Thank You Frog
Friday, December 22 at 8:47 AM
Of Birds and Treehouse Ladders
This past weekend, my Portfolio Center friends and I continued our unexplainable monthly tradition of eating at chain restaurants with the Planet Hollywood in Times Square. Because, you know, you can't find life-sized replicas of a cryogenically-frozen Sylvester Stallone at Mercer Kitchen. Sadly, this was my last monthly outing before moving. Alison, Allen, Sarah and Katie surprised me by wearing Sarah's custom-designed "Dave Werner is a Friend of Mine" tee-shirts! I even got one of my own and immediately put it on, although the postmodern irony might have been lost on the floods of nearby tourists. The rest of the night included Irish coffees with a little too much Irish, and meeting up with school friends Angie and Steve. Overall, it was one of the nicest times I've had up here, and made me realize even more how much I'm going to miss these guys.
Sunday, December 17 at 7:53 PM
Power to the People
Please vote for Okaydave in the FWA People's Choice Award 2006!
Wednesday, December 13 at 6:50 AM
Minor Studios
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."
-Walt Disney
I'm excited to announce that I will be moving to San Francisco in January 2007 to start and head a new interactive company called Minor Studios.
The studio is being created with the support and guidance of Halsey Minor, the founder of CNET and a fellow UVA alum.
Looking back on personal events in 2006, it's absolutely insane how rapidly life has changed. The year started with caffeinated nights in an Atlanta apartment, creating a portfolio I figured only my Mom and a small handful of companies would see. Okaydave launched in February, was lucky enough to gain some recognition, and helped to jumpstart a cross-country job search. In April, I moved to New York for frog design, working alongside smart people on genuinely cool and innovative projects. Then this San Francisco opportunity came out of nowhere, and through solid advice and a couple of trips out west, the next step became clear. The finer details of Minor Studios are still being developed, but it's essentially as close to a personal dream job as I can imagine.
Leaving frog will be difficult. After the depressing teaching experience a few years ago, I realize how valuable it is to say that you love your job. Well, I love frog. I have learned so much, and there is not a single person in the office who won't be missed. The positive and playful atmosphere of frog is a feeling I'll be trying to emulate out west. Leaving NYC and my friends up here will be hard as well. We've had no trouble staying entertained and inspired in an amazing city.
Thanks to everyone for your understanding and continued support. From Okay to Minor, it seems that I can only work with low expectations and self-deprecating namesakes. But I sort of like it that way. This is an exciting opportunity with tremendous potential, and I can't wait for the new adventures and challenges that Minor Studios will bring.
Saturday, December 2 at 9:00 PM
Okay Samurai Multimedia is Dave Werner's personal site. I'm currently working at Minor Studios in San Francisco. Thanks for visiting! (more...)
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