COMMUNITY is everything …

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15 years ago I landed in Hamburg wearing beach shorts, flip-flops, and a backpack. After a whirlwind adventure and an around-the-world trip I found myself standing in Barmbek Germany thinking … what just happened.

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After a few months of grey, rainy and cold weather, I decided, you know what I am gonna stay in Hamburg and see what happens, my status quickly went from tourist to immigrant/foreigner. There was however an impossible task that lay ahead of me, I am a foreigner, I don't know anybody,? I don’t speak the language, how on earth am I gonna find a job here?

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I did my research and contacted every agency I could find but I was, turned away time and time again because of the language barrier. JVM didn’t reply (we will come back to that later), Interone thought I needed German on the studio floor or I could not speak to anyone. The big legacy studios didn't want anything to do with me. I am though one not to be dishearted by a challenge. I knew my different approach and perspective on design and the creative industry had value so I continued to be persistent, I was determined to rise through the ranks and make a mark on the scene.

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I got my first opportunity from Daniel Klose at DDB, he took a chance on me and I landed my first freelance gig… working for VW. I continued a relationship with DDB for a long time working my way up in positions and projects. Eventually being part of the team that won the vw.de account. My next opportunities lay in the support of a man who became a mentor and friend Mike John Otto. He saw something in me and elevated me giving me some incredible opportunities to work for Adidas and introduced me to a lot of amazing people.

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Berlin calling! a short hop skip and a jump away is Berlin, where I got my next set of stripes, thank you to Christian Scholz & Chris May for taking me not only on at AKQA but sending me to LA to work on the Activision account. The next major milestone was meeting Lukas Cottrell & Katie Taylor at Landor, two of the most inspiring creative and thought leaders I had met on my journey so far. These guys gave me a platform and opportunity that was unbelievable, working for mini and BMW, I will be forever grateful for what they taught me. It was around this time that I met Jeremy Abbett, former co-owner of Hamburg- based Fork design studio. As an ex-pat he had made huge waves back in the early 2000s as a digital sensation here in Hamburg, he showed me that it is possible to overcome adversity as a foreigner and make it in Germany.?

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The next few years were insane … I was invited back to the place that had ignored me all those years ago. This time as ECD at JVM. I worked on some high-profile accounts there for BMW and Innogy. It felt great to break down those walls and now be hired to run an account and work with awesome people ... As I mentioned these years were crazy, I received a call from Till Hohmann and Martin Wider, they had got wind of me and had asked if I would join as head of design at the new JWT Hamburg studio they were launching. It was a big decision to make, but I took a leap of faith and left freelancing joining an incredible international team (who are still friends to this day).?

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This is the part in the story where I have to say thank you, Tom Davis, friend and an all-around inspiration. The agency LLR was really ramping up in Hamburg and making waves on the scene, Tom had recommended me to Arno Lindemann as someone who could help them bring design excellence to the forefront of their agency. Again I said yes, and got the chance to sit next to, in my new role as head of design, learn and work with a man who still to this day is a huge inspiration, thank you, Arno.

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A few years on I jumped back on the freelance train. Working in Amsterdam, London, and again Berlin. I worked on the Olympics / Coca Cola branding with one of my design heroes James Sommerville, was given the chance to work on major digital accounts by Matthias founder of LaRed, and shared an amazing adventure developing the brand for FUNK (ARD & ZDF) with Peter Fehler and the team.

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Then came the call that changed everything! Chris whom I had worked with at AKQA called me out of the blue. “Mate, I got something to ask you” he announced profoundly. Three months later I joined as Digital Head of Design for the innovation team at Deutsche Bahn, working alongside some of the best people in the industry, Nico of Dayone amongst one who became a good friend and big supporter of hyperfocus. We went from 12 to 100 over a two-year period, building the Deutsche Bahn design system, developing the brand into what it is today with Peter Schmidt, and building numerous pioneering digital products.

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For the past two years, we have been co-running Hyperfocus with Jan Stein, spoke at the OFFF festival, started a YouTube channel, worked with Ottobock, Google, Hiemplanet, FreeYou, Bundesdruckerei, and have employees and an office :) It’s simply incredible. Without all of the people mentioned here, this would never have been possible, so … thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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The reason I write this is to encourage all those who have just landed here in Germany or any new country as a foreigner or immigrant who may not speak the language and either have no hope or just don't know where to start. Through meeting all of these people and being accepted into an incredible community, I was able to go from the flip flop kid with no clue to a business owner trying to make a difference in design and design culture here in this wonderful city.?

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Thank you to all the people I have met along the way (you know who you are, there are just too many to mention), who have supported, encouraged, and also pushed me to be the best version of myself.?

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Paul.

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Our doors are always open. If you want a chat or support on this topic please don’t hesitate to give me a shout. As I aforementioned, community is everything, so let's all be a part of this one and help each other find our way.

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Hyperfocus

Jan Stein, Antolji Ropperlt, Jinnee Ting and crew

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PS: There's a new place in town to be part of the Hamburg design community to connect and share. hamburgdesigners.slack.comRun by a friend : Sean Loomis