John Twigt is the founder and owner of Workstation, an audiovisual media production company based in Amsterdam. John founded Workstation in 1998 and has been a director and cameraman since 1988. He directs a wide variety of television programs, including commercials, online communications, and corporate films, and his TV work includes extensive documentary work about art and culture. As its first director, John was also involved in the conception of Hart van Nederland, the popular SBS news program. To date, John has directed or produced well over 400 television broadcasts. In all, he has directed television programs for AVRO, VARA, NCRV, KRO, NPS, RVU, TROS, TELEAC, BNN, Veronica/VOO/Yorin, RTL 4 and 5, Sport7, TMF, MTV, FOX, SBS 6, and NET5.

We recently sat down with John for a quick chat about his history with Media 100...

What type of work do you tend to specialize in? 
I specialize in documentary style storytelling for corporations, institutes, small businesses, and more - basically, anyone who needs to tell a story. I also like to produce, shoot, and direct music videos. At the moment,  I am working on Alienation, a short, independent 4K dance film project that I conceived, financed, and directed.

What led to your recent purchase of Media 100?
Back in 1994, I bought my first editing system, a Media 100, and I relied on Media 100 as my go-to editing system for many years. Around 6 years ago, I switched to Final Cut Pro, but I continued to do occasional projects on Media 100. Recently, when I heard Media 100 was available for just $99, and that it was capable of 4K, I decided to get it - partly for old times' sake and partly to evaluate its use for future work, especially as an ‘offline’ editor for 4K projects. I am currently using Media 100 and Adobe Premiere Pro side-by-side.

How have you found Media 100 in use?
Media 100 is the simplest editing tool that I have ever used. It is highly intuitive and offers rock-solid performance. Media 100 was and still is "my system"; I can instantly start editing as if I have never been away from it. 

What types of projects have you used Media 100 on?
We have used Media 100 on all kinds of projects, mostly long-form documentaries and corporate videos, but also for TV commercials and graphics. My company has edited well over 2,000 TV shows, corporate videos, and commercials on Media 100.  

Are there any features that you find particularly useful?
I like the way Media 100 is organized. It is not "in your face" with features, and the simplicity of the features helps editors concentrate on the basics. Also, Media 100 has always just "worked"; it is a very stable platform.

What would you like to see from Media 100 in the future?
I see myself moving in a more cinematic direction, with higher resolutions and different post-production requirements. In this respect, I would love to see greater support for VFX and audio plug-ins, XML I/O improvements, and enhanced color grading capabilities