Dan Cain
July 5, 2023

Blake's Big Adventure

As Spatial Media grows, so does our ability to enable our team members to take up new opportunities anywhere in the world.

As Spatial Media grows, so does our ability to enable our team members to take up new opportunities anywhere in the world. From team members working remotely across the globe to relocating to growing markets, our team members can choose their own career adventure. And for 3D modelling guru Blake Maverick, that meant having the chance to swap Brisbane and Tim Tams for Toronto and poutine.We caught up with Blake to learn more about his Big Adventure.

How did the opportunity to move to Canada come up?

Many, many years ago, not long after I first started at Spatial Media, it was mentioned that Spatial's next step towards Global Domination was indeed Canada. I put my hand up to go and planted that seed as soon as I could - the opportunity for both professional and personal growth I knew would be incredible.

That seems like a big step, had you travelled much before?

Believe it or not, I have never been overseas before. Crossing the Bass Strait to Tasmania is the closest I have come to leaving Australia, but that doesn’t really count.

What is exciting to you about relocating to Canada?

Professionally, it’s a great opportunity to live and work somewhere different and to have the chance to have a hand in expanding Spatial Media on another continent I think is very exciting. On a personal front, I’m looking to test my self-control and my financial savvy-ness. I’m going to be surrounded by classic American cars and it will test me every day not to rush out to a dealership like a kid in a candy store and buy everything I fall in love with.

It’s going to be pretty tough as I left my car behind in Brisbane and will need some wheels. Look we all know what’s going to happen, don’t we?

What will you miss most about Brisbane?

There isn a lot I will miss, my family and friends, the city and Brisbane's small town vibe. And to be honest, I will really miss my car – unfortunately, I couldn’t import it to Canada.

How are you settling into your new home city of Toronto?

I guess like anyone relocating continents there are a few challenges. It was a bit of a rough entry landing in Canada, with some pretty bad airline-related sickness which took a little of the fun of travel away.

But my wife and I are finally settled in our own place in a beautiful area of town, and lightning-fast internet just got switched on so we are comfortable and can connect to the world.

We are renting a home owned by an older Greek gentleman who runs the 50-year-old barbershop downstairs and gave us such a warm welcome. He wants to cut off all my hair and teach me to play chess, we will see how he goes with those ideas over the coming months.

We also had a highly entertaining and educational trip to Toronto's Little Canada to get acquainted (on a very small scale) with where we'll be living for the foreseeable future. Another highlight was meeting up with 2 of the best people at Spatial who moved from Brisbane a couple of years ago who I've very much missed, so that was fantastic.

What differences have you noticed between Brisbane and Toronto?

They weren't lying about how nice Canadians are, that's for sure. Also, Toronto's layout and public transport make it incredibly easy to get around. This question should probably be saved 'til Canadian Winter, though...I reckon I’ll be noticing a temperature difference in winter. In December Brisbane will average 29 Celsius, it will be 1 Celsius – I don’t think thermometers in Brisbane go that low…

What projects are you working on in Canada?

We’ve got a lot of exciting projects in development in Canada. One that is really interesting to me is the Toronto Streetcar system - it's very cool and it would be awesome to support a major piece of infrastructure designed for my new hometown.

from our clients

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Kate kernaghan, company director, factotum communications

Valuable long-term partnership with Brisbane Airport Corporation

The Spatial Media team are always professional, well organised and continuously deliver high quality content pieces on time and on budget. They bring new ideas to the table and constantly adapt to changing requirements. I would highly recommend Spatial Media to all.
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Lauren Graham, Head of Commercial Marketing, Brisbane Airport Corporation

A very straightforward and fun process

From the initial kick off meeting to the final video, it was a very straightforward and fun process for EnergyAustralia to work with Spatial Media. The final video is outstanding and really helped bring the project to life for our stakeholders. Highly recommended.
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Matt Bruers, Development Director, Wooreen BESS, EnergyAustralia

Innovative tools developed by the team set a new benchmark

Spatial Media Team played a pivotal role in delivering a range of multi-million-dollar public realm projects, including cycle paths, road and intersection upgrades, and active reserve improvements. Their ability to produce highly detailed and realistic renders, actively participate in workshops, and rapidly refine designs (even with minimal background information) was exceptional. The level of professionalism and attention to detail they provided to the council as the client was truly outstanding. I have already recommended their services to colleagues across the State and look forward to future collaborations. The innovative 3D products and interactive spatial consultation tools developed by the team set a new benchmark for community engagement and project delivery. I would strongly encourage integrating this approach into future projects to enhance clarity, mitigate risks, and build greater confidence among all stakeholders.
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WA Local Government Project Director

They delivered a masterpiece that exceeded our expectations

Undertaking a complete city build is not an easy task but Spatial Media were keen to push the boundaries and see what could be achieved. They delivered a masterpiece that exceeded our expectations and added nice touches that brought the digital twin to life. The team were enthusiastic and professional through the entire process and we look forward to collaborating (working) together again!
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James (Director of gettREAL) – Oran Park Digital Twin

Their can-do attitude was unreal

From the start, it was clear that Spatial Media shared our vision to create a portal that was eye-catching, simple but packed with info! There was nothing that was ever a problem, and their can-do attitude was unreal. Every request we made was met with a “yep, we can do that - we can even do it this other way also (which was generally better that what we had imagined)”. I have been telling everyone who will listen that these guys are just are the real deal - and they can turn stuff around in no time. Can highly recommend working with the Spatial Media team!
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Joel Rosendahl

Their product offering is a game changer

I have been working with the Spatial media team for many years now on a number of different projects. Their product offering is a game changer that enables us to create tools and systems that enhance and simplify engagement with communities. No request or task is ever too difficult or a problem for the Spatial team. They have worked with me late a night and on weekends to ensure delivery on time. I would recommend Spatial and invest in their exciting future!
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James Mckenzie