Nicholas Da Silva
Tink Diffran Mon! (Macromedia Alliance Partner)

Tell us a little about your background. Where are you from?
I'm kinda from all over the world. Sao Paulo, Brazil. The US (East coast/West coast). I've even lived in Italy and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for 3 years (junior high school). I currently live in San Francisco, CA with my wife and one month old daughter, Mariana Mai Da Silva.

Design education:
When it comes to design, I'm pretty much self-taught. I've been fascinated with art since I was a little kid. I started drawing when I was about four years old. My family use to travel a lot so I would spend my time either in the back seat of the car or on an airplane drawing in my sketchbook. Cars and buildings were my favorite things to draw. I was fascinated by the Italian and German sports cars. When I was thirteen, I actually designed my own car and sent the drawings to Ford Motor Company. About a month later, I received a letter back from them informing me that it wasn't their policy to take outside information. However, they did enclose a check for $1500 encouraging me to further my design skills in college. ; )

What was your first experience with Macromedia Flash?
My first experience with Flash was in 1997. I was a graphic designer working at Lewis & Partners Advertising Agency at the time. I was surfing the web during lunch one day when I came across a web site called Gabocorp.com. I was so blown away by the site that I was inspired to learn Flash and to try to do my part to make the web a better place. I eventually left the agency to pursue Flash on a more intimate level. By the way, I got to meet the artist behind Gabocorp.com, Alberto "Gabo" Mendoza" during my visit to the 2002 Comic Con held in San Diego.

Could you please share with our viewers the history behind your famous FlashTV website?
It was in December of 2000. I was at work late one evening surfing the web when I realized the number of independent flash animators online producing their original stories to share with the masses. I then noticed that there were portal sites online offering Flash animation created by these talented artists as an entertainment venue but something was missing. You didn't really get to know who the artist was. And the viewing experience that these sites provided was minimal; usually a pop-up window with a small screen to display the movie. I decided to change that. I wanted to create a place where artists could truly be recognized for their work in an environment that provided the maximum viewing experience possible.

As I began working on the interface design for FlashTV, I knew the site had to have the following features; a bigger avatar to display the movies, one that was also broadcast friendly in regards to television aspect ratio; and most importantly, that each artist would have their own dedicated page featuring their movie as well as information about them and a direct link back to their site. I launched FlashTV on July 25, 2001 with about 40 movies from around the world. FlashTV has never looked back!

So how did the series of FlashTV do on it's first television broadcast?
FlashTV was Absolutely Wicked!! I have to say that it was perhaps the best half hour of original television programming I had seen in a long time. I received many calls at the studio right after FlashTV aired praising the idea behind the show and most importantly, the amazing stories that were showcased. FlashTV is definitely the Future Now, Absolutely Wicked!

What are your thoughts on the New Macromedia MX 2004?
I LIKE IT!! I've been using Flash since version 3 and Macromedia always seems to surprise me with each new release! I'm excited about the new features in Flash MX Professional 2004 including the improved video encoder, the flash video exporter and the media components that allow you to quickly incorporate video into your flash projects.

I can remember going to Berkeley and seeing that crazy street drummer who would set his sticks on fire, is he still there?
You know, I haven't seen him in awhile. I wouldn't be surprise if he got bitten by the dot com bug and started his own Internet company called sticksonfire.com. ; )

What would you like to see in the future for Macromedia and its products?
I would like to see features added to Flash MX 2004 that would allow artists to flawlessly produce their content for broadcast. Right now, there are some Flash limitations which require workarounds for broadcast including having to convert movie clips to animated symbols. Some other features that would be cool are better sound control and perhaps some 3D capabilities. ; )

Motion Media is great if done right, how would you describe a flash website that's overdone:
Sites that are overdone to me are sites that have long transitions to go from one section to another. You can definitely lose a viewer that way.

I've noticed you're a dedicated Mac user, however have you ever tried Discreet's Combustion 3?
I haven't but you've peaked my interest!

If someone gave you a stage to the World and told you to send a message with less than five words what would that message be?
Think and Dream different!

Do you have any Flash tips for our viewers?
Since Flash enables you to deliver your projects for the web, television and DVD, I would recommend designing your project from the beginning with a variety of delivery options in mind. It will save you time and you won't have to start from scratch for each new medium.

What's your advice for new flashers?
Learn to storyboard. It's a very important part of the design process. I would also suggest reading through the tutorial that comes within Flash MX 2004. It is very helpful in getting you started on the right foot!

I've noticed your motto is "Tink Diffran Mon" however we see a lot of Flash interfaces that look too much alike. What are your thoughts on that?
I'm not too happy about it. I like it when I come across a site that I've never seen before. A site that is truly original in design. It inspires me to produce something exciting and original!

How would you like to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered as someone who was very passionate about design; someone who inspired others to tink diffran mon!

Final comments:
Thank you for this opportunity!


My links:

Jamaican Fiction/Graphic Novel Series
Comic Book Series

Contact information:

Nicholas Da Silva
ZOOLOOK
828 Taylor Street ,#35
San Francisco, CA 94108
Tel: 415.775.9549
Email: ndasilva@zoolook.com

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