where is your favorite place to go in Austin?

I’m a big fan of exploring cities, so I just like to hang out downtown. The city centre here in Austin is stunning, the buildings look great, everything is clean, and the people are so very friendly. Not to mention there is always something new to find in town every time you go in, be that a store, a bar or an event of some kind. There is just always something going on.

Q: Tell us about a funny or interesting moment that happened during your program.

There is a famous film production studio not too far from the Escape Plan offices, and I have admired one production company there for some time. Seeing a couple of guys from there hanging out downtown was a very surreal moment for me, as I has been a fan of this company for a number of years.

Q: What has been your favorite cultural activity so far?

Certainly the case with Austin, if you want to engage in cultural activity, just go out and meet people. Everyone here is so unique and comes from such a wide variety of backgrounds that it is seemingly impossible to pin down one culture. This may sound really obvious, everyone comes from different places and everyone has different experiences, but here in Austin, it seems to be so diverse in multiculturalism that you are constantly taking part and learning about cultures.

Q: What does cultural exchange mean to you?

Cultural exchange for me means to really engross yourself in a culture that is not your own, really get invested in something that you may not be used to. I personally think cultural exchange is how we grow as people, because we gain a better understanding of the world.

Q: What are your plans for the future once you finish your program in the United States?

I haven’t got anything set in stone yet, but I’m constantly applying for work in film, TV and video game production across the UK. This is a very short term plan, but I really think it will help me build up on my experience to become a better sound designer. As for a long term goal; I’m not certain as of right now, but I’ve always been the type to live on my wit, in that I go with whatever is going on at the time.

You can view more of Tim’s work here.

Host Spotlight: WORKac

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WORKac, based in New York City, is interested in positing architecture at the intersection of the urban, the rural and the natural. WORKac has achieved international acclaim for projects such as the recently completed master plan for the New Holland Island Cultural Center in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wieden+Kennedy’s 50,000 sq ft, three story New York offices, the Blaffer Museum in Houston, Texas, the Children’s Museum of the Arts in Manhattan and the Edible Schoolyard at P.S. 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn.

We got in touch with Sarah Dunham, Director of Communications at WORKac, to hear her thoughts about being one of our host organizations.

Q: What are some of your favorite things about hosting exchange visitors?

We love having a diverse group of international people in our office! Hosting J1 exchange visitors allows us to work with architecture students from around the world, which brings fresh perspectives to our office on a regular basis.

Q: What are some of the neat work-related tasks that WORKac interns get to do?

Interns at WORKac are involved in nearly every phase of the design process for projects that they work on. In addition to 3D modeling and rendering, interns are crucial to the physical model-making process, which is an important part of the design process at WORKac. Helping to translate design ideas into physical models allows the team to test ideas quickly and understand the spatial implications of a range of design options for various aspects of a process.

Q: What are some of the cultural activities that WORKac interns get to take part in?

Depending on what part of the year they have joined the office, interns generally get to enjoy the annual summer party out in Rhode Island which involves camping, kayaking, beach days, and good food, or the annual holiday party which has featured epic karaoke in the past. Every so often interns will get to visit some of our recently completed projects including the new offices for Wieden+Kennedy New York and the Edible Schoolyard Project at PS216. Rarely (but it does happen!) interns may get to attend an event hosted by Zero + Maria Cornejo, a brand whose retail stores we designed a few years back. In addition, we tend to have happy hours in the office every few weeks and we always send interns off with a small get-together to say thanks!

Q: What should people do if they are interested in applying to the WORKac internship program?

We receive applications on a rolling basis so they can send any materials to hr@work.ac. We are not able to host a ton of people at a time so spots are a bit limited but we would love to talk with any interested students!

You can view WORKac’s portfolio here.