I am currently finishing up the editing of the Edward Buchanan interview. It was a long and exciting journey for this one! Many changes have been made, countless hours of swapping this, swapping that, deleting this, adding that.

Soon will you all see what a great person Edward is and how CCAD played a role in his future.

While we’re on the topic of editing, let me tell you a little about it!

Editing is the most important aspect of the video process. If you just post the raw footage, it is terribly boring, uneventful, and long. An editors job is basically the same job as a storyteller (or a magician). He or she needs to cut down the video and make it a proper pace, put nice music to it, put images and video on top of the video to hide the cuts, etc.

The editor of almost every single documentary and interview cuts the video down to a small amount from hours or even DAYS worth of footage. The viewer doesn’t notice this because of the editors skill at hiding it.

The interviewee comes to secretly respect the editor upon viewing the final product. The interviewee might be a stutterer, might say “uhhh” a lot, might cough here and there, or whatever. The editor will take those out, and make him sound like a gentleman and a scholar.

Not to say everyone does those things when they are interviewed, but you’d be surprised as to how many do.

I would bet a whole lot that those interviews with the president on CNN and what not weren’t just ONE take. Sometimes they are, yes, but everyone makes mistakes, and it’s the media editor’s job to hide that.

Do you watch the news and say “wow, that was edited really well”.  Nope.

Do you watch basketball games on tv and say that? Didn’t think so.

I suggest you take a harder look at the editing next time you watch something, it can be really interesting what you’ll catch.

I hope you don’t catch any errors in the Ed interview though. And you won’t, because I edited it.

Now that the trip to NYC is over and our time there is a memory, I have been reflecting on how this whole journey started.

My involvement with this project happened right as I was getting ready to graduate, which made the last three months incredibly crazy. From figuring out subway routes to deciding which color shirt does not make me look like a giant pumpkin on screen, the process has been an interesting one. Never did I think that in my career I would be sent to New York to interview people—Matt Lauer style.

Last time I was in New York, I was a senior in high school, and I went to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. While doing all the tourist things that you normally do in New York, I started to wish that I could have experienced the city on a more cultural level. That is exactly what I wanted this trip to be for Alex and I, an immersion into the NYC art and design community.

Beautiful Street we came across.

I also hoped to get some time to explore the city. As a photographer, I was excited to get some super-sweet shots and capture the texture and beauty of this awesome metropolis.

Having graduated from CCAD with a major in Advertising & Graphic Design and minors in Photography and Copywriting, this trip is what I have spent the last four years working toward. Check out some of my work at www.lifebulbdesign.com, and you will see the things that inspire me and the work that I have created.

The concept for the project began in early March with the idea of heading to different places throughout the world to find  CCAD alumni. We wanted to capture their journey, find out what makes them tick, how they picked the path they did, and how CCAD set them up for that success. These questions would drive the interviews and be the main focus of the videos we captured.

Working with Resource Interactive (RI)  the CCAD team hatched an idea and figured out a plan. We did some mock interviews and then started to prepare for our interview with 2010 CCAD Fashion Icon Award winner Edward Buchanan, creator of Sansovino 6. While he was in town accepting his award at the 2010 Senior Fashion Show, we got to spend

Times Square

some time with him and find out his journey to the Jay-Oh-Bee.

Edward’s interview went great, and we got some awesome footage. At our last meeting with RI, we reviewed the video that Alex had been spending lots of time editing. It was given a big round of applause and will be the first to be posted in the series.

After this, we began planning for NYC. From the money it takes to get there, to the flights and hotel room, there was a lot of planning that went into making the trip run smoothly. My giant, crazy binder of maps and travel logistics saved us from standing in the middle of Times Square looking like tourists and helped us arrive on time for all of our meetings. The only major problem we had was getting lost in China Town, which was an experience in itself.

When I first started to write these blogs, we were just getting ready to travel. Now, we’re back in Columbus, and the editing process has begun.

Reliving these interviews reminds me of not only the fun we had but also the lessons I learned. Meeting these alumni taught me that in order to get the Jay-Oh-Bee, you have to fail, fail again, but continuously believe that what you are doing has a purpose. This is what makes success.

Filming with Ming Fay (CCAD '65)

By Chad Hughes

Well, we made it to New York. Even made good time and did not have to have a water landing in the Hudson River. Got all checked in at our beautiful hotel and were even greeted by King Kong hanging out on our beds. Then the real adventure began.

After a quick lunch at Lindy’s (who claims to have the best cheese cake in the world) and an interesting adventure trying to decode the mass transit subway signage and walking a few 30 blocks through China Town. We made it to our first interview and were warmly greeted by Ming Fay.

Buckeye nut on right was inspired by time spent at CCAD.

Ming Fay, a 1965 Columbus College of Art & Design graduate in industrial design, was eager to tell us his journey and gave us lots of good advice for art students.

First we went to the Lesley Heller gallery where there was a solo exhibition of Ming’s work (it was the closing day of the exhibition).

Seeing his work on display is even more thrilling then it is in pictures. The work sucks you in and takes you to a magical jungle of sculptural art. The turning and twisting pieces are made to mimic brush strokes on a blank canvas. Imaginary and factual plants and seeds are scattered throughout the exhibition. There was even a special buckeye nut that was inspired by his time spent in Ohio. The exhibition was great.

Then he took us to his home studio. Can I just say, WOW. His home is filled with his work and his studio is a mass of inspiration. He showed us many projects that he was working on and some that were already on display. He still references the things he learned at CCAD when it comes to building his more industrial art sculptures.

Ming Fay gives us his words of wisdom.

As Alex and I sat eating frozen grapes with him and his wife and sipping green tea. (Yes, this really happened and it was amazing.) He told us that the best thing about CCAD is that it sets you up with a strong work ethic that will last a life time. Our time spent with Ming Fay and his wife was AMAZING and Alex & I will never forget this experience.

The Jay-Oh-Bee project takes us to NYC.

Every journey has a story. One of the most interesting stories that many people have to share is how they ended up finding the right job. From the dream job they imagined has a child. To the path they take to find the right college. Then, the excitement of finding a first job after they have graduated and are entering into the real world.

This process is a journey, for Columbus College of Art & Design graduates this process is exciting. For us this journey is a story that we want to capture. We are working on a project entitled “Journey to the Jay-Oh-Bee” it will end up being a series of video alumni interviews that will be used to help show incoming students that there are some amazing jobs after art school has ended and you have walked or danced (as I did) across the graduation stage.

That is where “we” come in. My friend and fellow CCAD student Alex and I will be in the Big Apple for three days and two nights. What will we be doing? Watch out Matt & Meredith, we are the new news team in town.

First, we will travel to New York City where we will interview, film and experience selected CCAD alumni that have some pretty cool jobs. Then we will return to Columbus where we will edit these interviews into videos that we will share.

Boy, do we have some interesting journeys, to show you. The videos will eventually end up on YouTube and www.ccad.edu so be on the look out.

Having danced across the graduation stage about three weeks ago now, I am on this journey. The process of finding the right job can be exciting and fun, but with that also comes many funny, scary and happy moments and even some big moves to join the creative work force. Finding the right job that will feed your passion is not always easy and many people look for hints and tips to make this process a more smooth adventure. I will make sure I ask these successful CCAD alumni what advice they can give to current students and young professionals that are fresh out of college, like me.

Join us as we set forth on a journey of our own to the Jay-Oh-Bee. Follow our blog posts and tweets as we explore New York through the eyes of five successful artists and designers who have found a Jay-Oh-Bee that ignites their passion. Check our live twitter feed @ 2JayOhBee for our daily adventures into the heart of the Big Apple.