Community Spotlight: Connor Murdock
May 8, 2024
Meet Connor Murdock, a creative entrepreneur who has carved a path through the realms of film, marketing, and motion design. From his early days in post-production to launching his own company, Basil, Connor has turned his creative chops into a thriving venture that smooths out the complexities of freelance hiring.
We recently caught up with the ever-on-the-move Connor to chat about how he got to where he is today, the story behind Basil, and how Fable has fit into his creative toolkit these last few years.
Q: You've been in marketing and creative roles for a while, plus have extensive experience freelancing. Can you speak to your career journey a bit?
Yeah, I went to film school and minored in business, initially planning to head out to Hollywood. I quickly realized that I wanted a more stable path, so I went into advertising and marketing, with the aim of still being creative. So I started off in Boston at a few different post-production companies doing a lot of commercial assistant editing. Then I started to get more into editing and motion graphics before veering into graphic design and creative direction.
So, it was kind of just an evolving path. Meanwhile, I always had an entrepreneurial bug. Working in the industry let me notice the tiny to large bottlenecks that existed, which led me to what we’re doing at Basil. There are plenty of opportunities to be creative when building a business, so it's been helpful to have that background. It made it easier to upstart a brand, produce content, create Lottie animations for our website, etc.
Q: As you were getting into different creative fields – video, motion graphics, etc. – was there one that you gravitated towards?
I think motion graphics definitely was the biggest spark for me. I enjoy a project where you can really create something out of nothing. In video editing, you're kind of taking the direction, and the lead from stuff already shot and produced. Whereas with motion graphics, you're pretty much starting from square one, concepting, then actually designing, depending on your role. So yeah, when I started getting into motion graphics, I realized the breadth of skillsets that I might have beyond even motion graphics.
It opened my eyes to the possibility that I could also do design in other capacities and be more involved in the creative direction side of things and less so in the execution side. I think motion graphics opened a big door for me.
Q: You started hinting at the genesis of Basil. Aside from the entrepreneurial bug, can you elaborate on what led you to pursue that?
So when I was at the last studio I was working for, I was helping our producers and project managers hire freelancers and talent at scale for all sorts of projects. It's a relatively small team, so we relied pretty heavily on a freelance network. But there are so many inconsistencies and bottlenecks when it comes to hiring freelancers, especially when you need to do it quickly. And then I eventually went freelance myself and experienced it from that side.
So we started off building a set of tools for freelancers to help them set up scopes of work – payments, contracts, and one seamless checkout flow. But then as we were doing that, a lot of my old agency and client connections were reaching out and asking if we knew X, Y, or Z type of freelancer. Then, we realized that there was maybe an opportunity to actually build a set of tools for companies to manage their talent roster and get insights into their talent data so they can make faster hiring decisions and decisions on who they want to use.
So kind of took that enterprise route. But yeah, it was mostly a founder's problem. I just experienced the industry from that perspective and decided to fix it. The entire journey has been a mix of luck and grit.
Q: Did that lead into TeamHaus?
Yeah, TeamHaus was an offshoot of everything we were working on. It was more of a “How can I build up a network leading into Basil, but on a personal level?” I think on the freelancer side, even the most skilled freelancers sometimes have a lot of income insecurity, and overcoming the hurdle of repping themselves and getting, you know, that next lead and the next job is a hurdle. So I wanted to kind of be the connecting force if I could.
Q: What does your day-to-day look like? What tools are you using, and how does Fable fit into your creative process?
Depends on the day. Right now, I'm running all over New York meeting new people and taking meetings. But I split my time between New York and Boston.
When it comes to the creative side, there are so many things I use. All the regular ones that you'd expect, a mix of Figma and those types of tools. So it depends on what I'm working on, Fable has been a great resource for any sort of Lottie animations that we're working on for the website.
One of the things I was impressed by with Fable early on was the fact that you could copy and paste from other tools super easily, whereas for some reason, in After Effects, you can't do that as easily. You have to bring them in as layers and then vectorize them. And I'm sure there are ways to do that with scripts and things. But anyway, Fable made it a lot simpler. So it was a much smoother experience to produce and deliver those sorts of Lottie animations, icon animations, and things like that.
Check out this hero animation that Connor made in Fable and see it live on the Basil website.
Any advice you’d like to share with young creatives, other interface designers, or freelancers more generally?
Connect with peers – and do it in person if you can. Offer a helping hand to others in the industry and go the extra mile for people without expecting reciprocity. 1.) It makes you feel good, 2.) It makes them feel good and 3.) Who knows what goodness will come back around to you later down the line?
Anything you're currently inspired by?
I know this might sound lame, but I'm inspired by my LinkedIn feed. I follow many amazing creative pros who are excellent at what they do—it's amazing to see the projects, passion, and creativity out there.
Anything you’ve been into recently? Whether it’s music, a book, a Ted Talk, a hobby?
Cocktail mixology, the Netflix Series "Life on Our Planet," rewatching Star Trek. I'm a bit of a nerd. Go-to musical duo is Sofi Tukker.
—
Connor is pumped to be building and exploring tools that make creativity more approachable and accessible. He believes that “Everyone has a creative spark. It's just whether your job or life requires you to use it.”
He’s also excited about some new feature sets coming to Basil soon–definitely worth watching for 👀
—
To Connor, thanks for chatting with us!
Where to find Connor Murdock:
More from Fable:
Continue Reading
Community Spotlight: Connor Murdock
May 8, 2024
Meet Connor Murdock, a creative entrepreneur who has carved a path through the realms of film, marketing, and motion design. From his early days in post-production to launching his own company, Basil, Connor has turned his creative chops into a thriving venture that smooths out the complexities of freelance hiring.
We recently caught up with the ever-on-the-move Connor to chat about how he got to where he is today, the story behind Basil, and how Fable has fit into his creative toolkit these last few years.
Q: You've been in marketing and creative roles for a while, plus have extensive experience freelancing. Can you speak to your career journey a bit?
Yeah, I went to film school and minored in business, initially planning to head out to Hollywood. I quickly realized that I wanted a more stable path, so I went into advertising and marketing, with the aim of still being creative. So I started off in Boston at a few different post-production companies doing a lot of commercial assistant editing. Then I started to get more into editing and motion graphics before veering into graphic design and creative direction.
So, it was kind of just an evolving path. Meanwhile, I always had an entrepreneurial bug. Working in the industry let me notice the tiny to large bottlenecks that existed, which led me to what we’re doing at Basil. There are plenty of opportunities to be creative when building a business, so it's been helpful to have that background. It made it easier to upstart a brand, produce content, create Lottie animations for our website, etc.
Q: As you were getting into different creative fields – video, motion graphics, etc. – was there one that you gravitated towards?
I think motion graphics definitely was the biggest spark for me. I enjoy a project where you can really create something out of nothing. In video editing, you're kind of taking the direction, and the lead from stuff already shot and produced. Whereas with motion graphics, you're pretty much starting from square one, concepting, then actually designing, depending on your role. So yeah, when I started getting into motion graphics, I realized the breadth of skillsets that I might have beyond even motion graphics.
It opened my eyes to the possibility that I could also do design in other capacities and be more involved in the creative direction side of things and less so in the execution side. I think motion graphics opened a big door for me.
Q: You started hinting at the genesis of Basil. Aside from the entrepreneurial bug, can you elaborate on what led you to pursue that?
So when I was at the last studio I was working for, I was helping our producers and project managers hire freelancers and talent at scale for all sorts of projects. It's a relatively small team, so we relied pretty heavily on a freelance network. But there are so many inconsistencies and bottlenecks when it comes to hiring freelancers, especially when you need to do it quickly. And then I eventually went freelance myself and experienced it from that side.
So we started off building a set of tools for freelancers to help them set up scopes of work – payments, contracts, and one seamless checkout flow. But then as we were doing that, a lot of my old agency and client connections were reaching out and asking if we knew X, Y, or Z type of freelancer. Then, we realized that there was maybe an opportunity to actually build a set of tools for companies to manage their talent roster and get insights into their talent data so they can make faster hiring decisions and decisions on who they want to use.
So kind of took that enterprise route. But yeah, it was mostly a founder's problem. I just experienced the industry from that perspective and decided to fix it. The entire journey has been a mix of luck and grit.
Q: Did that lead into TeamHaus?
Yeah, TeamHaus was an offshoot of everything we were working on. It was more of a “How can I build up a network leading into Basil, but on a personal level?” I think on the freelancer side, even the most skilled freelancers sometimes have a lot of income insecurity, and overcoming the hurdle of repping themselves and getting, you know, that next lead and the next job is a hurdle. So I wanted to kind of be the connecting force if I could.
Q: What does your day-to-day look like? What tools are you using, and how does Fable fit into your creative process?
Depends on the day. Right now, I'm running all over New York meeting new people and taking meetings. But I split my time between New York and Boston.
When it comes to the creative side, there are so many things I use. All the regular ones that you'd expect, a mix of Figma and those types of tools. So it depends on what I'm working on, Fable has been a great resource for any sort of Lottie animations that we're working on for the website.
One of the things I was impressed by with Fable early on was the fact that you could copy and paste from other tools super easily, whereas for some reason, in After Effects, you can't do that as easily. You have to bring them in as layers and then vectorize them. And I'm sure there are ways to do that with scripts and things. But anyway, Fable made it a lot simpler. So it was a much smoother experience to produce and deliver those sorts of Lottie animations, icon animations, and things like that.
Check out this hero animation that Connor made in Fable and see it live on the Basil website.
Any advice you’d like to share with young creatives, other interface designers, or freelancers more generally?
Connect with peers – and do it in person if you can. Offer a helping hand to others in the industry and go the extra mile for people without expecting reciprocity. 1.) It makes you feel good, 2.) It makes them feel good and 3.) Who knows what goodness will come back around to you later down the line?
Anything you're currently inspired by?
I know this might sound lame, but I'm inspired by my LinkedIn feed. I follow many amazing creative pros who are excellent at what they do—it's amazing to see the projects, passion, and creativity out there.
Anything you’ve been into recently? Whether it’s music, a book, a Ted Talk, a hobby?
Cocktail mixology, the Netflix Series "Life on Our Planet," rewatching Star Trek. I'm a bit of a nerd. Go-to musical duo is Sofi Tukker.
—
Connor is pumped to be building and exploring tools that make creativity more approachable and accessible. He believes that “Everyone has a creative spark. It's just whether your job or life requires you to use it.”
He’s also excited about some new feature sets coming to Basil soon–definitely worth watching for 👀
—
To Connor, thanks for chatting with us!
Where to find Connor Murdock:
More from Fable:
Continue Reading
Community Spotlight: Connor Murdock
May 8, 2024
Meet Connor Murdock, a creative entrepreneur who has carved a path through the realms of film, marketing, and motion design. From his early days in post-production to launching his own company, Basil, Connor has turned his creative chops into a thriving venture that smooths out the complexities of freelance hiring.
We recently caught up with the ever-on-the-move Connor to chat about how he got to where he is today, the story behind Basil, and how Fable has fit into his creative toolkit these last few years.
Q: You've been in marketing and creative roles for a while, plus have extensive experience freelancing. Can you speak to your career journey a bit?
Yeah, I went to film school and minored in business, initially planning to head out to Hollywood. I quickly realized that I wanted a more stable path, so I went into advertising and marketing, with the aim of still being creative. So I started off in Boston at a few different post-production companies doing a lot of commercial assistant editing. Then I started to get more into editing and motion graphics before veering into graphic design and creative direction.
So, it was kind of just an evolving path. Meanwhile, I always had an entrepreneurial bug. Working in the industry let me notice the tiny to large bottlenecks that existed, which led me to what we’re doing at Basil. There are plenty of opportunities to be creative when building a business, so it's been helpful to have that background. It made it easier to upstart a brand, produce content, create Lottie animations for our website, etc.
Q: As you were getting into different creative fields – video, motion graphics, etc. – was there one that you gravitated towards?
I think motion graphics definitely was the biggest spark for me. I enjoy a project where you can really create something out of nothing. In video editing, you're kind of taking the direction, and the lead from stuff already shot and produced. Whereas with motion graphics, you're pretty much starting from square one, concepting, then actually designing, depending on your role. So yeah, when I started getting into motion graphics, I realized the breadth of skillsets that I might have beyond even motion graphics.
It opened my eyes to the possibility that I could also do design in other capacities and be more involved in the creative direction side of things and less so in the execution side. I think motion graphics opened a big door for me.
Q: You started hinting at the genesis of Basil. Aside from the entrepreneurial bug, can you elaborate on what led you to pursue that?
So when I was at the last studio I was working for, I was helping our producers and project managers hire freelancers and talent at scale for all sorts of projects. It's a relatively small team, so we relied pretty heavily on a freelance network. But there are so many inconsistencies and bottlenecks when it comes to hiring freelancers, especially when you need to do it quickly. And then I eventually went freelance myself and experienced it from that side.
So we started off building a set of tools for freelancers to help them set up scopes of work – payments, contracts, and one seamless checkout flow. But then as we were doing that, a lot of my old agency and client connections were reaching out and asking if we knew X, Y, or Z type of freelancer. Then, we realized that there was maybe an opportunity to actually build a set of tools for companies to manage their talent roster and get insights into their talent data so they can make faster hiring decisions and decisions on who they want to use.
So kind of took that enterprise route. But yeah, it was mostly a founder's problem. I just experienced the industry from that perspective and decided to fix it. The entire journey has been a mix of luck and grit.
Q: Did that lead into TeamHaus?
Yeah, TeamHaus was an offshoot of everything we were working on. It was more of a “How can I build up a network leading into Basil, but on a personal level?” I think on the freelancer side, even the most skilled freelancers sometimes have a lot of income insecurity, and overcoming the hurdle of repping themselves and getting, you know, that next lead and the next job is a hurdle. So I wanted to kind of be the connecting force if I could.
Q: What does your day-to-day look like? What tools are you using, and how does Fable fit into your creative process?
Depends on the day. Right now, I'm running all over New York meeting new people and taking meetings. But I split my time between New York and Boston.
When it comes to the creative side, there are so many things I use. All the regular ones that you'd expect, a mix of Figma and those types of tools. So it depends on what I'm working on, Fable has been a great resource for any sort of Lottie animations that we're working on for the website.
One of the things I was impressed by with Fable early on was the fact that you could copy and paste from other tools super easily, whereas for some reason, in After Effects, you can't do that as easily. You have to bring them in as layers and then vectorize them. And I'm sure there are ways to do that with scripts and things. But anyway, Fable made it a lot simpler. So it was a much smoother experience to produce and deliver those sorts of Lottie animations, icon animations, and things like that.
Check out this hero animation that Connor made in Fable and see it live on the Basil website.
Any advice you’d like to share with young creatives, other interface designers, or freelancers more generally?
Connect with peers – and do it in person if you can. Offer a helping hand to others in the industry and go the extra mile for people without expecting reciprocity. 1.) It makes you feel good, 2.) It makes them feel good and 3.) Who knows what goodness will come back around to you later down the line?
Anything you're currently inspired by?
I know this might sound lame, but I'm inspired by my LinkedIn feed. I follow many amazing creative pros who are excellent at what they do—it's amazing to see the projects, passion, and creativity out there.
Anything you’ve been into recently? Whether it’s music, a book, a Ted Talk, a hobby?
Cocktail mixology, the Netflix Series "Life on Our Planet," rewatching Star Trek. I'm a bit of a nerd. Go-to musical duo is Sofi Tukker.
—
Connor is pumped to be building and exploring tools that make creativity more approachable and accessible. He believes that “Everyone has a creative spark. It's just whether your job or life requires you to use it.”
He’s also excited about some new feature sets coming to Basil soon–definitely worth watching for 👀
—
To Connor, thanks for chatting with us!