As one of Renderosity's premier artists and merchants, it may have
seemed like an easy decision. It was anything but that. During the
past year as a brokered artist here at Renderosity and other sites,
Syyd and two other modellers decided to form their own company.
Where does an artist go from the community? How does one begin to
develop a career that stays within and goes beyond at the same
time? Not wanting to stray far from an established presence but to
realize and exercise her own artistic and financial independence,
she purchased the Bondware software and opened Runtime DNA. Runtime
DNA's three co-founders were familiar with Renderosity through a
long-term active membership and an established, strong business
relationship. So subsequently trying Bondware seemed to them a
natural progression. Runtime DNA consists of the talents of Syyd
Raven, Colm Jackson and Jim Dowdall. They recently began developing
relationships with many online communities, and have a very strong
working relationship with Curious Labs and Right Hemisphere. Q. At
what point did you realize you wanted to spread your wings and be
independent? A. This is a difficult question for me to answer. I
feel we made a progression in our work and with our marketing,
combined with a need to present a professional calling card in
order to create a career from our work. We felt that we were
successful enough under existing circumstances, so what would
happen if we threw something else into the mix? Not only would we
become something else from a business perspective, but also as
artists, modellers and texturers, we would begin to stretch our own
boundaries. I believe that it was a combination of these desires
that urged us forward. We sought the assistance and partnership of
Jim Dowdall. Jim and I were friends a good long time before this,
we traded ideas and products back and forth, and really supported
each other. Jim has a mind that is full of explosive ideas, his
approach can be radical and he continually works to expand his
knowledge base. Colm Jackson has been on the Poser and modelling
scene since it first started. Colm has grown with programs and has
a head full of knowledge that is incredible. We all talked, first
by e-mail and Net meeting, then we talked on the phone and it was a
good mix. We were all individually moving in the same direction to
varying degrees and we found that together, we brought three very
different facets to the mix, creating one unique and totally
different whole. Colm is a dedicated linear thinker and a great
planner. Jim is a very creative and innovative thinker, and I am
able to balance on that pinpoint between them so it works very
well. Q. What factors did you consider? How did you come up with
your business name? A. The factors we considered were many and at
times, overwhelming. What were are start-up costs going to be? Did
we have presence enough to stand strong on our own? Would we offend
anyone? Can we create a niche for ourselves by ourselves? Can we
stay within a community and go outside of a community all at once?
What is it going to be like when the partner honeymoon is over
and we have to start constructively criticizing each other? These
are just a few of the questions we pondered and worked toward
adjusting to, and achieving. The Runtime DNA name has a funny
history, probably because it was about 12 different names before it
was final. I wanted to keep "PosaNation," with its huge flash site
intro with voice and visuals saying "WE ARE POSANATION", but the
idea was to understand that our brand was three people, not just
one. Since we were working in Poser, and the main path directory in
Poser is Runtime, well known to users, Colm suggested Runtime. He
was cleaning the basement one day and shouted up, "See if there's a
domain using .com, that has runtime, if not, lets use Runtime". We
found it, and I tacked on DNA, and thus we were born. Then I got
the slogan in my head, "Tired of the same 'ol Runtime? Inject a
little Runtime DNA". Jim loved the idea, and about two hours later
he sent me up a DNA model to use for a logo and site design. Thus,
we were born. Q. How did you get the nerve to do this? A. It took a
lot of guts to stand up for ourselves and understand that we want
to make a life from what we do. The opportunities for work truly
abound for 3d artists, modellers and texturers. What saw us through
was that very idea, that very concept. We love what we are doing,
we are in love with what we are doing, and life has never been the
same since we started creating, each of us individually before any
of us came together. How to make that work? How to put out a
professional calling card? This was what struck the nerve to propel
us forward. Q. What steps did you have to go through to organize
your business? A. We needed to secure sponsors, make affiliations
and work with companies to establish a presence and for us,
attending Siggraph 2001 was crucial. We had to find a visual and
business presence through a program to build our site and have it
hosted on safe and secure servers, as well as being easy-on use and
quite understandable. We contacted several companies including
Bondware to find out what was available and how easy it was going
to be to do this. While one of us took care of all marketing,
programming, finding a site, and building it, the other two were
busy modelling and beta testing continually, so that when we opened
we had at least a fair amount of work to represent us. We needed to
register our business, file papers and take care of all the
necessary steps to ensure we would be RDNA. Q. What obstacles did
you face? A. The toughest obstacle for us was getting it into our
heads that one of us had to program the site and do it well. We
bounced in and out of programming and finally we decided that if it
was going to work, we needed to reset the module, start from
scratch, and have only one person in there working. We also had to
understand that we would not have the same support safety net that
we did as brokered artists. With brokering you can count on the
company you are brokering with to take care of everything past your
upload except for specific product support. Now, all of a sudden,
you are fraught with a number of things you never before
understood. Q. Did you have a good support system from others to
help you? A. Bondware gave us great support setting up. We could
not have done this without Jenifer Keeling and Bob Neal. We have a
wonderful and diverse team of beta testers, who truly put our work
through the grind. That input was invaluable. We were very lucky to
have the support of professionals who had forged a career along the
same path. They gave their time and vast experience to talk to us
and share ideas that would help us. Q. How is it going for you? A.
Its going very well. We are so happy with DNA. It is very busy and
expanding so fast, that I can go to sleep and wake up and the world
changes drastically. We are working so hard that our understanding
of technology continually goes through an evolution. Gaming
companies, medical professionals and the film industry have
contacted us. So we just keep working. If you stop to ponder the
success, you lose it. Q. What projects are you working on? A. We
are just finishing up a dynamic package that involves one of the
most digitally realistic skin textures that will be available, but
not with the usual slant. I will say that being real doesn't always
mean being beautiful in a picture-perfect sense. This project has
been an extremely long and complicated one, but the effort shows in
the final result. The name????? "The Dragonessa," something that
has been in production since August of 2001. Q. What do you want
others to know those who are thinking about spreading their wings
as well? A. Do it! The only way you'll know is by spreading your
wings and trying to fly. Whatever you have in your head is always
worth going one step further. Always explore your options. Talk to
many companies and artists and investigate all softwares and sites.
Even if you are set on following a specific path, youll understand
not only what is available, but it gives you a good perspective on
what you gained by going in your own direction. Q. What are your
plans for the future? A. Right now to just keep expanding our
product base and knowledge. To gain recognition and success, to
make a site for artists by artists in order to help other artists.
We are creating interactive tutorials in a number of programs and
specific discussion forums in order to facilitate a sharing of some
of the experience we have so that we can help other artists push
onward as well, be it a hobbyist or a very serious and skilled 3d
artist. Q. Do you feel like you are living your dream? A. In many
ways, yes. But dreams are dreams and reality is that achieving a
dream requires more hard work and dedication than one could ever
imagine. "We respectfully acknowledge the support and best wishes
this community has given us, and hope to be a part of it for a
long, long time" says Syyd, Colm and Jim of Runtime DNA. Thanks
Syyd, Colm, and Jim **
RuntimeDNA** What and who is
Runtime DNA? They are a small company of modellers and texturers
devoted to developing and creating original poser add ons of the
highest quality in league with the best that is offered. Runtime
DNA provides contest sponsorship with other communities, banner
exchange programs, and mentions activities on many sites in their
informative newsletter, as well as dedicating a note or two about
their sponsors and sponsor activity. The DNA Site itself hosts a
wonderful user gallery and forums, and its membership has grown
enormously in the two months the site has been open. **
Bondware, Inc.** Bondware, Inc.,
Renderosity's parent company, created software (Bondware 2.0) just
for small businesses that couldn't afford extensive programming and
technical support to offer their items for sale over the internet.
For artists who are interested in "testing the waters" with a
personal site, Bondware offers a 15-day free test drive of the
webware. However, please note, because of Bondware's exclusive
agreement with Renderosity, artist can only use Bondware to sell
their own products. Contact
sales@bondware.com.
