Todd Vaske

Tell us about yourself?

Combine Drew Carey, the kid who played Ben on the show “Growing Pains” and “Ralphie” from Christmas Story, put a can of Diet Coke in their hand and you've got a pretty good idea what I look like.

What's your background?

I started out producing television news in Duluth, MN, Madison, WI, and Minneapolis, MN.  From there I took advantage of a great opportunity to work for a production company that did programming for Food Network.  (I've eaten at some of the best restaurants in the country.)  I moved on to work for another production company in Madison, WI before eventually settling down and joining the DWS team.

What inspires you?

To hear a client say, “That's perfect.  That's exactly what I want.”  That's what inspires me. 

What's it like working at DWS?

It's like being stuck at Lego Land with a group five-year olds… there's an amazing amount of creativity and energy.

Has this job affected your skills?

It has forced me to get out of my comfort zone.  For years, all I dealt with was video.  Now there is this thing called the, how do you say, the Internet.  All joking aside, we've got the most talented video production and interactive departments around.  I've learned more in my short time here than I ever did in college.

Why is your job so interesting?

Almost everyone I work with is an artist in their own way.  How could spending 8 hours a day with highly creative minds not be interesting?

What personal and work characteristics are important to have with your job?

I have to be detail oriented to do my job.  At any given time, I've got my hands in five or more projects.  That includes everything from scripting to location scouting to client relations.