We collaborated with the Google Africa teams and shot across Lagos, Nigeria and Johannesburg, South Africa as well as a remote shoot in Nairobi, Kenya. It was an idea that I pitched to our ECD and was then involved in at all stages I really felt that the team respected and supported my ideas from the get-go. WomenWill was definitely a favourite and a career-defining film to work on. Lastly, talk about your interests, passions and opinions – many of the best projects from the lab start from these.ĭo you have a favourite project from that time? Show process, and reveal the inner workings behind the shiny work. The other bits of advice are more practical: Be patient, as it can take many months and interviews before finding out if you have a spot. If you can reduce complex ideas into something simple and memorable, tell stories, build visual worlds, write beautifully or think strategically – those are all incredibly valuable skills that can help put Google’s technology into the world in a better, more thoughtful way. While some people at the Lab are technologists, not everyone is, so it’s crucial to be confident in the skills you have. When I applied, I didn’t have a Gmail account, hadn’t used many Google tools (except Search, YouTube and Maps), didn’t know the difference between UX and UI, and had no idea how to code (and still don’t). I’ll start my advice with a slight confession. What advice would you give to someone applying for the programme? The days were always busy, unknown, electric and very rewarding. We were given a healthy amount of responsibility in that first year, often presenting work or directing a production company with the team. Then I would chime in with the language and strategy while David patiently listened to my sub-par suggestions!įor the bigger projects I played a more defined role, often owning a stream of work – such as the visual language, or the installation when we launched Jacquard, the world’s first interactive textile. I would often make all the visuals – film tests, posters, logos, drawings of installations – anything to communicate the idea in a simple and memorable way. I always preferred the smaller ones because I got to wear multiple hats for example, we would talk about an idea over lunch, then quickly scramble to make a pitch deck in the afternoon. I worked closely with David on most projects, sometimes just us, and other times with over ten people, depending on the project’s size and importance. Little did I know, but that desk had been carefully made free by Janay, who runs the Fiver programme – and it defined my next seven years. I walked into the office on my first day and sat in what I thought was a free desk, next to one of the creative leads, David Bruno. When I started as a Fiver, the Lab in London had only been around a few years and was relatively small and scrappy. What did your working days look like as a Fiver? In addition to all of the projects we get to work on, one of the most amazing things about the Lab is the people! Some of the past Fivers are still some of my best mates and collaborators, and we still get to work together on occasion, which I absolutely love. This was a series of apps and live wallpapers that helped people find a better balance with technology and their devices. Digital Wellbeing Experiments was another project that I particularly enjoyed. It was so interesting – but at the same time devastating – to see how much our world has changed, a truly impactful and universal piece. A few key ones for me include (but not limited to):Įxploring Timelapse in Google Earth showed humanity’s impact on the Earth through a global timelapse. I’ve worked on projects spanning products and apps through to installations and print. As part of the programme you get to work alongside the wider Google team, but also bounce ideas and collaborate with other Fivers on your own projects.ĭo you have a favourite project you worked on as a Fiver? It’s a place where people with diverse backgrounds and skillsets come together to work on various types of projects. How would you describe the Google Five programme to someone who hasn’t heard of it?
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