Meet Kristan Woolford. He’s currently in the final phase of getting his MA Digital Film/Video Production degree from GSU while pursuing a MS Digital Media degree from Georgia Tech. Kristan will ready to hit the ground running with a startup internship on May 1, so be sure to snag him while you can!
What tech/creative projects are you currently working on?
Probably the most urgent creative project on my plate right now would be my Master’s Thesis project, which explores the intersectionality of Documentary and Narrative Fiction Storytelling strategies. It goes deeper than that though, it’s aimed at helping to unpack some of the ideas of WEB DuBois in regards to the theory of double consciousness, all in a sci-fi post apocalyptic dystopian society. Yes I’m serious. I’m thrilled to be working on it under the guidance of Daniel Robin. He’d probably hate me for mentioning him in this, but he deserves some shine lol, he won a Sundance Film Fest award after all! He’s definitely inspired my work, even beyond just filmmaking.
As far tech projects go, the most exciting one would have to be a project in my Mixed Reality Design class at Tech. We’re conceptualizing ways to digitally preserve the rich history of Auburn Ave through the use of augmented reality. Hopefully you’ll be seeing/hearing a lot more from me in that field once I get the skill set mastered to create memorable experiences with this medium.
What past projects have you worked on?
I’ve been working to brand myself as an International Documentary Filmmaker, but to be honest that’s a tough one to stay dedicated to 24/7. I’ve already directed the feature Her Good News, which is an account of a team of missionaries as they traveled through South Africa. I aired it on WATC 57 here in Georgia. I got blessed with the chance to fly to Chennai India last year and got more footage of another missions based trip. I think with this one though I’m going to experiment with using the internet as the primary medium to convey the story rather than just film.
What are your best technical or creative skills?
I’m a videographer & editor by profession, but I definitely can hold my own when it comes to Communication/PR, content management systems, and photography. I’m also working on further developing my web programming skills.
What’s next on your list to learn?
I would love to learn the craft of video projection mapping. Something about it is so reminiscent of the beginnings of hip hop, when artists would have to carry around boom box radios and blast them just to get their songs heard when the radio stations wouldn’t play their music. Projection mapping has that same energy in the Digital Age, where everybody’s screens are constantly being flooded and competing for eyeballs. You project on a large scale some video imagery onto City Hall or a Marta Station though, and you’ve got everyone’s attention.
Why the interest in startups?
Startups are fearless. I enjoy the silent contract on everyone’s part that if you’re part of the startup team, you’re in it for the love and the passion. It’s hard to replicate that intensity in a traditional work environment. Startups are about creating the future, in contrast to most corporations that are hoping to meter out change on a timeline they control so they can maximize profits during every phase of innovation. I’m also drawn to places that don’t necessarily confine individuals to one commodifiable skill. Its cool to be at a place where the graphic designer might just so happen to also be one hell of a salesman/woman, that the company looks to when its time to close a deal.
What’s your ideal internship?
An ideal internship is one that values creativity and doesn’t view interns as just students to exploit. The technology revolution that’s underway makes ageism kinda antiquated. People love to crack jokes about Millennials, but at the end of the day the freshest ideas for ways to use the internet can easily come from us. Its forgotten that there is a relatively small amount of people on this Earth right now who remember both what life was like before and after the internet, and also are the most active users of the internet today. You gotta at the very least respect those older Millenials for that. Back to the question at hand though, I’d like to get more experience in the world of entrepreneurship for sure and startups seem like the best place to do just that.
