If you haven’t joined Colorist Society’s Facebook Page and other social platforms, you are missing an opportunity to network with other colorists, see great work from around the world, and keep up with the latest industry developments.
Colorist Society began growing its social presence last year. Our Facebook Page now has more than 3,000 followers while our Instagram account has over 80,000 followers. Each features daily posts, and stimulates considerable engagement from colorists and other industry professionals. CSI is also active on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Bobola Oniwura, an independent colorist who manages CSI’s social campaign, says its purpose is to celebrate the craft of color in all its forms. “We post work in film, television, advertising and music videos,” he notes. “Posts come from all over the world, but our social pages are not blogs. We don’t accept submissions. Rather we review work colorists post to their personal pages and share the best. It’s a big platform where you can see a lot of color styles and palettes and draw inspiration for your own projects.”
Our social pages have become gathering spots for colorists to meet, ask questions and extend their professional network. “I am often contacted by colorists looking for ways to learn new skills,” Oniwura says. “I point them to iColorist and other training sites. I also get messages from filmmakers and producers looking for colorists to grade their projects.”
A Nigerian citizen, Oniwura is currently living in Missouri while his wife pursues a MBA degree at Washington University in St. Louis. Working remotely, he remains busy with commercial, music video and long-form projects. “I get work from Nigeria and from people who contact me through my website,” he explains. “Geography is not a barrier. I connect with clients everywhere.”
Oniwura sees great potential for further leveraging social tools on to benefit CSI members. He would like to see online training opportunities expanded. He is also keen to produce an interview series with colorists discussing their careers. “I find it interesting to learn how people traveled down this road,” he says. “I studied architecture, but now I’m color grading. I went from architecture to advertising and digital marketing. At an advertising agency, I met a production and post-production team and that sparked my interest in color. I want to understand how other colorists got their starts. The journey is very important.”
