GROW participant gets a chance to work with motion graphics without leaving his job as photo editor.
Estonia and Finland may sit next to each other on the map, but there are some major differences between Estonians and Finns. “People in Finland are calmer than Estonians back home,” says Veiko Tõkman, who normally works at Estonian business daily Äripäev but is spending three months at MTV Media in Finland under the GROW program. “We are more edgy and serious. It is easy to live here in Finland - everything works like a charm, to the point that it is almost boring. Finns are good- spirited, humble and happy people who are open to outsiders.”
While Tõkman is a big fan of the Finns, he applied to GROW not to experience another culture, country and people, but because the exchange is giving him a chance to work on motion graphics. It’s a big difference from his job as a photo editor for the paper and as a photojournalist for both photos and video.
“I was already very interested in motion graphics and 3D, and when the motion graphics designer position in Finland with GROW showed up on my radar it just sounded too good to be true,” he says. Which is not to say that the job poses no challenges. Unlike at Äripäev, Tõkman doesn’t have the final say in the end product, there are many more people to please and steps to take. But it’s all part of learning how things work in a different part of media.
“I’ve had my eye on the Grow program for a while. Ever since my good friend from America Craig Kotilinek visited Äripäev through the same program couple of years ago. It is just an amazing opportunity to step aside and take a look at what you are doing from a another angle without actually having to make a big ‘bridge-burning’ decision in your life.”