United Through Sports is pleased to welcome Golf, who has joined the team as a Graphic Designer and Video Editor. Originally from Thailand, Golf has more than ten years of experience in creative work. His background includes graphic design, advertising, photography and video production, and he has worked with businesses across several different industries.
“I really enjoy turning ideas into something people can see, feel and connect with,” he said.
A New Creative Challenge
Golf’s role at UTS covers a wide range of creative work. He produces social media graphics, key visuals, branding materials, merchandise, videos and motion graphics.
He is often involved from the beginning of a project, helping to develop the initial idea and visual direction before working on the final design or video. Before joining UTS, Golf had worked with many different types of businesses, but working for an international non-profit organisation was a new experience for him.
“UTS was something new for me,” Golf explained. “It is an international non-profit organisation with a global network, which is very different from the companies I had worked with before.”
He saw the role as a chance to take on a new challenge, experience a different working environment and develop skills that may have been more difficult to gain in a typical company.
Since joining UTS, Golf has found that the role offers him more than professional experience.
“I’m proud to be a small part of something that creates opportunities, smiles and inspiration for children, young people and people with disabilities who may have fewer opportunities to access sport,” he said.
“Sometimes what I create might be just one design or one video, but knowing that my work is part of something bigger and can make a difference in someone’s life is very powerful and meaningful to me,” he added.
How It All Began
Golf’s interest in filmmaking began while he was at secondary school, when he made a stop-motion video to impress a girl.
Although the reason behind his first video was light-hearted, it introduced him to the idea of creating something with a specific purpose. From there, he became more interested in storytelling and in the way visuals, timing, music and sound can work together to create emotion.
“A video can make someone smile, feel excited or even inspired in just a few seconds,” Golf said. “That’s what made me fall in love with video editing.”
His favourite part of the editing process comes when the footage, music, graphics and other elements are ready and he can begin bringing everything together.
He particularly enjoys adding the small details that can change the feeling of a scene, whether that is a visual effect, a sound, a change in rhythm or a brief moment of silence.
“For me, editing isn’t only about what you add,” he explained. “Sometimes what you choose to leave out is just as important.”
Golf does not point to one particular filmmaker or editor as the main influence on his work. Instead, he finds inspiration in films, advertisements, music videos, social media and the creative work he comes across in everyday life. He looks at how different creators use visuals, sound, music and timing to tell their stories, then finds ways to adapt those ideas to suit his own work and style.
Showing What UTS Is About
If Golf could film any UTS event, he would choose one that brought together children and young people from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. However, he would not focus only on the competition or the activities taking place on stage. He would also want to capture the smaller moments happening around the event, including the laughter, excitement, new friendships and the reactions of young people taking part in something they may never have had the opportunity to experience before.
“I think those little moments and smiles can tell the story of what UTS is really about,” he said.
As he continues in his role, Golf hopes to help strengthen the branding and visual identity of UTS. He wants to create a more consistent visual style so that people can recognise the organisation’s work and understand what it represents. Having worked across several industries and different areas of creative production, he hopes to use that experience to support UTS as it continues to grow.
Life Outside Work
Outside work, Golf has recently become interested in running. He enjoys challenging himself and seeing the small improvements he makes over time.
“Some days I’m faster and some days I’m slower, but I think the important thing is to keep going,” he said. “Sport reminds me that you don’t always need to be better than someone else. Sometimes you just need to be better than yourself yesterday.”
Golf also enjoys playing video games, learning English and spending time with his family, especially playing sports with his son. After spending many hours working in front of a computer, running and playing sport give him an opportunity to reset and return to his work with fresh energy. Although people at UTS may think Golf is quiet, he says that is not necessarily the case.
“I’m actually not that quiet,” Golf joked. “Right now, I’m just translating everything in my head! If one day my English becomes good enough to keep up with everyone, and my workload gets a little lighter, you might start missing the quiet Golf.”
UTS is very pleased to have Golf as part of the team and looks forward to seeing the creativity and ideas he brings to the organisation.
