{"id":1926,"date":"2018-04-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-04-03T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xperience.consulting\/?p=1926"},"modified":"2024-04-21T13:12:11","modified_gmt":"2024-04-21T12:12:11","slug":"old-kid-on-the-new-bloc-a6f1382e2d57","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xperience.consulting\/?p=1926","title":{"rendered":"Old kid on the new\u00a0Bloc"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n      * {\n        font-family: Georgia, Cambria, \"Times New Roman\", Times, serif;\n      }\n      html, body {\n        margin: 0;\n        padding: 0;\n      }\n      h1 {\n        font-size: 50px;\n        margin-bottom: 17px;\n        color: #333;\n      }\n      h2 {\n        font-size: 24px;\n        line-height: 1.6;\n        margin: 30px 0 0 0;\n        margin-bottom: 18px;\n        margin-top: 33px;\n        color: #333;\n      }\n      h3 {\n        font-size: 30px;\n        margin: 10px 0 20px 0;\n        color: #333;\n      }\n      header {\n        width: 640px;\n        margin: auto;\n      }\n      section {\n        width: 640px;\n        margin: auto;\n      }\n      section p {\n        margin-bottom: 27px;\n        font-size: 20px;\n        line-height: 1.6;\n        color: #333;\n      }\n      section img {\n        max-width: 640px;\n      }\n      footer {\n        padding: 0 20px;\n        margin: 50px 0;\n        text-align: center;\n        font-size: 12px;\n      }\n      .aspectRatioPlaceholder {\n        max-width: auto !important;\n        max-height: auto !important;\n      }\n      .aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill {\n        padding-bottom: 0 !important;\n      }\n      header,\n      section[data-field=subtitle],\n      section[data-field=description] {\n        display: none;\n      }\n      <\/style>\n<article class=\"h-entry\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"p-name\">Old kid on the new Bloc<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<section class=\"p-summary\" data-field=\"subtitle\">A cupboard was full of microphones, a relic connected to a \u2018prolific career\u2019 as an amateur tournament Paintball player. It was just a\u2026<\/section>\n<section class=\"e-content\" data-field=\"body\">\n<section class=\"section section--body section--first section--last\">\n<div class=\"section-divider\">\n<hr class=\"section-divider\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"section-content\">\n<div class=\"section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn\">\n<h3 id=\"49e3\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf--leading graf--title\">Old kid on the new\u00a0Bloc<\/h3>\n<p id=\"d059\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">A cupboard was full of microphones, a relic connected to a \u2018prolific career\u2019 as an amateur tournament Paintball player. It was just a matter of time before I would find a reason to use them again.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"e383\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/800\/1*pSXUQ-OFDkx7sI4_moNL8A.png\" data-image-id=\"1*pSXUQ-OFDkx7sI4_moNL8A.png\" data-width=\"1042\" data-height=\"620\" \/><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\">Former glories.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"0b8f\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">I played competitive paintball, and travelled to Asia, Europe and the US, for nearly a decade. Only a few of my closest friends and former team-mates know how the sport ultimately framed what would become my career and a recent project I launched.<\/p>\n<p id=\"bd94\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">When I took up the sport over a decade ago in South Africa, I noticed that my fellow weekend warriors had nowhere to vent and express themselves. This insight and a distinct lack of funding forced me to turn to this \u2018new\u2019 internet thing which led to the launch of SAPaintball.co.za (now defunct). Through trial and error, I learnt what it meant to offer this passionate subculture an empty canvas ripe with possibilities and creative tools to share ideas and engage.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"e24b\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/800\/1*bCSOYVUSv_j7o-qU9Ri7WA.png\" data-image-id=\"1*bCSOYVUSv_j7o-qU9Ri7WA.png\" data-width=\"150\" data-height=\"188\" \/><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\">SAPaintball.info Podcast\u00a0crew.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"35b9\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">It was a rollercoaster ride; from old school bulletin boards with heated politically laden discussions to player interviews, tournament coverage and small sponsored event to top off each season. The most fun I had with the platform occurred when we launched and wholly out-of-control ruckus-driven podcast fuelled by sheer player culture, local music, taboo topics and language that would get me fired today.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3203\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">All or nothing<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"1f67\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/800\/1*shcLPEqepj0_eG82YWx-XA.jpeg\" data-image-id=\"1*shcLPEqepj0_eG82YWx-XA.jpeg\" data-width=\"200\" data-height=\"245\" \/><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\">2007, Minutes before a Malaysian World Cup\u00a0victory.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"e2fe\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">The platform I created required 100% commitment, and when I finally \u2018retired\u2019 from the sport I decided to flip the switch after ten years of hard work.<\/p>\n<p id=\"a2f9\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Since then, my life-journey brought me to Warsaw where I met the love of my life and tons of new friends. Poland has become the catalyst for lots of exciting design related friendships. One of these new friends turned out to be a young designer from Krakow, Jonathan Gall.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ac4c\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Our conversations always centre around new ideas and concepts within the design world, and we knew we wanted to collaborate on something. I can\u2019t remember who made the initial suggestion, think it was Jonathan, but I soon found myself dusting off the old recording gear as we shaped the concept of what would become Bloc Thinking.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"243d\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--p\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/800\/1*a6CbQTdbrPwAZwteoPgu3g.png\" data-image-id=\"1*a6CbQTdbrPwAZwteoPgu3g.png\" data-width=\"250\" data-height=\"249\" \/><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\">The first meeting with Jonathan (Krakow,\u00a02015).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"3a0e\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">It\u2019s been hard, testing our friendship with late nights and extra unaccounted work. Fortunately, we are both driven by a \u2018don\u2019t miss the deadline!\u2019 attitude, \u2018keep the momentum\u2019 spirit, \u2018fight off the complacency\u2019 determination and most importantly staying curious.<\/p>\n<p id=\"8713\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">Sharing the journey<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"8708\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">I want to share some of this experience here, not the technical aspects, but rather the act of creation. Jonathan has taken over a lot of the editing and sound engineering while I\u2019ve found myself fascinated by people like Terry Gross (she\u2019s been doing a radio show called Fresh Air since 1975) and Russel Brand. Worlds apart, both of them have this uncanny talent to shape interviews, and I desire their skill to engage my fellow human beings as they do. Each person we meet on our life journey has a wealth of experiences and stories. I want to discover how to unlock these treasures and package them in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n<p id=\"63e4\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Today we\u2019re 13 Episodes in, not that we\u2019re counting. Here\u2019s our latest episode (at the time of writing). It\u2019s an interview with a good friend of mine, Kasia Gawlik. She is a manager and UX Researcher who leapt into the world of Design from Market Research.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"c0f5\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf--iframe graf-after--p\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.simplecast.com\/25a76ead\" width=\"500\" height=\"200\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n<p id=\"a588\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">What personal note can I share about this show?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"9bca\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Jonathan and I found it crucial to prepare detailed show notes before the recording takes place. We also share the structure with the interviewees beforehand and have seen that it truly sets them, and us for that matter, at ease. Kasia did not have a chance to review the notes, and with my unexpected initial discomfort interviewing a colleague, it took a few minutes for us to settle into the conversation.<\/p>\n<p id=\"09a8\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">What bugs me about our show?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"8500\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Jonathan might disagree, but I believe we have not cemented down a specific value proposition yet. I am not referring to the positioning of the show but our approach to shaping the content in a way that will empower our listeners.<\/p>\n<p id=\"0ee6\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">We are incredibly grateful to those who graciously agreed to an interview, and I wish I could personally thank each person who has downloaded the show thus far.<\/p>\n<p id=\"9ab8\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">This exercise is ultimately not about the act of \u2018podcasting\u2019, conversations, or exciting guests. It has to be about the value our listeners gain.<\/p>\n<p id=\"c961\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p graf--trailing\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\"><em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">Ship, analyse, iterate.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<footer>By <a class=\"p-author h-card\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@werner.puchert\">Werner Puchert<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/p\/a6f1382e2d57\"><time class=\"dt-published\" datetime=\"2018-04-04T22:26:24.742Z\">April 4, 2018<\/time><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"p-canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@werner.puchert\/old-kid-on-the-new-bloc-a6f1382e2d57\">Canonical link<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Exported from <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\">Medium<\/a> on April 19, 2024.<\/p>\n<\/footer>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Old kid on the new Bloc A cupboard was full of microphones, a relic connected to a \u2018prolific career\u2019 as an amateur tournament Paintball player. It was just a\u2026 Old kid on the new\u00a0Bloc A cupboard was full of microphones, a relic connected to a \u2018prolific career\u2019 as an amateur tournament Paintball player. It was[&#8230;]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-medium"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xperience.consulting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xperience.consulting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xperience.consulting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xperience.consulting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xperience.consulting\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1926"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/xperience.consulting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3746,"href":"https:\/\/xperience.consulting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1926\/revisions\/3746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xperience.consulting\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xperience.consulting\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xperience.consulting\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}