Crown Unfiltered - Car Design Podcast

VIDEO VERSION OF THIS:

https://youtu.be/UVy-cMgVHLA

 

 

ABOUT AUTOFABRICA:

Founded in 2013 by brothers Bujar and Gazmend Muharremi, Auto Fabrica is a company specialising in the hand making and coach building of bespoke motorcycles.

 

 

With all disciplines under one roof, based in Southend-on-Sea near London, the Auto Fabrica workshop is setup to design, prototype, manufacture a build from concept to final product.

 

 

The principles of Auto Fabrica are to harmoniously balance function and form while delivering outstanding and unique products. A meticulous eye for detail and high levels of craftsmanship are key to its foundations.

 

 

AUTOFABRICA:

https://www.autofabrica.com/

https://www.instagram.com/auto_fabrica/

 

 

====================================================

 

ABOUT ME:

I am a South African Designer, Digital Modeller and the host of Crown Unfiltered. I will be talking to a cross section of people that work in the Car Design Industry.

These will include designers, digital and clay modellers, vis artists and colour & material designers. The focus of our conversations will be centered around personal processes and experiences within the business. My aim is to demystify some of the preconceptions about this industry and give people an unadulterated glimpse into the business.

I also wish to give the younger generation the opportunity to see that the people that these professionals come in different shapes and sizes and some of them will be unknown. The intention is to see that you should always be yourself and not let your job define or change who you are.

Please get in contact if there is something specific you would like me to cover. I would also be really grateful if you could subscribe and share the podcast with anyone that has an affinity for cars, design or both. Thank you! Sam

 

FIND ME HERE!!! :

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-ofsowitz-8b7a531a/

https://twitter.com/SOfsowitz 

https://www.facebook.com/crown.unfiltered.7

VIDEO VERSION OF THIS:

https://youtu.be/8gw6K9OLw_A

 

ABOUT WOJTEK:

Wojtek is a Car Designer that has, without doubt, forged his own style. His sketches are instantly recognisable and have become synonymous with KISKA.

 

His creativity and ideas are endless and his attention to detail borders on insanity.

 

 

Wojtek's background is unlike anything I've ever heard before. It includes fleeing communist Poland, his mother saving money in Syria to take the family to America and a late career change into Car Design.

 

 

I heard a lot about Wojtek from various people and hanging with him was inspiring to say the least.

 

 

He is so unbelievably humble, but what's fascinating about him is the marriage of scientific pragmatism and boundless creativity. He's not tethered by logic.

 

 

An incredible guy with one hell of a story!

 

 

Filmed on location at KISKA. If you watch closely, you might see the top dog casually walking through the set mid-interview.

 

 

FIND WOJTEK HERE:

https://www.instagram.com/wbachleda/

https://www.behance.net/wbachleda

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wojtek-bachleda-08aa6920/

 

 

KISKA:

https://kiska.com/

 

 

====================================================

 

ABOUT ME:

I am a South African Designer, Digital Modeller and the host of Crown Unfiltered. I will be talking to a cross section of people that work in the Car Design Industry.

These will include designers, digital and clay modellers, vis artists and colour & material designers. The focus of our conversations will be centered around personal processes and experiences within the business. My aim is to demystify some of the preconceptions about this industry and give people an unadulterated glimpse into the business.

I also wish to give the younger generation the opportunity to see that the people that these professionals come in different shapes and sizes and some of them will be unknown. The intention is to see that you should always be yourself and not let your job define or change who you are.

Please get in contact if there is something specific you would like me to cover. I would also be really grateful if you could subscribe and share the podcast with anyone that has an affinity for cars, design or both. Thank you! Sam

 

FIND ME HERE!!! :

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-ofsowitz-8b7a531a/

https://twitter.com/SOfsowitz 

https://www.facebook.com/crown.unfiltered.7

VIDEO VERSION OF THIS:

https://youtu.be/pxmHV8T7Igo

 

 

ABOUT ALFONSO:

Let me just say that this episode was packed with anecdotal surprises that I never could have anticipated.

 

 

Alfonso Albaisa is the Senior Vice President for Global Design for Nissan, but he is also the son of immigrants that fled horrific circumstances in Cuba after the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

 

 

His parents arrived in the U.S. penniless after bribing their way out of Cuba. His father, a qualified architect, worked odd jobs to make ends meet and eventually established his own architectural firm. This was done within 8 years of their arrival and within that time, he designed the house of President Nixon.

 

 

Alfonso was born in Miami and grew up in idyllic Coconut Grove where spent a free and feral childhood surrounded by water, sun, and art.

 

 

He was deeply inspired by his father and was fed Michelangelo books by his mother, both of whom nurtured his artistic side. By the time he finished school he was enamored with Car Design, but opted to study Fine Art at Pratt Institute in New York. He immersed himself in the program as well as the Dance Music scene in the City, which he described as theatrical.

 

 

Halfway through his studies, his mom called him to say that she had found a school in Detroit where he could study Car Design and she encouraged him to go. Albaisa transferred to CCS for a year, where he lived in a dorm with kids that he says were eating and breathing cars. There he developed an impressive ability to draw, which he took with him back to New York.

 

 

‘I was always working. In fact, I was Mr. All-nighter. I was making helicopters for the guy in Detroit, furniture for my teachers, and flashlights for the Koreans. I would do this till 2 or 3 AM and then go to ‘Save the Robots’ (underground after-hours club in New York City's East Village neighborhood), come back at 9 AM, and go to school. Sleep at lunch.’ *laughs

 

 

Alfonso appeared to have made the decision to pursue Fine Art in an almost wispy fashion without much concern about where it would lead. When prompted on this, he said that he had the best parents in the world in that they never put the weight of their sacrifices and traumatic past on his shoulders when deciding what to do with his future.

 

 

‘I had all this context (referring to his parents and his environment) and so it was easy to imagine that when you’re making things and working hard, some way things will work out.’

 

 

Needless to say, it more than worked out!

 

 

FIND ALFONSO HERE:

https://www.instagram.com/alfonsoalbaisa/

 

====================================================

 

ABOUT ME:

I am a South African Designer, Digital Modeller and the host of Crown Unfiltered. I will be talking to a cross section of people that work in the Car Design Industry.

These will include designers, digital and clay modellers, vis artists and colour & material designers. The focus of our conversations will be centered around personal processes and experiences within the business. My aim is to demystify some of the preconceptions about this industry and give people an unadulterated glimpse into the business.

I also wish to give the younger generation the opportunity to see that the people that these professionals come in different shapes and sizes and some of them will be unknown. The intention is to see that you should always be yourself and not let your job define or change who you are.

Please get in contact if there is something specific you would like me to cover. I would also be really grateful if you could subscribe and share the podcast with anyone that has an affinity for cars, design or both. Thank you! Sam

 

FIND ME HERE!!! :

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-ofsowitz-8b7a531a/

https://twitter.com/SOfsowitz 

https://www.facebook.com/crown.unfiltered.7

VIDEO VERSION OF THIS:

https://youtu.be/s97AsZzq_Bg

 

 

ABOUT MARCELLO:

Marcello is a motorcycle designer at KISKA and might be one of the coolest Italian dudes I have met.

 

 

He shared a beautiful childhood story about a local bike track that his parents took him to as a young boy. It was a hot summer's day in the scorching Italian sun and 2 young guys came into focus as they pierced through a mirage on a pair of vintage bikes.

 

 

The young Basilio became intoxicated with the noise, smell, speed, and, of course, the sculpture, and nearly 2 decades later, he would be designing these beautiful machines.

 

 

Landing the job at KISKA was a dream come true, but the Italian quickly pointed out that getting his dream job was not without its setbacks.

 

 

He went through the application/rejection cycle multiple times over the course of a couple of years and was also let go early from an internship that really knocked his confidence.

 

 

Marcello decided to return to education in order to brush up on his skills and enrolled at SPD Milano where the mighty Michele Leonello put him through his paces.

 

 

Upon graduation, he landed a job at Benelli as a junior designer where he gained invaluable experience. It was also here, in Pesaro, where he met his future wife, and this gave him confidence in the universe again.

 

 

Marcello still had a burning desire, though, to get to Salzburg and after a series of attempts, the doors at KISKA were eventually pried open.

 

 

A powerful story that can be summed up in one word...resilience.

 

 

FIND MARCELLO HERE:

https://www.instagram.com/cenuzz/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcello-basilio-89a84174/

 

 

====================================================

 

ABOUT ME:

I am a South African Designer, Digital Modeller and the host of Crown Unfiltered. I will be talking to a cross section of people that work in the Car Design Industry.

These will include designers, digital and clay modellers, vis artists and colour & material designers. The focus of our conversations will be centered around personal processes and experiences within the business. My aim is to demystify some of the preconceptions about this industry and give people an unadulterated glimpse into the business.

I also wish to give the younger generation the opportunity to see that the people that these professionals come in different shapes and sizes and some of them will be unknown. The intention is to see that you should always be yourself and not let your job define or change who you are.

Please get in contact if there is something specific you would like me to cover. I would also be really grateful if you could subscribe and share the podcast with anyone that has an affinity for cars, design or both. Thank you! Sam

 

FIND ME HERE!!! :

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-ofsowitz-8b7a531a/

https://twitter.com/SOfsowitz 

https://www.facebook.com/crown.unfiltered.7

VIDEO VERSION OF THIS:

https://youtu.be/Qs9Q5JLdEng

 

 

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE CONTEXT ON MY GUESTS:

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

 

 

ABOUT HUSSAIN:

I have been threatening to bring on a sneaker designer for a few months now, and I can report, ladies and gentleman, that we have landed our first one!

 

 

Hussain is a Creative Director and Designer. He has worked with Nike, Apple, Adidas, and Ford.

 

 

He is also publishing his first book, the Innovators Handbook, which will be released next month.

 

 

FIND HUSSAIN HERE:

https://www.instagram.com/mossawi_/

https://mossawistudios.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hussainalmossawi/

 

 

HUSSAIN'S BOOK PRE-ORDER:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/173785080X

 

====================================================

 

ABOUT ME:

I am a South African Designer, Digital Modeller and the host of Crown Unfiltered. I will be talking to a cross section of people that work in the Car Design Industry.

These will include designers, digital and clay modellers, vis artists and colour & material designers. The focus of our conversations will be centered around personal processes and experiences within the business. My aim is to demystify some of the preconceptions about this industry and give people an unadulterated glimpse into the business.

I also wish to give the younger generation the opportunity to see that the people that these professionals come in different shapes and sizes and some of them will be unknown. The intention is to see that you should always be yourself and not let your job define or change who you are.

Please get in contact if there is something specific you would like me to cover. I would also be really grateful if you could subscribe and share the podcast with anyone that has an affinity for cars, design or both. Thank you! Sam

 

FIND ME HERE!!! :

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-ofsowitz-8b7a531a/

https://twitter.com/SOfsowitz 

https://www.facebook.com/crown.unfiltered.7

VIDEO VERSION OF THIS:

https://youtu.be/f0AacdZUT7s

 

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE CONTEXT ON MY GUESTS:

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

 

 

ABOUT MATT:

Matt Swann is a multi-disciplinary Creative Design Director from the UK.

 

 

This is the first time that we have met, but we have many mutual friends and I have long been aware of Matt’s work.

 

 

He studied at Coventry as well as the RCA, graduating with a monster group of designers that include Pratap Bose, Robert Melville, Chloe Nunn (formerly Edwards) and Ben Payne.

 

 

Matt was the head of Exteriors at Tata, before making the pilgrimage to China where he was the Director of Exterior Design for Haval.

 

 

Prior to that he worked for LandRover, Lotus (He designed the 2010 Elise Concept) and Ford.

 

 

He has recently returned to the UK and is the Vehicle Design Director at Project 3, a mobility startup backed by Rimac, KIA and Infinum. They have vowed to completely redefine Urban Mobility, but not much else can be said at this stage.

 

 

Matt is super excited and I was trying desperately to get him to spill the beans, but he was tight-lipped on the matter. That said, they are looking for designers, so hit him up if you have the goods!

 

 

FIND MATT HERE:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-swann-a0092024/

https://www.instagram.com/512modulo/

 

 

PROJECT3 MOBILITY:

https://p3m.com/

 

====================================================

 

ABOUT ME:

I am a South African Designer, Digital Modeller and the host of Crown Unfiltered. I will be talking to a cross section of people that work in the Car Design Industry.

These will include designers, digital and clay modellers, vis artists and colour & material designers. The focus of our conversations will be centered around personal processes and experiences within the business. My aim is to demystify some of the preconceptions about this industry and give people an unadulterated glimpse into the business.

I also wish to give the younger generation the opportunity to see that the people that these professionals come in different shapes and sizes and some of them will be unknown. The intention is to see that you should always be yourself and not let your job define or change who you are.

Please get in contact if there is something specific you would like me to cover. I would also be really grateful if you could subscribe and share the podcast with anyone that has an affinity for cars, design or both. Thank you! Sam

 

FIND ME HERE!!! :

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-ofsowitz-8b7a531a/

https://twitter.com/SOfsowitz 

https://www.facebook.com/crown.unfiltered.7

VIDEO VERSION OF THIS:

https://youtu.be/3QWfkVKMGEo

 

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE CONTEXT ON MY GUESTS:

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

 

 

ABOUT GERALD:

We’ve all heard the legend of how Gerald Kiska started a company on his kitchen table and while these things tend to be romanticised, that is actually what happened.

 

 

For 6 years after graduating he worked for various companies and through a chance meeting with a friend, a proposition of establishing himself independently was presented. He discussed the prospect with his wife and he quickly found himself without a kitchen and more work than he could personally manage.

 

 

Gerald roped in two friends to help him out and was soon confronted with another opportunity to move into a much larger space than he needed. Reluctant, Gerald and his friends moved in after a unique arrangement with the former occupants and they ended up staying rent-free for two years. Needless to say, his wife was happy to have her kitchen back!

 

 

Through an old contact, Gerald became privy to a competition for an exclusive contract with KTM. Gerald won the competition and things were off to a fantastic start, except that a year into the contract there were cashflow concerns as the motorcycle OEM was on the brink of bankruptcy.

 

 

Around this time Gerald was introduced to an Austrian businessman named Stefan Pierer who needed help to improve the design of a unique ski binding patent that he had acquired.

 

 

The business intentions for the ski-binding patent did not go according to plan for Pierer, but a wonderful working relationship had been established between the two Austrians. Sharing his frustration with Gerald in a Munich beer garden, the business magnate also then came to learn of the situation with KTM.

 

 

A few weeks later, unexpectedly, Gerald received a call from Stefan saying that he could not stop thinking about their conversation and that he was, in fact, interested in acquiring the motorcycle brand.

 

 

After a few months, this materialised and would be the start of one of the most unique Agency/OEM relationships. It would also be the genesis of KISKA as we know it today.

 

 

Gerald, along with his team, has grown KISKA into a global Design Agency that does everything from branding to product development and across multiple sectors. There are many companies that present themselves as a ‘one-stop shop’ or a ‘we can design anything design house’, but KISKA does this at the very highest level, regardless of the project they undertake.

 

 

The company is unlike anything I have experienced before. From the minute you enter the building you are confronted with motorcycles, skis, cars, SUP’s, microphones, bicycles, apparel, trainers and the list goes on. There is a hive of activity in the studio that will captivate anyone remotely interested in design. More importantly, though, the energy and warmth of the people is an infectious allure that let’s go of very few. When you spend anything more than 10 minutes with Gerald, it’s obvious where all of that comes from.

 

 

He is a leader in the very truest sense and his business is unique because he is. Very few creatives, let alone designers, are capable of establishing and growing a business into one like Gerald has, especially when you consider that Salzburg is hardly the Automotive capital of the world.

 

 

He is modest about it, but very earnest and transparent in how this all happened. The first factor is courage and the second is the ability to zoom out, see the bigger picture and trust the people that you have hired to bring your vision to life.

 

 

That is leadership.

 

 

KISKA:

https://kiska.com/

 

 

====================================================

 

ABOUT ME:

I am a South African Designer, Digital Modeller and the host of Crown Unfiltered. I will be talking to a cross section of people that work in the Car Design Industry.

These will include designers, digital and clay modellers, vis artists and colour &

VIDEO VERSION OF THIS:

https://youtu.be/NcoL2XnaSjI

 

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE CONTEXT ON MY GUESTS:

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

 

 

ABOUT ASH:

Ash is one of the biggest names in the Concept Art world and for good reason.

 

 

In everything that he does, he pushes himself to the absolute limit, and his drive for excellence borders on insanity.

 

 

Ash has risen to the very top and came from the very bottom. He had a tough start and his success has come through grit, work and being a diligent student in the art of Mastery.

 

 

His obsession with improvement has gone beyond his work and found its way into his cycling. So much so that his friends refuse to cycle with him - he's a savage!

 

 

We talked about everything from daily routines, his buddy Beeple, NFT's and the latest Batman film that he designed the vehicles for as well as his collaborations with Ken Block and the Hoonigans.

 

 

We talked for almost 3 years and it went by in a flash - this guy and his work are simply unreal!

 

 

FIND ASH HERE:

https://www.instagram.com/ashthorp/

https://www.altcinc.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ashthorp.art/

 

 

====================================================

 

ABOUT ME:

I am a South African Designer, Digital Modeller and the host of Crown Unfiltered. I will be talking to a cross section of people that work in the Car Design Industry.

These will include designers, digital and clay modellers, vis artists and colour & material designers. The focus of our conversations will be centered around personal processes and experiences within the business. My aim is to demystify some of the preconceptions about this industry and give people an unadulterated glimpse into the business.

I also wish to give the younger generation the opportunity to see that the people that these professionals come in different shapes and sizes and some of them will be unknown. The intention is to see that you should always be yourself and not let your job define or change who you are.

Please get in contact if there is something specific you would like me to cover. I would also be really grateful if you could subscribe and share the podcast with anyone that has an affinity for cars, design or both. Thank you! Sam

 

FIND ME HERE!!! :

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-ofsowitz-8b7a531a/

https://twitter.com/SOfsowitz 

https://www.facebook.com/crown.unfiltered.7

VIDEO VERSION OF THIS:

https://youtu.be/T8jw0dnvDiE

 

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE CONTEXT ON MY GUESTS:

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

 

 

ABOUT THAMER:

Thamer is a Creative Design Manager at GM’s Advanced Design Studio in Hollywood, California, but more importantly, he is a husband, father, and a stand-up dude.

 

His distinctive sketches caught my eye a long time ago and I have been obsessing over them ever since!

 

After putting my feelers out, I discovered that Thamer is a bit of an unsung hero like so many designers that fly under the radar, silently doing work in the shadows and making everyone else look great!

 

There was, unfortunately, an issue with the recording software and we had to use the backup recording. His video quality is, therefore not great, but his audio is good and the content is gold. We got on like a house on fire and chewed the fat for almost 2 hours - Enjoy!

 

FIND THAMER HERE:

https://www.behance.net/ThamerHannona

https://www.instagram.com/thamer_hannona/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thamer-hannona-24b2023/

 

====================================================

 

ABOUT ME:

I am a South African Designer, Digital Modeller and the host of Crown Unfiltered. I will be talking to a cross section of people that work in the Car Design Industry.

These will include designers, digital and clay modellers, vis artists and colour & material designers. The focus of our conversations will be centered around personal processes and experiences within the business. My aim is to demystify some of the preconceptions about this industry and give people an unadulterated glimpse into the business.

I also wish to give the younger generation the opportunity to see that the people that these professionals come in different shapes and sizes and some of them will be unknown. The intention is to see that you should always be yourself and not let your job define or change who you are.

Please get in contact if there is something specific you would like me to cover. I would also be really grateful if you could subscribe and share the podcast with anyone that has an affinity for cars, design or both. Thank you! Sam

 

FIND ME HERE!!! :

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-ofsowitz-8b7a531a/

https://twitter.com/SOfsowitz 

https://www.facebook.com/crown.unfiltered.7

VIDEO VERSION OF THIS:

https://youtu.be/YGCkJZH1iMw

 

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE CONTEXT ON MY GUESTS:

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

 

ABOUT LUKE:

This young man has been on my radar for the last couple of years and after speaking with him I felt it was absolutely imperative to have him on the show, particularly for other graduates who are finishing up their courses.

 

Luke and his year were the first casualties of the ‘we’re not hiring because of this virus’ period, and things felt desolate.

 

Around this time (Augustish 2020 I think?) his name started popping up a lot online, particularly on Linkedin. He was working aggressively on his portfolio but also building a network in a meaningful and thoughtful manner.

 

It was all to do with adding value and contributing to the narrative, especially on other peoples posts. This was without spamming and going ‘look at my portfolio' in the process.

 

He put his work out in an elegant manner and did so consistently, and in doing so, created intrigue.

 

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with the ask, but don't expect people to respond if your first interaction is: "Hey bro" or dropping a ton of images in someone's inbox uncontextually (is this even a word?). The point is that you should add value first.

 

Moving on:

Lukes approach was a class act display on how to navigate a very trying time when you so desperately need to pry open the doors of employment.

 

A very smart guy, obviously, Luke decided halfway through his course that it would make sense to pivot into motorcycles, given that the market is 'slightly' flooded with Car Design graduates. He took inspiration from some of the great motorcycle designers such as Pierre Terblanche and Adrian Morton, and changed lanes.

 

Luke honed his skills in sketching 2 wheels and won a Royal Enfield competition around the time of finishing Uni. This and his thoughtful interactions online got the attention of many and he eventually landed a job with probably the most exciting EV bike startup in the UK, Arc Vehicles.

 

Anyway, this one is for all grads out there that are feeling despondent and concerned about their future – this is how to do it!

 

FIND LUKE HERE:

https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=luke%20robbins&origin=RICH_QUERY_SUGGESTION&position=2&searchId=32f0ad73-4782-4bd1-b5d9-366efbd39821&sid=Ls%40

https://www.instagram.com/lukerobbinsdesign/?hl=en

 

====================================================

 

ABOUT ME:

I am a South African Designer, Digital Modeller and the host of Crown Unfiltered. I will be talking to a cross section of people that work in the Car Design Industry.

These will include designers, digital and clay modellers, vis artists and colour & material designers. The focus of our conversations will be centered around personal processes and experiences within the business. My aim is to demystify some of the preconceptions about this industry and give people an unadulterated glimpse into the business.

I also wish to give the younger generation the opportunity to see that the people that these professionals come in different shapes and sizes and some of them will be unknown. The intention is to see that you should always be yourself and not let your job define or change who you are.

Please get in contact if there is something specific you would like me to cover. I would also be really grateful if you could subscribe and share the podcast with anyone that has an affinity for cars, design or both. Thank you! Sam

 

FIND ME HERE!!! :

https://www.instagram.com/crownunfiltered/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-ofsowitz-8b7a531a/

https://twitter.com/SOfsowitz 

https://www.facebook.com/crown.unfiltered.7