DM: One of my big hopes when I wrote the advert for this role, was to get someone who’d worked in large and small environments and had experience working on projects outside of our 3D design and animation world. Describe the journey that brought you to Found…

CW: It all started for me twenty years ago, when I came down to London to study Graphic Design at London College of Printing (now the LCC). The GMD course covered a wide range of disciplines, from typography, illustration and editorial design to moving image. I loved the wide exposure it gave me and the influences and methods I picked up from the tutors and visiting lecturers we had back then. From there I moved on to the RCA to study Communication Design which blew open my approach and informed me in so many ways. I was surrounded by people working in so many different kinds of disciplines, with skills and approaches I’d not had exposure to before.

Following a stint in Soho working in video, DVD and editing I got a job at the legendary Why Not Associates, where I spent the next ten years. Their multidisciplinary, experimental approach reminded me of college and the studio’s attitude towards collaboration and challenge was great for me. It was an environment where the researching, the understanding and the making was everything – and it was at the height of its craft and very respected by clients and the industry. The studio was small and close-knit, so when opportunities arose, such as co-directing a Grace Jones promo with light artist Chris Levine, I was suddenly right in there, doing something new, and realising I loved it. Why Not’s risk-taking reputation, the looking at each other as a brief lands and saying — “Can we do it? … Yeah, we can … Can’t we?” has set me in good stead. Go for it, you can do it. 

Like at the RCA I was also surrounded by materials – whether that was steel type for a giant installation, sandblasted granite or a box of books fresh from the printers, the physicality was all around me. It’s something I reflect on often given the CGI world I now predominantly work in and I think it gave me a really deep understanding of material attributes and the beauty of form. That ten years saw me live through the many ages of 3D, from 3D Studio Max, Lightwave and Maya through to Cinema 4D. Alongside this I also found myself on set and on location a lot, shooting promos and titles – all the time building up my understanding and appreciation for the craft of film-making.

With a decade under my belt, I decided to seek a new opportunity at Territory Studio, a much bigger organisation with more people to learn from and different opportunities to what I’d been exposed to so far. I experienced an even wider variety of disciplines, with cutting edge technology (imagined and real) at their heart. And I got to work on some very ambitious projects for clients like Toyota, Cartier, McKinsey and a certain Mr Bond…

DM: You’ve worked with some of the biggest brands and most respected studios, so what got you excited about joining Found?

CW: Found had been on my radar for a long time and often came up in studio and project conversations with regards to their work, industry presence and styling reference, so I was well aware of the studio. But I think it was the opportunity to join a studio I respected as a Creative Director and join at such an exciting time in their evolution. 

Found is a studio renowned for its craft and innovation, but with big ambitions and drive to push forwards, and I wanted to be a part of their development. I quickly realised I had a mutual passion with Dan around design and typography and he was equally interested in where the next generation of software and hardware advancements might take us.

I always admired their attention to detail and the care they took going behind the scenes with projects to uncover the processes and thinking that went into each project. Work that piques my interest is everything – I want to know how things were made, what techniques were used and how they made that thing special – projects that make me ask a question fascinate me.

DM: We’ve been going for a decent amount of time and have a body of work behind us – how do you see us evolving in the future?

CW: It’s all about being respectful of that past and maintaining what Found is known for, whilst injecting my experience and wider studio passions into a plan. I want to build on Found’s core of CG, film craft and storytelling – supported by a set of pillars and look to set us apart through a series of ‘edges’. These edges are where the old and new worlds of Found collide – where new technologies might take us, and where our work can go beyond the traditional screen format. We’re starting the next chapter but we’re also assessing where we’re at right now, what we’re strong at and where our passions and strengths lie so we can focus on moving forwards.

DM: what’s your creative vision for Found over the coming years and months?

CW: I think about it more as defining pillars than having a set vision to adhere to. Those pillars cover three key areas. The first is having a ‘Design-Led Approach’; a graphic designer’s eye for the detail in all that we do. Secondly, we’re all about ‘Innovation Not Imitation’ – I want us to be referring to, understanding and remixing the fundamentals of our world, and not just joining the zeitgeist. Thirdly and equally, if not, more importantly, is to ‘Celebrate The Team As Well As Our Work’. The studio is nothing without the team and it’s working with them that gets me excited and inspired to push us all into the next chapter. 

Grace Jones image © Why Not Associates & © Chris Levine
All other imagery © Why Not Associates & © Found Studio