Five Questions with SCREEN: Creative Director of Motion Design Tony Wann

What do baseball great Mickey Mantle, rock band Fugazi and a bag of SunChips have in common? They’re all right there as charlieuniformtango’s Creative Director of Motion Design Tony Wann stops by for a thoroughly entertaining round of Five Questions with SCREEN. Let’s get to it!

SCREEN: So you’ve been chosen for the new season of Shark Tank. What are you pitching to the Sharks?

TONY: Savory cereal. Cereal that’s not just for kids anymore. Probably gross, but I think there are some real marketing possibilities there for the Whole Foods crowd.

SCREEN: Your favorite project you’ve ever worked on?

TONY: We recently created a fun spot for SunChips. They wanted something kinetic and exciting, so we modeled and animated a bunch of 3D elements bouncing around and exploding into delicious looking chips. The concept changed a few times throughout the process but we persevered and ended up with a nice spot.

Here’s the spot for your viewing pleasure…

https://vimeo.com/1009329744

SCREEN: Worst job ever?

TONY: Without a doubt, worst job was data entry for a medical insurance company. I needed a job after college and a friend was kind enough to hook me up with something to get me by for a few months while I looked for something more permanent. It was as boring as you think and I was (and still am) a terrible typer. After a few months they let me know that they acquired new software that made my position obsolete, which was probably a lie, and totally cool with me.

SCREEN: Most famous person you ever met?

TONY: When I was about six years old, my parents took me to the Magic Time Machine, a novelty restaurant with themed dining rooms and wait staff dressed as characters. Imagine Disney without the magic, or Halloween without the spooks and you get the idea. Our waiter was Mickey Mantle and apparently he was a really famous baseball player. My six year old brain didn’t understand why Mickey Mantle would be working at a weird restaurant, but he seemed cool and he signed my menu, so I was pretty excited about it. Nobody ever really topped that.

Here’s a full-length documentary about the baseball great…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whCvNBa90vs

SCREEN: If you could be a part of any band or musical group, which one would it be?

TONY: Towards the end of their run, Fugazi had a second drummer who sat off to the side and jammed along, adding a little bit of polyrhythmic flair to the live show. That guy’s name was Jerry and he was living my dream.

Here’s a live performance from Fugazi from more than a few years back… enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Gy7TAkQW8

BONUS QUESTION!

SCREEN: One restaurant, one meal, anywhere you want, and we’re buying. What will it be?

TONY: There was a restaurant in a little townhouse on the east side NYC called Il Vagabondo. A bar at the front, and a narrow little strip of tables right next to a bocce court in the back. Good food, great memories. I think it recently closed which is a shame. If I could hop in a time machine and pick a spot, that would be it.

SCREEN: Favorite international city?

TONY: Favorite international city is probably Bologna, Italy. The vibe there is really special. There’s no specific draw for the tourists so they’ll be crowding around the Amalfi Coast or wherever else the next TV show leads them. Meanwhile Bologna has low-key some of the best food Italy has to offer, some of the richest history, and the people there are humble and lovely and happy to show off their beautiful city.

Thanks for playing, Tony! For more from Tony and his team at charlieuniformtango, click right here.

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