Q&A with Jay Eckert
Interactive Designer & Developer
What brought you to Austin & Williams?
It’s really quite simple. I wanted to work for the best agency, so I did some research. Austin & Williams quickly shot to the top of my short list to inquire about an internship as they were quite noticeably the most awarded agency in the area… by a long shot. I interviewed with Rick and Bill Pesce and was offered an internship in what was my second summer in college. I returned every winter and summer break after that as an intern and was offered a full time position by Rick just before I graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in 2004.
How would you describe your design style?
Zag, Zag, Zag… especially in the over-populated, mess of a marketing world we lovingly refer to as "The Web." When everyone zigs, I zag. I like to stand out, and in return it makes our agency stand out. I don’t fear failure, because being safe in advertising is going unnoticed… our job is to make our clients stand out from the competition, not assimilate.
What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned while working for Austin & Williams?
The best ideas are born from collaboration, and the best ideas are often killed by committee.
Can you play Guitar Hero?
I’ve been known to beat on a few drum pads late at night during a studio "guy’s night in." Occasionally the guys in the studio and I stay after work, order some pizzas, bring in some creative juice (aka beer) and play various games on Nintendo’s Wii. I personally love Guitar Hero World Tour. I'm OK, but if you want to witness magic, you must swing by to hear John Leary's golden pipes on vocals… absolutely stunning and sure to bring a tear to anyone’s eye.
What’s the most recent iPhone app you downloaded?
Recently downloaded? Can’t keep track, there are so many, I try most of ’em. But the one I use the most is Tweetie, the best twitter app thus far. It allows me to keep my finger to the pulse of the world while at the same time adding my own little beat. Twitter is my current web-crush, but the web is so volatile, by the time I finish typing this sentence, I could be madly in love with my next web-crush.
Flash or HTML?
People always ask me this question. The answer is not Flash OR HTML, but Flash AND HTML. Now if you wanted a rant to end all rants, you should have asked me "Mac or PC?" That would have produced unimaginable fireworks. Just ask any of the guys in the studio, I'm a PC guy… a black sheep in the advertising world indeed.
