#WFH Diaries: Sean Pedeflous of GDX Studios
With the coronavirus pandemic surging anew, most folks are still working from home. We're continuing to check in with creative professionals to see how they're faring. Below, we chat with Sean Pedeflous, creative director at GDX Studios in San Diego.
Give us a one-line bio of yourself.
Former "professional" standup comedian. Current creative director at GDX Studios.
Where are you living right now, and who's with you?
Right before Covid-19 hit, I moved in with my girlfriend into a one-bedroom apartment in Mission Valley, San Diego.
What's your work situation like at the moment, and how is it evolving?
Well, I work in events, so there was a definite lull in the amount of work coming in. It seems to be slowly picking back up in terms of what brands are looking to do in the upcoming months. Most of our work can be done remotely, and Zoom, brainstorms and creative collaborations haven't been as bad as I thought they might be.
When you do you expect to return to the office?
We recently started coming back into the office for a few hours once or twice a week. GDX has taken enormous precautions to ensure a safe work area. We recently launched our GDXtra Care program, a health and safety initiative which will be used for events but we have applied them to our office return protocols.
Describe your socializing strategy.
My girlfriend and I have done a lot of home cooking. More than usual and that was already a lot but very delicious. We've seen our families a handful of times, which has been nice as well.
How are you dealing with childcare, if applicable?
No children, but we did buy a Peloton bike for the living room.
What are you reading?
One of my favorite parts of quarantine has been how much time I've had to read. I generally read nonfiction books about marketing and entrepreneurship. Some of my favorites have been Ride of a Lifetime by Bob Iger, Powerhouse CAA by James Andrew Miller and DisneyWar by James B. Stewart.
What are you watching?
We don't have cable so a lot of Hulu, Netflix and HBO. Our Nashville trip was cancelled in April, so we started watching Nashville with Connie Britton, which has surprisingly been pretty entertaining. We also just started Succession on HBO, which is really good!
What are you listening to?
I've been taking a lot more walks, which has really gotten me into some amazing podcasts. Wondery has some great business minded podcasts such as Business Wars, How I Built This and Legal Wars. For a purely entertaining podcast, I really like Crime Junkies by Ashley Flowers.
How are you staying fit?
Well, I just got a Peloton, which is exciting. But before that, I was running in our neighborhood a lot more than before. There's also more time for stretching, which is something I felt I didn't have enough time for before.
Have you taken up a hobby?
Yes, I try to eat paleo and there aren't any great paleo ice-creams out there (in my opinion). So I recently purchased an ice cream maker and have been experimenting over the last several months on the perfect paleo ice-cream recipe. I've also creatively designed a full brand look to go with it. I started sampling it with friends to get some feedback. Who knows where it will go!
An awkward moment since all this started.
Not for me, but my girlfriend is a kindergarten teacher and she was on a Zoom with her class and I yelled a bad word from the other room ... I got in trouble with the teacher.
An aha! moment since all this started.
It's been really enjoyable to not have FOMO in your face all the time. Being appreciative of your health, friends/family, cooked meals is a great way to stay positive during these times.
What's your theory on how this is going to play out?
I think sooner than later life is going to get back to a "new normal." What that is exactly, I don't know, but I imagine more and more people will soon feel comfortable seeing friends, eating out and enjoying group activities together. There's certainly going to be a heightened sense of public health while going out. Most importantly, I think opposing views of both sides of the matter need to respect one another and let people live their life the way that is comfortable to them.
