Omar
Cruz is Creative Director here at Interlock Media. Himself the product of a
lifetime devotion to the arts, Omar is amongst our most visionary and skilled
staff members. When he’s not illustrating (see picture below), playing guitar,
or working on his own film projects, Omar tackles Interlock’s numerous creative
tasks in the other sixty hours a week that he has left.
After
getting his start as a CG operator on Puerto Rico’s channel 6 PBS affiliate,
Omar went on to work as a cameraman, director, motion graphics specialist and
college instructor, before coming to Interlock.
As
well as being an extremely well rounded individual and skateboarding veteran, Omar is a recent emigrant
of Puerto Rico and a brand new Bostonian. After being in the USA for about a
month, he found his way into our world and has been one our MVPs ever since.
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| Artwork by Omar Cruz |
We sat Omar down for a quick
Q & A:
Q: What do you do here at Interlock?
A: I’m the creative director at Interlock Media. Most of my job involves designing and implementing most of the web-related content. I also serve as the motion graphics artist and in-house colorist.
Q: What got you interested in working for Interlock?
A: Well, I had moved from Puerto Rico and was looking for a job. There was an opening for an editing internship at Interlock Media, which I applied for because I had just gotten into Boston and didn’t know anyone, and I thought it would be a good place to start. Since, my duties have increased considerably.
Q: What got you interested in film/graphic design?
A:
My family is very big
on film. We used to spend most of our nights huddled in front of the TV.
I’ve drawn
since I was very little; I used to draw Looney Toons. I draw, I play
guitar, I
take pictures and I write. Film is mixed media. It allows me to explore
my interests in many different artforms. Be it music, photography,
writing, acting and even drawing. I enjoy the experience.
Q: What was the transition from Puerto Rico to America like?
A: I guess you have to get used to a couple of things. Weather patterns are something I have a lot more in mind now, there’s not a lot of seasonal changes in Puerto Rico. I still hold that Puerto Rican food is the best, and I miss it like crazy.
Q: What’s your favorite part of working for Interlock?
A: I like the idea of working for a non-profit environmental organization. I think that we have projects that are worthwhile. As a motion graphics artist, you run across jobs that don’t make you feel very proud of yourself, but working for a non-profit like Interlock is very gratifying. It’s very hard most of the time to find a film industry job that’s helping the world.
Q: Are you where you imagined you would be now, back when you were 18?
A: I’m certainly following the right direction that I had in mind. I have a very elaborate plan with what I want to do and where I want to go. I’ve already finished my first feature, and I’m working on my second.
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring illustrators/film makers?
A: You really have to know that this is what you want to do. It’s a very misunderstood line of work. People think it’s a very glamorous job, but it involves a lot of sacrifice. I think there's people who like the film industry and then there's people who honestly feel a need to be a part of it and truthfully believe the have something to contribute. If you're passionate about it, it might not be worth the effort. I’ve been known to live where I work. I didn’t think of that as hardship, I loved the idea of living in a studio, and I think that only people who want to live that way should pursue this career. That and always charge half up-front.
Q: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
A: If I could have a superpower, I think being able to read minds would be the most useful power in the world. Either being able to read minds or controlling people’s minds would be awesome.
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