Behind the [screens] #9
Welcome to the ninth part in our series of ‘Behind the [screens]’. A sneak peek into the worlds of our super talented team here at FOTW and a little bit about them and what life looks like in lock down. Alex Campkin our IT Manager and genius of all things technical and server related is up next to share his thoughts…
Name: Alex Campkin (IT Manager)
Working for FOTW since: 21/11/2018
How long have you worked at FOTW?
Just over 2 years, How time flies!
What’s your favourite piece of work to date at FOTW that you’ve worked on?
Easily Sky Ireland’s UOD advert. Watching that develop over multiple roughcuts has without a doubt been one of my favourite moments of Quality Control.
What experimental work do you do?
Part of my role here at FOTW is research and development, arguably the most fun part of my role as it always entails getting to play around with the latest technology and softwares. More recently a major piece of experimental work we’ve undertaken is developing scalable cloud based rendering systems that can allow us to process our renders faster than ever before!
What made you decide to get involved in the creative industry?
Largely a desire for something new. I’ve always had some involvement in the creative industry so it seemed like a logical, albeit somewhat daunting step. But I haven’t looked back since!
How has COVID changed the way you work?
Fortunately COVID has not drastically changed the way I work, I still work in the office as someone has to keep the lights on! It’s certainly been nice to maintain some routine and normality. The main change is greater flexibility on where you work from, whether that’s on the move, at home or onsite, Office culture is certainly changing for the better!
What’s the best part of working at FOTW?
The sense of family, focus on teamwork and our tight knit culture.
How do you stay current with the technology and processes in the industry?
Being based in IT I need to stay up to date with major developments, I do this through a variety of ways through global tech and security news, niche career groups on Facebook and Reddit, various youtube and other online tech channels and podcasts.
“IBC without a doubt! This is a major broadcast and media technology showcase held once a year in Amsterdam with keynotes from all the big players in the broadcast industry.”
If you could attend any VFX event, what would it be?
IBC without a doubt! (https://show.ibc.org/) this is a major broadcast and media technology showcase held once a year in Amsterdam with keynotes from all the big players in the broadcast industry.
Favourite Film?
Always hard to pick just one but, Shaun of the Dead, Easily. I’m a sucker for a good comedy and anything involving Simon Pegg!
Any advice for the next generation of IT Manager?
Keep up to date with the latest developments, join career groups on social media, talk to others in the same field and keep pushing yourself forward through self driven courses and by playing with different technologies.
Like what you see?
If you fancy a chat about what we do, give us a call on 01582 881144 or drop us an email hello@falloffthewall.com. We’d love to hear from you!