ATHLETE OF THE MONTH | AUGUST '20
NATHAN WEIR
Job Title: Assistant Director - Creative Studio at FORREC
Website: https://www.forrec.com
Social Media: @nate.k.weir
Since our inception, TAILORED ATHLETE has attracted thousands of Athletes from all walks of life with one continuing passion: a love for physical development and a positive mindset. Our journey is your journey, and we want to share the stories of our Athletes amongst our community for the following reasons...
- Inspiration - Every individual has a story to tell, and we want to hear about those who inspire us.
- Networking - We want to encourage networking amongst like-minded individuals within our community.
- Advice - Whether it’s a go-to outfit, best practice in a specific field or even words of encouragement.
This month, we feature Nathan Weir, who has undoubtedly one of the most exciting jobs in the world. As Assistant Director of the Creative Studio at FORREC, Nathan contributes to designing some of the world’s top theme/water parks, resorts and entertainment destinations. We’re talking Legoland, Universal Studios, and Six Flags to name a few. We wanted to learn a little more about Nathan, including how he landed a dream job, his future ambitions, and how fitness has changed his life.
Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Nathan had a keen interest in coding and game development growing up. He followed his older brother's footsteps going to university for computer science and then graduating with a degree in Game Development. At that time of his life, he was undecided what he wanted to do with his career, and when he came across FORREC (the only company in Canada of its kind), he made a spontaneous application. With no relevant background experience or knowledge, he sold them on his enthusiasm and work ethic; identifying them as the only company he wanted to be involved with, in whatever capacity.
Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Nathan had a keen interest in coding and game development growing up. He followed his older brother's footsteps going to university for computer science and then graduating with a degree in Game Development. At that time of his life, he was undecided what he wanted to do with his career, and when he came across FORREC (the only company in Canada of its kind), he made a spontaneous application. With no relevant background experience or knowledge, he sold them on his enthusiasm and work ethic; identifying them as the only company he wanted to be involved with, in whatever capacity.
He was offered an intern role helping out with general tasks and did this for a period of 4 months before taking a break and going back to school. However, following his departure, Nathan quickly realised how much he missed his job. In a fortunate turn of events, his old boss had been in touch and Nathan went back to working at FORREC. He had used his background in coding to automate many tasks during his brief time there, and through his creative approach, began to add value whilst learning about the inner workings of the company. This led to the dream result, being offered a full-time role, that he was able to develop and make his own.
“I was just sort of thrown into the deep end but I was applying my relevant skills to the business and naturally fell into using my background of coding and game development to expand our client deliverables. Although I was still learning traditional workflows, at a time when much of the process was still being done on paper, I was able to apply my strengths and help the company continue to grow, and pretty soon 3D renderings, animations and interactive demos were in more demand. When I look back at why I returned, it was largely to do with the culture. I could (and still can) see myself at FORREC forever, not only because of the opportunities I have been given but also because of the people.”
In his role as Assistant Director of the Creative Studio, Nathan takes part in the creative 3D pipeline, from concept to interactive walk-throughs. Developments in technology have enabled him to advance their client offering from when he first started 10 years ago. What started with paper sketches has now developed into 3D renders, animations and even virtual reality. Introducing and overseeing the implementation of such software has been a real highlight of his career.
“The best way to design a great guest experience is to put yourself directly in the space. Scale, line of sight, and being able to see what will capture your guest's attention first through a first-person perspective are all important yet often overlooked workflows. We’ve managed to blend our architectural designers and game developers to offer a truly immersive experience where every detail is extremely well considered”
In his role as Assistant Director of the Creative Studio, Nathan takes part in the creative 3D pipeline, from concept to interactive walk-throughs. Developments in technology have enabled him to advance their client offering from when he first started 10 years ago. What started with paper sketches has now developed into 3D renders, animations and even virtual reality. Introducing and overseeing the implementation of such software has been a real highlight of his career.
“The best way to design a great guest experience is to put yourself directly in the space. Scale, line of sight, and being able to see what will capture your guest's attention first through a first-person perspective are all important yet often overlooked workflows. We’ve managed to blend our architectural designers and game developers to offer a truly immersive experience where every detail is extremely well considered”
Whilst his achievements within FORREC are nothing short of remarkable, they are a small comparison to Nathan's fitness journey. From the age of 16, Nathan was in a long term romantic relationship, and through his own admission, remained longer than he should have through fear of not wanting to give up. He eventually left the relationship, but describes himself in the months after as having very low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence and belief, as well as no sense of direction. Over the course of this time, his body had also begun to reflect this.
“Coming out of the relationship I didn’t know what to do or where my life was headed, but I knew I needed to figure it out. I needed to find out what made me happy. The first two months into starting my new journey I struggled a lot and I had never felt so alone in my life. I had dedicated so much of my time into making other people happy that I honestly didn’t know what made me happy.
By the end of January 2018 I knew what I wanted, and as simple as it was, I just wanted to make others happy and of course to be loved. I was brought to the point where I truly believed I was not good enough for anyone and knew I could never be with someone until I was sure I was the best version of myself.”
“Coming out of the relationship I didn’t know what to do or where my life was headed, but I knew I needed to figure it out. I needed to find out what made me happy. The first two months into starting my new journey I struggled a lot and I had never felt so alone in my life. I had dedicated so much of my time into making other people happy that I honestly didn’t know what made me happy.
By the end of January 2018 I knew what I wanted, and as simple as it was, I just wanted to make others happy and of course to be loved. I was brought to the point where I truly believed I was not good enough for anyone and knew I could never be with someone until I was sure I was the best version of myself.”
NATHAN WEIR
This commitment to becoming the best version of himself resulted in an introduction to a new lifestyle, orientated around Fitness and Disney, both of which Nathan describes as his escape.
“Fitness made me feel strong even when I felt so weak, and Disney reminded me of how many amazing people there are in the world. People want to be confident and happy in life. As I continued to workout, my body started changing physically. This did help my self-esteem and confidence, but more than that, I started to believe in myself again. I started to believe that I could accomplish amazing things.”
Since starting his journey, not only has Nathan drastically changed his physique, but the compound effect has allowed him to excel in every aspect of his life. Some recent achievements include multiple half marathons, his first backflip, a far greater social circle, being closer with his family, and even finding love again.
This commitment to becoming the best version of himself resulted in an introduction to a new lifestyle, orientated around Fitness and Disney, both of which Nathan describes as his escape.
“Fitness made me feel strong even when I felt so weak, and Disney reminded me of how many amazing people there are in the world. People want to be confident and happy in life. As I continued to workout, my body started changing physically. This did help my self-esteem and confidence, but more than that, I started to believe in myself again. I started to believe that I could accomplish amazing things.”
Since starting his journey, not only has Nathan drastically changed his physique, but the compound effect has allowed him to excel in every aspect of his life. Some recent achievements include multiple half marathons, his first backflip, a far greater social circle, being closer with his family, and even finding love again.
“People would continually ask why I was so happy or how I got into the shape I was in, what my motivation was or what I did as my workout routine. I tell everyone that asks me this that they need to find a motivation that drives them. Fitness is unique to a person and so is the emotions tied to it. You need to wake up with a “why” and that will be your fuel that is unique to yourself. A great quote from Victor Frankl “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
“People would continually ask why I was so happy or how I got into the shape I was in, what my motivation was or what I did as my workout routine. I tell everyone that asks me this that they need to find a motivation that drives them. Fitness is unique to a person and so is the emotions tied to it. You need to wake up with a “why” and that will be your fuel that is unique to yourself. A great quote from Victor Frankl “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
It has been a pleasure to share Nathan's story, and we hope his journey inspires you just as much as it has done for us.
Nathan leaves us with two of his favourite quotes:
"progress, not perfection" -
“sometimes the right path is not the easiest one”
NATHAN'S FAVOURITE SHIRT:
The Elite Double Cuff Shirt in White
