The opportunities are there – you just have to grab them.

Hey Viktor, can you still remember your first encounter with Mackevision?
Are you kidding me? I’m not losing my memory just yet! (Laughs.) It was at a recruitment fair early in 2018. My university had invited potential employers to get a first impression of us students.

You can’t have made such a bad impression, then. And what did you think of Mackevision?
I really liked what I saw. Several companies approached me, but I very soon realized that I wanted to join Mackevision. And the sooner the better.

You mean as soon as you finished your studies?
No. While I was still studying. When I joined Mackevision I still had to write my bachelor’s thesis.

Wow. That doesn’t sound like too much fun.
It was tough at times. I’d do a normal day’s work then settle down to my bachelor’s thesis often enough until midnight. And when I’d finished it, the first thing I did was take a three-week vacation. (Laughs).

So how did your current colleagues persuade you to join them?
We talked for almost two hours. And they showed me the really cool stuff they were working on. Like the real-time configurator for Mercedes.

A real highlight for any car fan.
I can’t honestly say.

How do you mean?
I’m not much of a car lover. Given the choice, I take a train…

… but spend all day working with cars?
One thing doesn’t necessarily exclude the other and actually it’s not a bad thing: Sometimes it’s good to see things as a neutral observer. Apart from which, not all our work is about cars.

What else do you work on?
There are so many different sides to this job. Which is one reason why I enjoy it so much. Sometimes it’s about depicting the right lighting effects, then the materials or maybe simulating the scenery, for example. We use technologies like game engines to create a virtual reality. This way we can reproduce all kinds of products and let people experience them in virtual form.

All kinds of products… really?
Sure. Anything from a sports car to a baby buggy. The great thing for me is that here I can apply a combination of technology and creativity – that’s what makes this job so exciting.

How well did your degree course in Game Art and 3D Animation prepare you for this?
On the one hand very well, as far as the actual content is concerned.

And on the other?
We’re talking about a different level of quality here. Don’t get me wrong; my degree course was the best, but every time you submitted a project, they’d say “That’s good. You’ve done well.” And here our claim is to be market leader, so it’s not about just being “good”. Every single one of us is expected to deliver top quality.

Sounds very challenging – and a bit of a burden.
Challenging? Yes. A burden? No. Of course when the workload is high then there are times when we stay at the office a little longer than usual. But taking time off to balance out the overtime is not a problem. They look after your work-life balance here.

How do you mean?
We have a pretty generous amount of annual leave and the flextime arrangements in our department are very flexible indeed; plus there are a number of leisure benefits like low-cost gym membership. Added to which, the company offers us plenty of opportunities for continuing professional development. This is very important in our sector in particular, where new developments arrive on the scene almost every day.

How do you keep up to speed?
Through online tutorials for example or by reading articles in blogs or online communities. And of course we talk about these things among ourselves and inform each other about new developments. We take the time to do so – and it’s important that we do. The opportunities for professional development at Mackevision are there – you just have to grab them.

Don’t you feel that many things have changed since Accenture became involved?
I know that one or two colleagues are a little skeptical about this development.

But you’re not?
No, not at all. It’s made virtually no difference to my everyday work. The wording may have changed a little in one or two processes but the processes themselves are still the same. And I can see a great opportunity for us here.

What could that look like?
Up to now we’ve had a strong focus on automotive. But I’d say that it’s important for us to broaden that focus going forward. This is an opportunity Accenture can offer us through its channels. But of course without losing that special Mackevision feeling.

How would you describe that feeling?
We’re a very young and motivated team that has incredible fun developing and creating things – and we get along very well. The people in our department also spend a lot of time together outside work. And that leads to an atmosphere in the office that’s truly exceptional.