Brooks Taliaferro Atwood
Brooks Atwood is co-founder and principal of POD Design & Media LLC. In 2010 Atwood became a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Industrial Design and Assistant Director of the Idea Factory in the School of Art + Design at New Jersey Institute of Technology. Professor Atwood attended the L'Ecole de L'Architecture in France, graduated valedictorian with a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from Illinois Institute of Technology in 1999 and received a Master of Science of Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation in 2003. He has taught at Parsons The New School for Design. Atwood has been the recipient of awards including the AIA Scholarship Award for Excellence and the AIA Certificate of Merit Award. He has collaborated on several award-winning art and sculpture installations around the world including Korea, Germany, England and in New York City and Chicago. His work is part of the permanent collection at the Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul, Korea. Brooks was also a featured designer on the Showtime Network in 2010 for the Show House, "The United States of Tara" project and also on the DIY Network for Esquire Magazines' The Ultimate Bachelor Pad in 2012.
Brooks's research program investigates how materials can impact and influence form and manufacturing processes to reduce costs and waste while creating unique, limited edition (and mass produced) products. Advances in technology both analog and digital allow us to manipulate materials in new ways creating vast differences in design variations. How can technology and material performance impact product design and lead to changes in manufacturing?
Director of Design & Social Media: Feb 2010 - December 2010
Eric, the resident kick ball pro is always on the ball (no pun intended). He can jump like nobody's business and has the second best hair in the office. Eric can't sit still; something about ants but no one wants to actually find out. He is the first full time employee at POD and we think he's working on an invisibility spell. good luck with that!
Architecture Intern: June 2010 - September 2010
Lindsay, a.k.a. Cookie, is not from around here. She has never seen any movies, not a one. She says she can dance but no one has actually witnessed any body movements that might resemble dancing. She eats everything in the office and is proned to furious fits of rage.
Industrial Design Intern: Summer 2010
Avrami, if that's his real name, has two speeds; fast and fast. He's a foam wizzard, loves to 'pack-a-lunch' and wishes he could fly.
Digital Design Director: Fall 2009
Adam comes in many packages and has great ears. He speaks like he's from Europe but we don't think he is but who really knows. Adam travels around with his life in his backpack.
Project Designer: Fall 2009
Chris is from a unknown country between England, Germany, Vienna and Brooklyn. He's very tall and well known in the scene.
Design & Research Director: Winter 2008 - Spring 2009
Tobias is from Germany. He says many things that we don't understand. Not a clue. None. But he likes to dance so that makes him "ok" with us! Plus, we just can't get enough of his violin recitals and his red, v-neck, hooded sweatshirt and his unforgettable motto, "One lady at a time". Tobias is in the house, the house of Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany. get a bike!
Intern: Summer 2008, Summer 2007
Cynthia is a unique designer who likes to use macaroni as an essential building material. She likes to take long walks along the beach while singing latino pop songs. Cynthia believes that food is essential for life and that water is the most powerful of all things.
Intern: Winter 2007, Summer 2007
Rich has a way with words and stays up late dreaming of new ways not to trip and fall. He is always looking for excuses to going to the dentist to get root canals and likes butterflies and fireflies. He drinks more iced coffee's than the entire office and thinks recycling is the 'bomb'.
Intern: Winter 2007, Summer 2008
Steven thinks he's an animal and likes to climb trees and play in the rain. He is constantly asking questions about the universe and likes to take baths in carrot juice.
Intern: Summer 2008
Stephanie is little but 'things' BIG. she even has a big head and likes to talk really loud like if she is a giant. She just completed her hypnosis training and has all of us running around like farm animals. bwa-kwawk!!!!
Intern: Summer 2008
Aimee is super! She likes drum circles and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. She doesn't speak English but uses body gestures to communicate her designs. She recently won a gold medal for her sunglasses. If you need a spring roll, she's your woman.