Alex Trimpe

It all started with a class project and now Alex Trimpe, current media studies student, has gained international recognition.

Trimpe’s The World is Obsessed with Facebook video has opened new doors, and one of these doors led him to an opportunity in Singapore.

An educational publishing company is creating an English language textbook package in which they will use Trimpe’s video on a DVD.

“I got an email one day asking for permission to use my video,” said Trimpe. “It will be used and distributed for the next six years, as part of their textbook package”

This request is not the only job offer he receives in response to the Facebook video he made.

“I get around two to three requests for work a week, 100 percent of them reference the Facebook video I created,” he said.

The video was originally posted on Vimeo seven months ago and has reached nearly 611,000 plays. On YouTube the video has over 197,000 plays.

It was originally created by Trimpe to explore Kinetic Typography. He found facts on onlineschools.org dealing with social media use and wanted to somehow bring these facts to life and illustrate them.

“I wanted to work with the site’s information because not only was it interesting, but the information could also apply to a lot of people,” he said.

This  familiarity with the information is what sparked the success of the video. It was instantly shared on social media outlets by people who had come across the video.

“The biggest jump for the video came from Vimeo, when they chose it to be one of their staff picks.”

Vimeo has a staff picks selection on their website where the seven administrators of the organization will choose their top videos and The World is Obsessed with Facebook was one of their selections.

Trimpe has yet to slow down with his work. He recently worked with a local company, Wonderland, and created a video for them to feature their new work and mission. Trimpe continues to work closely with the company and has become an integral part of their team and start-up process.

Adam Brouillette. Photo credit: Ryan Monroe (CCAD 2011)

By Adam Brouillette

The older I get, the more the concept of “creative community” comes into focus. The world’s desire and need for creative individuals is becoming increasingly important. But our society and educational systems have been designed to teach us rules—suffocating affective learning and replacing it with standardization. Standardization has led to complacency and lack of innovative progress. In order for us all to develop, I believe it is important for society, businesses, and individuals to understand the values associated with creativity.

More importantly, I believe it is the responsibility of creative people themselves to value what they offer and to assert that value with a common voice. The concept of “thinking outside the box” has become a catch phrase, something businesses are proud to say so they sound like innovators. Creative people need to reclaim their place in that phrase. Truly creative minds have the ability to offer different perspectives, to pioneer, and to execute. When we learn to speak collectively of unconventional thinking and action as desirable skills, we move from the fringe of an operation to the forefront.

I’m not suggesting that this is an easy task. Creative individuals are often just that: individual. We have to remember that central to the concept of community is a willingness to accept the ideas of others. To partner with other disciplines and learn from other methods. To execute together. This cross-pollination and blending often serves as a catalyst to the creative process. A truly creative community does  just as much listening as it does speaking or acting.

Throughout my experiences in college, as part of a collective, and in entrepreneurial endeavors, this concerted voice has been a driving force. I have seen firsthand the benefits of a unified creative community—repeatedly. I have seen the change that this confederation can bring to the individuals, businesses, and cultures it reaches. Creative community is as imperative to these stakeholders as fiscal responsibility or social consciousness. Ultimately, our willingness to accept that fact, both as a culture and as creative individuals, will determine our ability to make real progress.

If we can listen, share, and work hard, we will be the leaders of the future—together.

Adam Brouillette was a Fine Arts major at CCAD and earned his B.F.A. in 2002. Since graduating, he has been part of many group initiatives, as well as continuing to produce work independently as an artist. He currently serves as president of Couchfire Collective, co-chair of the Ohio Art League’s board of trustees, manager of Junctionview Studios, owner of littleINDUSTRIES, and executive director of Wonderland Columbus.

Wonderland co-founders, from left, Josh Quinn, Adam Brouillette and Andrew Dodson.; Photo Courtesy of the Columbus Dispatch.

One year ago, alumnus Adam Brouillette (CCAD 2002) and his partners announced the concept of Wonderland, a highly anticipated multi-use space for art, performances and retail based in Columbus’s old Wonder Bread factory. Recently, Columbus Dispatch reporter Amy Saunders caught up with the group to find out what’s ahead for the highly anticipated project.

“It really became much bigger than just a bunch of storage units. It became a cultural zeitgeist,” Brouillette, who is Wonderland’s executive director, said in the article. “When people ask me, ‘I thought you guys were going to be done by now,’ I say we had a choice: We could do it fast, or we could do it right. We just chose to do it right.”

The 64,000 square foot building is planned to open to tenants and community members during a New Year’s Eve 2011 opening party on which the iconic Wonder Bread sign will be lit. With construction planned to begin in June, the space will house 150 tenants and include artist studios, rehearsal spaces, a performance and event venue, a recording studio and places to eat, drink and shop.

“I think Columbus is like Florence, Italy, in the 1500s: We are essentially beginning a new renaissance,” Brouillette said.

Read the entire article at the Columbus Dispatch. For more information about Wonderland, visit the website.

People to Watch story from Alive's website

Adam Brouillette (CCAD 2002) was recently listed in Alive’s annual People to Watch list.

The weekly alternative paper carefully selects this list with help from reader nominations. This year, the eclectic group of 11 have something interesting in common. The paper has identified them as people that they think can build Columbus’s brand.

Brouillette is one of several in the group representing the creative class. Since leaving CCAD he has not only been actively engaged in the arts community but has helped lead several collaborative initiatives that are changing the culture of Columbus’ arts community and the landscape of the city, including Couchfire Collective and Junctionview Studios.

The project that Brouillette has his fingers in that is currently attracting attention is the rehab of the old Wonder Bread factory. Called the Wonderland project, the recently vacated urban landmark is being transformed to house art, music, performance, retail and office space.

Check out the full article in Alive to see what Brouillette has to say about Wonderland, Columbus arts, and his own take on getting things done.