LAMs (Libraries, Archives, and Museums)
MLIS (Master’s of Library and Information Science)
Week Four
Day Twenty-One: Bristol
Interview with a King. Ben King.
“You first have to climb a hill taller than the tower!”
Deb Eschweiler, Hill Climber, Tower Ascender, Muscle Puller
I took a day trip to Bristol to interview Ben King, Head of Post Production for FaceFilms. I had some time to explore the city before meeting up with Ben and designer, photographic art director and his significant other, Charlotte McCarthy, for dinner and conversation. (Okay…it was more of an interview).
Getting to Bristol, of course, required a train. This particular train departed from Paddington Station. This was noteworthy for two reasons. First, I was able to revisit the spot where I stood staring at the map on my phone trying to figure out which direction to go when I first arrived on the Heathrow Express three weeks ago. Spoiler: I chose poorly. I now know which exit goes where! Second, since I had time before boarding, I could visit my childhood chum, Paddington Bear. I don’t who I’ve spent more time interacting with over the years, Paddington Bear or Ben King.
I first met Ben at the National Association of Broadcasters Conference in Las Vegas in the mid-2000’s, so we are pushing right about a decade and half now. Ben has been a reliable source of information for a number of years as he’s an established expert in the field. He is very much in-demand, and is internationally recognized for his expertise. He is also a moderator on the Los Angeles Creative Pro User Group (LACPUG) forums. Ben and I have spent many an hour in person and online engaged in rousing conversations about codecs, file formats, and the proper pronunciation of “Beta”.
Before we were schedule to meet for dinner and resume our jocular yet technical confabulation, I had other tasks to accomplish. There were interviews to schedule, and towers to find, and apparently hills to climb. Since I am from the vast, vast flatness of the midwestern prairie, this wasn’t as easy a task as it may have been for someone who has been residing in someplace like San Francisco or some other über-hilly region. The effects were…significant. Here I am, two days later, and I’m still finding it difficult to fully extend and contract my calves!
As for the interview itself, Ben and I were able to get through only a portion of my questions. The three of us had some catching up to do, but also Ben’s breadth of knowledge is so vast that he has a tendency to wander slightly off-topic. I am always more than willing to follow because it’s always incredibly interesting and relevant…just not in the way one expect at the outset.
I put the remainder of the questions into email form the next day. Within a few hours I had a reply that essentially began, “Sorry this is dashed off. I’m a bit busy today” and then continued with fully thought-out and complete responses. He obviously put some quality time into the email. Must be the British equivalent to “Minnesota Nice”!
7.8 miles/18,400 steps/25 “flights” climbed
Deb's in London & on the LAM(s) 