It was a “Wacky Wednesday” (thank you, Steers) at health conscious Flow Cape Town when Grant Wood and I sat down to discuss the man himself and his impressions of Flow thus far. Grant has joined the Flow team as a journalist and media developer.
As a relative newbie to Flow myself, this afforded me the opportunity to get to know Grant, the only Cape Town native in the current Flow team, a little better.
Not a man of many words, Grant is, however, passionate about language and writing. Having obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Social Anthropology from the University of Cape Town, Grant felt the BA was too general and took the decision to pursue his passion for writing by studying journalism at Varsity College, gaining a National Diploma along the way.
He went on to intern at Sports Illustrated magazine, many a man’s dream job, but assures me the office has very little of the bikini-clad models, gadgets and fitness swag one might imagine. He then had a brief stint with online firm Blue-Sky Communications.
I ask Grant which he prefers, print or online? “I enjoyed working in print journalism but online has a completely different dynamic and is more interactive. It’s faster too.” He adds that both have equal merit.
About his Flow experience, Grant has nothing but good things to say. “I’m really enjoying it. It’s unique in a sense that we learn while we work. Flow is efficient and very well run. In my first week here my first blog was published – a great achievement for me.”
He also has nothing but praise for his new Flow family. “It’s a great working environment with great colleagues and everyone is extremely professional,” he enthuses.
A self-confessed gym freak, Grant is also a golf enthusiast with a handicap of 12. And for relaxation and focus? “Heavy metal and rock,” is the answer. “It keeps me level,” he says with a wry chuckle.
It nears the end of our lunch break and Grant and I are discussing the day’s events and news on various social media sites. Grant was initially not a fan of these platforms (he didn’t even have a Twitter account) but, like everyone else at Flow, he quickly learnt the importance and effectiveness of this medium.
Grant is now an ardent tweeter (@grantwood86) and Facebook fiend, with recent update statuses reading, “Just got back from an awesome meeting on Table Mountain!” and “…watch(ing) music videos of our local bands for a video blog – What an awesome job!” It is indeed (why haven’t I been up the mountain? just saying).
Grant’s addition to the team is welcomed by Flow Cape Town manager Roy Barford, but for more than the obvious reasons. “We hereby welcome Grant to the Flow team,” he triumphantly announced on Grant’s appointment. “Random statistic: for the first time in 14 months there are more boys than girls at Flow Cape Town.” The testosterone is definitely on the rise and for that we welcome our newest Flowstar, Grant Wood.