新型創意網站幫年輕創意人才求職

After graduating from New York University in 2013 with a degree in film and television, Dan Kim found himself in an entirely unexpected situation: a friend asked him to help shoot a music video, an incredible opportunity at the time, and Kim had to turn him down. "I was in film school, but I didn't know anybody who could help," he explains, referencing his then-nonexistent set of industry contacts. "I thought it was insane that there was no space for people like me to share their ideas. People still use Craigslist!" The realization drove Kim to create Unique Board, a website where artists working in seven different categories – cinematography, fashion, design, music, art, dance/performance and technology/programming – can find each other for different projects. "We're digitizing the collaboration process, making it simple but effective by cutting off all the extra steps of networking," Kim explains about the site, which has amassed over 200 members — many based in New York, many others international — since going live in February.

丹·基姆(Dan Kim)2013年從紐約大學畢業，獲得影視專業學位，卻發現自己完全置身於意想不到的情況：一個朋友請他幫忙拍一部音樂錄影，這在當時對於他來說是個非常好的機會，基姆卻拒絕了。“我學的是電影，卻不認識什麼人可以幫忙，”他說，自己當時在這個圈子裡沒有什麼熟人。“我覺得居然沒有什麼地方可以供我這樣的人分享創意，真是荒謬。人們還在用Craigslist!”這種想法驅使基姆創立了Unique Board網站，電影、時尚、設計、音樂、藝術、舞蹈/表演和技術/程式設計這七個門類的藝術家們可以在這裡尋找同伴，開展各種專案。“我們正在把合作過程數字化，減少多餘的交往步驟，讓它變得簡潔有效，”基姆說。自從2月執行以來，它已經有了200多個使用者，很多人來自紐約，也有很多來自海外。

There are two kinds of users on the site: project leaders who need to staff up, and artists who need work. Both types create profiles explaining what they're in the market for and, hopefully, find each other. It follows the age-old want ad formula, a simple and no-nonsense setup that has already attracted the attention of people like Brian Meece, a co-founder of RocketHub, a global crowdfunding site, who recently became an advisor to the start-up. "Dan's Unique Board concept has huge potential to impact artists in a very positive way – both creatively and financially," said Meece. "By focusing on bringing professional opportunities to the creative class, Unique Board is positioning to become a leader in the ‘tech arts' space. The business could be massive in three to five years' time."

這個網站的使用者分兩種：需要工作人員的專案領導者，以及需要工作的藝術家。兩種人都要在網上建立檔案，解釋自己在這個市場上的需求，理想的情況下，就能找到自己需要的人。它沿用傳統的招募廣告形式，是一個簡單、沒有廢話的結構，吸引了不少人的目光，其中就包括國際眾籌網站RocketHub的創始人之一布萊恩·米斯(Brian Meece)，他最近成了這個新專案的顧問。“丹的Unique Board概念有巨大的潛力，可以在創作和經濟方面對藝術家們產生非常積極的影響，”米斯說。“Unique Board注重為創意階層提供職業機會，把自己定位為‘技術藝術'領域內的領袖。這種商務模式在三五年內就會興盛起來。”

Like the virtual dating platforms and Tinder, Unique Board also offers an offline place for members to meet organically: a series of parties called Unique Gatherings. Following on the heels of the first successful event in Manhattan at the end of February — designed by Paul Clay, who created the sets for the Broadway musical Rent and has staged events for the Museum of Modern Art and Anna Sui — the second is scheduled for May 22, around the same time that Kim expects to release the 1.5 version of the site. As the platform grows, Kim hopes to add social media and crowdfunding components to the mix. "Artists have to survive and the current options are not practical," he says. "So many ideas are wasted. We need each other."

和及Tinder等線上約會平臺一樣，Unique Board也為成員提供真實的線下見面：一系列名為"Unique Gaterings"的派對。第一次活動由保羅·克雷(Paul Clay)設計，他曾為百老匯音樂劇《吉屋出租》(Rent)設計過佈景，也曾為MoMA和安娜·蘇(Anna Sui)設計過舞臺。活動於二月底在曼哈頓舉行，大獲成功。第二次活動將在5月22日舉行，基姆期望在同期推出網站的1.5版本。隨著平臺不斷髮展，基姆希望增加社交媒體和眾籌功能，“藝術家必須生存，現在的選擇都不夠實際，”他說，“有那麼多創意被浪費了，我們需要彼此。”