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Quicksilver Newsletter

All The World's A Stage

by Laura Kalinowski, Associate Producer

The famed adventure writer Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote that “there are no foreign lands – it is only the traveler who is foreign.” It’s up to the traveler, Stevenson touts, to take unexpected experiences and learn from them, and in the process learn a little more about yourself. The Quicksilver team has been all over the globe – from Switzerland to South Africa to Israel to Costa Rica – and as you’ll read, everyone got more out of their travels than a suntan.

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David Yakir
Animator / Editor

I love traveling for pleasure with my friends – it’s up to you which memories you keep. I definitely hold onto the good ones.

 

 

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Andrew Webb
Director of Internet Solutions

My travels have taught me to be resilient and make adjustments on the fly. While on a film shoot in Jerusalem, we found ourselves in the middle of a demonstration, and could not truck in our gear. I hired a crew of local youths with wheelbarrows instead. The surprises you encounter while traveling teach you to work with what‘s in front of you.

 

 

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Tyler Uteg
Associate Producer

I often fish when I travel, and to excel at fishing you have to employ a lot of patience. It’s an intricate process – deciding on a spot in the lake, where to cast your line, what type of bait to use – you need patience to decide on these things. Patience and precision make it that much better when you catch the fish.

 

 

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Bill Talsma
Flash Animator / Designer

Ich bin überall der Welt herum geflogen — Germany, Switzerland, Estonia, Mexico, Sweden, Croatia, Canada, Finland, Czech Republic... Travel allows me to explore new communication techniques and cultivate new skills. Specifically, I’ve been learning German for the past few years, and am often able to practice speaking the language while traveling. You’re reinforcing your knowledge through real world experience — which is the best way to learn.

 

 

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Michael O’Brien
Director of Sales

Growing up within the confines of a big city means never having to travel to get a global picture of life as every race, color and creed was represented in my own backyard – or so I thought. It wasn’t until I had the chance to see other cultures from the inside, that I began to realize that dividing the world into friends and enemies based on my perception of select individuals, which came quite easily, and usually fell into the category of who was “with me” or “against me,” was not only wrong, it was incredibly naive.

 

 

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Kathy Morris
Vice President / Executive Producer

Living in Indonesia taught me how to effectively negotiate. I remember one instance where my husband and I were interested in a hand-carved wooden sculpture. The sculptor was asking 100,000 rupiah ($50). After a day of negotiating we traded the piece for my husband's orange hat.

 

 

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Jeff Maslouski
Post Production Manager

I try to expand my musical knowledge whenever I travel. I have been playing drums since age 10, and wherever I visit, I try to buy a percussion instrument native to that culture. I have a small but growing collection of instruments from all over the world. Experiencing the music of different cultures fuels my musical imagination and lets me stay in touch with the places I visit long after the trip is over.

 

 

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Diane MacWilliams
President

Never go to a timeshare presentation while you’re on vacation with your family! It wastes your vacation time and the presentations never promise enough. In the moment it seems like a good idea, but a year later when you’re trying to figure out how to use it again, it’s a big mistake. Especially with all the travel deals and bargains that are out there right now.

 

 

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Debbie Mackron
Administrative Assistant

I enjoy experiencing many things, and interacting with other cultures reminds me how much I cherish my own culture. Travel reminds me how much I love home.

 

 

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Pat Lehnerer
Senior Designer

From place to place people are different, but everyone is always friendly. The friendly nature of the people I meet when I travel has opened me up to more experiences.

 

 

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Laura Kalinowski
Associate Producer

I make a point to interact with as many locals as I can. That’s where the stories and the culture are. I experienced much more talking to them than just taking a basic guided tour. When I lived in Cyprus I spent a day at a Turkish restaurant, conversing through a form of charades with the restaurant owner and his two sons – I got an inside look at day-to-day Turkish Cypriot life.

 

 

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Lakshmi Jayaraman
Programmer

For me, travel is a way to reconnect with my family. I’m from India, and I love going back to my country and spending time with my parents and those I care about.

 

 

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Mark Jadwisiak
Account Executive

I’ve learned that it’s important to embrace the local culture of wherever you travel. I strive not to be an American in a foreign city, but instead more directly relate to the people of the city. That’s how you better connect and get more out of your experience.

 

 

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Max Gerstein
Account Executive

The way you approach a situation, and the atmosphere you create when meeting new people as you travel, is an experience in and of itself – it can turn complete strangers into family.  It’s about mutual respect – being able to meet people on common ground, even if you don’t always see eye to eye.  It’s an attitude I try to take from my travels, and bring into my everyday life – personally, as well as professionally.  Traveling has taught me that, no matter how different someone appears to be, there is always a common ground. The trick is being willing to find it.

 

 

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Chris Bartot
Senior Producer

I’ve learned it’s always a good move to travel with someone who speaks the local language. In the case of going to produce a meeting in Barcelona, our video engineer spoke Spanish. This came in handy when driving local technical crews who spoke limited English. It also came in handy when touring the city during off hours as it was easier to get around without being taken advantage of by local cab drivers.

 

 

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Betsy Balgooyen
Internet Production Manager

Wherever I go I try to go for a run or a walk. Not only is this a great way to battle fatigue and any applicable jetlag, but it is a great way to see the city.  I have found lots of little known places in cities like San Francisco, Paris, Stockholm, New York, Dallas and Boston that I might have missed. 

 

 

Moe Amer
Financial Controller

I learn most about a country by trying to soak up as much history as I can. I recently went to Germany and the Netherlands, where I went to many museums and landmarks throughout the countries. That’s not to say I don’t take in modern experiences as well — I also went skiing and drove a boat down the river in Amsterdam.

 

 


Laura Kalinowski is approaching her first anniversary as an Associate Producer with Quicksilver. Like many other members of the team, she has a case of wanderlust. Click on this link to learn more about the members of the Quicksilver team or contact our sales team to start the ball rolling to work with them.


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