Behind the scenes at Vivid Image

WD: Vivid Image is a successful agency with some very talented people on board

WD: Vivid Image is a successful agency with some very talented people on board. What kind of advice would you give to budding designers and developers who want to get into the industry?
DK: Look for companies that you get a kick out of, get an interview and don’t leave them without an internship. One of the best interviews that I had was somebody who came in and said, “I don’t care what you pay me, how many hours I have to work, I want to work for you and I want to make myself indispensable.” Make yourself indispensable. Don’t underestimate the benefits of internships. For instance, Peter (Halasz – Flash developer) was an intern and after his work on Vauxhall, he was given a job immediately and became lead developer on one of our latest projects.
If you don’t have a portfolio, commission yourself to make projects for your dream clients. Give away your services for free; that’s exactly what we did when we started up as an agency. You need to build up your portfolio in the quickest way possible. Don’t wait for people to pay you to get a chance in the industry – get the pain over quickly, swallow your pride and put yourself out there.

WD: Finally, what projects is Vivid Image currently working on, and what plans and projects does the agency have lined up for the near future?
DK: Vivid Image is currently working on some great projects with companies in the States, which are too early on to be spilling the beans about. The one that we can chat about is the new Lockout TV site (www.lockouttv.com). Here, VI is streaming HD video with no buffering and a one-second load time on a normal broadband connection. With the new release of CS4, we’re going to be making this interactive and use it to create websites, because one of the main problems with Flash, as we’re sure your readers will be fully aware, is its loading times.
One of the projects we’ve been working on for the past five months is a website for the PFA, www.givemefootball.com. We integrated ProZone into the site. ProZone is a sports performance analysis tool used in broadcasting and by Premiership clubs, including Arsenal and Manchester City. ProZone gives greater detail and insight into every aspect of the game. Using these statistics, you can find out more information that you’ll ever need to know on all your favourite players and teams. We are using ProZone to extend the possibilities in the fields of gambling, allowing users/customers to gamble on the player with the most touches and the player who runs the furthest.
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