Current

Current TV is by turns awesome and annoying. Such is the nature of work. They call it work and not play for a reason. The difference between here and any place in LA is I really want to make it work out. In LA, there were so many motion graphics companies, the grass was always greener on the other side and the fence was so easy to jump that I wanted to jump as often as possible. I really actually believe in Current TV and want to work to make the job something fulfilling rather than just get frustrated and go somewhere else and the first sign it's not quite the perfect thing. I think Current is a great company making a great thing.

Current TV is a station about news, politics and culture that is created by the viewers. There main content is pods -- 5 to 15 minute stories, interviews, news items that are created and sent in by anyone. They have reporters and producers and things that work for the station, as well as frequent outside collaborators, but most of the content is viewer created. People there are really passionate about what they do for the most part and everyone is really nice -- although I generally have felt that about everywhere I worked.

Probably the most awesome aspect in many ways is that this is the closest to a 9-5 job I've ever had. I get there at 9, and most days I can leave by 6pm. Some people in my department even leave at 5:30 sometimes! I've only stayed as late as 8:30 on a couple occasions. Wow. For someone who's used to 10 hour days as a standard (plus a 40 min commute by car) it's a change of life. That and having about and hour and 40 minutes of walking and biking built into my every day has made me a very happy person.

So I am the graphic designer for the promos department. I'm not directly in the graphic design department, but I sit with them and I hang out with them and work with them quite a bit. Technically, however, I'm in promos which is under the marketing department. I go to writer's meetings with these producer/editors and basically design and animate all the graphics that are used in on tv promotions -- everything form ads for new shows to end pages and coming soon screens. I think there will be opportunity for more big picture thinking where I am...possibilities. It's only been 3 weeks, and I am just feeling out my place. I think everyone is! The company has grown phenomenally in the last 2 years -- I think they've tripled their employees. They're an independently owned company that is going to have an IPO sometime in the next year.

Not ever day is bliss. I'm doing a lot less pure design work, and a lot more crap work -- swapping text and rendering out multiple versions, doing quick 2 hour jobs that I can't really do the best design work I'd like to do. But it's a good mix of things, and I know there will be opportunities to do more. Plus, I've been keeping up with some freelance board design jobs with Digital Kitchen and Roger after hours and on weekends. I could do more if I didn't want to actually have some time to relax here and there.

So yeah. There's the recap.