Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538080
1 2 P E R S P E C T I V E | J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 Inbal Weinberg PDC Co-founder (USA) The Room Next Door "IPDW is a chance to showcase the beauty of our profession and of our community." The Collective has become my compass whenever I search for direction regarding daily workplace challenges. Our industry can feel isolating, and designers are often left to fend for themselves within the complex web of relations and factors on any given project. I've found our PDC community to be an endless source of support, advice and encouragement. It's been satisfying to see the Collective grow through our decade-long community work. The launch of our two flagship programs—the Gathering and IPDW—have expanded our reach, and we are now the largest organization for Production Designers in the world. We have reached these milestones on a shoestring budget, with the help of volunteers and the good will of our members. We now have to secure the financial structure of the Collective, so it can continue to grow and prosper in years to come. IPDW is a chance to showcase the beauty of our profession and of our community. Our program welcomes people into the Art Department, strengthens ties with collaborators and acknowledges the rich traditions of filmmaking around the world. Kalina Ivanov PDC Co-founder (USA) The Penguin "IPDW is the only initiative that unites the global community of Production Designers." The most important aspect of the PDC is creating contact amongst its members and the exchange of ideas that comes from it. It has been fascinating Mara LePere-Schloop PDC Board Member (USA) Pachinko "IPDW allows for intimate conversations with some of the most talented professionals in the world." The PDC has restructured how I think about the craft and my place in it. By opening up communication between designers, I've been granted a dynamic perspective about the profession; it has opened my eyes to so many different ways of approaching a design task or management obstacle, and it has normalized the struggle of being a designer in a way that is comforting. We are all in the same boat. When designers meet, they commiserate, they query, they complement, they investigate, they wonder, they laugh, they worry, they engage, they explore. The nature of initiatives like IPDW or the Gathering allows for intimate conversations with some of the most talented professionals in the world. You come away with a support network and sounding boards that render the film world a far more friendly place to exist in. There is security in knowing the people behind the incredible work and to witness their humanity. To see the intricacies of their process and their individual brilliance also drives us to try harder. to hear how other designers think about their art through the Collective during all these years. The PDC has evolved tremendously in the ten years we've been operating. We started with 50 of our best friends and now we have over 1,500 members. In each event, the flow of ideas is incredible! We can meet for formal lectures, semi-formal classes, as well as for dinner and we never run out of things to talk about. It's the only initiative that unites the global community of Production Designers. We're the first ones to create it and we hope not to be the last ones. INBAL WEINBERG KALINA IVANOV MARA LEPERE-SCHLOOP