#349 - ROMAN ALONSO, Principal of Commune Design
SUMMARY
This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design are joined by Roman Alonso, Principal of Commune Design, to discuss his background; moving from Venezuela to the US; living in New York; working in publishing; moving to Los Angeles and co-founding Commune; transitioning to design from a career in PR; leading their design studio; and more. Enjoy!
ABOUT ROMAN
Born in Caracas, Venezuela Roman’s family emigrated to Miami where he attended high school. He later attended Boston University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in film and art history. Following his studies, he worked in publishing at Connoisseur and Mirabella Magazine and subsequently went on to work at Barneys New York as Director of Corporate PR and Isaac Mizrahi & Co. where he was Vice President and Image Director. After moving to Los Angeles he co-founded Greybull Press, an art publishing company.
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Background.
(14:29) Moving to the US from Venezuela.
(19:35) Moving to New York.
“I was working with amazing artists and because we would do all kinds of events, all kinds of projects… We had a really great calling card… I could pick up the phone and call almost anybody… I never took for granted the fact that I was representing that entity.” (38:51)
(43:30) Leaving New York after burnout.
“I got tired of working with press. It can wear you down… You burn out in that business, it’s high volume. I had gotten a little older and started to itch a little about, what am I going to do with my life?” (44:43)
(52:40) Transitioning from PR to Design.
“You need the communication to solve the problem. It’s really about asking the right questions and then listening very carefully to the answer and sometimes it’s listening between the lines because what they’re saying is not really what they’re saying and that’s something we have done for so long.” (01:02:22)
(01:07:11) The Commune team.
“I think it fosters an atmosphere of a more familial. They actually become friends and hang out after work… I feel like they do buy into the culture. All of a sudden, it is more than a job. It’s a culture.” (01:18:09)
(01:26:58) Leading a design team.
(01:50:03) Favorite building, space, or place.
