Friday, May 28, 2010
Monday, November 23, 2009
Photo: Christoffer-Robin Eklund, Motion Graphics Designer 2010 Karlskrona
George Giampuranus and Petula Bouchard at Sid Lee were interviewed by Hyper Island Students Andreas Kleiner and Michaela Sirilä.
Could you tell us a little bit about who you are and what you are doing @ Sid Lee?
George: Creative Director for Interactive and Partner with Sid Lee since 1999.
Petula: COO partner with Sid Lee since 1999
What makes Sid Lee different from other agencies around the world?
George: Simply put, it’s our integrated multidiscipline approach. It allows our to use the power of creativity in a much more comprehensive marketing mix to solve our client’s business objectives.
Whats your connection with Hyper Island?
George: We have been doing portfolio reviews in schools worldwide for a while now. Hyper Island pinged our radar when the Crew 12 site won an FWA three years ago. The relationship grew from there.
What makes Hyper different from other schools?
George: Clearly its the methodology. I have never seen an academic environment that nourishes a mix of “learn as you go” with critical analysis, problem solving and creativity in such a practical way. The resulting students are very much what the industry needs right now.
You came here during our experience technology module, why during this module?
George: To be honest, I didn’t even know what the module was when I came. I though I was only meeting the students to talk about their portfolio. I should have read the email :-). In the end, I was very happy to be a part of this module. I hope my comments were helpful to the students who were clearly working very hard on their assignment.
How many people from Hyper Island do you have working with you today?
George: Right now there are four. One in Montreal and three in Amsterdam.
You said today your were out looking for talented people, what is talent to you?
George: Talent is about being creative within constraints and to be able to find solutions that makes those constraints appear invisible. In other words, work within the brief. Also, you must be able to execute your solution in excellence. At Sid Lee, you have to get your hands dirty.
Petula: Talented people is people who are passionated in what they do, always one foot in head, who try some things differently and creatively
If you could name 3 things thats important for SID LEE what would that be?
Petula : people, people, people
Monday, February 2, 2009
Digital Media 2010 Karlskrona students are currently focusing on the specialization of their choice; design, management or technology. Mathias Olofsson has chosen management as his specialization, and is currently in Amsterdam with six of his classmates on a shadowing assignment. Mathias tells us more about the assignment and how he found Hyper Island:
My Hyper Island story started in Australia actually, I was doing a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design at the University of the Sunshine Coast. During my second semester I had a German design teacher who asked me if I had heard about Hyper Island before going to Australia. So in a way I had to go across the world to find out about the school that is 2 hours away from my hometown! So I applied from Australia and went home for the recruitment days and a couple of weeks later I got the e-mail that said I had been accepted, happy days!
I am doing the Project Management specialization at Hyper Island and I am currently at Sid Lee in Amsterdam doing a work shadowing assignment, which means I am following a Project Manager around here to see how they work both internally at the agency and externally with clients and other agencies. After being here for a couple of days I have totally fallen in love with the atmosphere and the people here. The little Sid Lee collective shop right next door is awesome and the blackboard wall café is just a great idea. Every couple of weeks they get a local artist to come in and draw a piece of art all over the cafeteria walls which are made of a blackboard surface, so here artists create masterpieces with a piece of chalk. Guests can make their own little art pieces in the bathrooms. So after being here I am tempted to apply for my internship here, Amsterdam is a beautiful city and the atmosphere is just amazing.
What Hyper Island has given me the most is the ability to see challenges instead of obstacles, meaning that I critically and analytically try and solve problems instead of regarding them as obstacles to hard to get around. Instead I view them as a challenge I will learn something from. Of course learning how to give and accept feedback has been a huge part of the learning experience as well.
When I am done at Hyper I would like to work being a Project Manager, working with group dynamics and the client/agency contact is something I like doing. And the feeling after a big project you have led is finished is just great. Seeing people work on a project with a huge amount of energy just keeps yourself motivated to go on.
If you are a self-managing person, or want to be, Hyper Island is a great opportunity. Digital Management is a two-year long experience you go through with a lot of stress, frustration, and of course good times too. After two years, if you have managed to reach your learning goals and expectations, you will be ready for the work environment in a totally different way than any other education can prepare you.
Thank you, Mathias!