This week’s TS bio post features Kimberley Lloyd, a member of the accounting team. Originally hailing from the UK, Kim eventually followed her husband, Jonathan Lloyd (VP of Product Development), to New Orleans and TurboSquid. Read on to discover more about her experience in the States, New Orleans, and which superpower she secretly wishes to possess.
Alright, so how’d you land in the US and at TurboSquid?
I landed in the states by airplane from Manchester Airport to Chicago O’Hare then to New Orleans. No, seriously I ended up in the states by following my husband here when he landed a job at TS. Little did I know that I was soon to employed by TS too.
I managed to get a job here because back in the UK I was an accountant, and the accounting department at TS was in need of someone else. I guess they felt I would be a good fit because I had helped out with the accounting for Falling Pixel, which essentially works in a very similar way to TS. Also I think people were concerned about my sanity. I came to the States on a H4 visa, which is for spouses of people with H1B visas and means I was not allowed to work; so I spent a lot of time at home playing housewife before I got the job at TS and my new visa, and, let me tell you, playing housewife is the most boring job for someone who does not have children!
So, as an accountant, what are your primary responsibilities at TurboSquid? (Though maybe that’s a silly question . . .)
My job consists mostly of trade and some vendor payables and reconciliations. I am involved in making sure that the invoices we receive from our traders are paid on time. After all, if we don’t pay the bills we might lose one of the most important things for a tech company—electricity! I also work to make sure that our vendors are paid on time and correctly, which takes up most of the first half of the month due to the amount of vendors we pay every month. Unfortunately sometimes things get missed or added up wrong, which means I also spend time answering artists’ support tickets. As for the reconciliations, basically I make sure our accounting system balances and matches the entries in our PayPal accounts for Falling Pixel, Exchange 3D, and Webmoney.
What do you think of New Orleans?
I have to say that I am a fan. I had actually visited here back when I was 18 in 2005, before Hurricane Katrina hit. Back then I didn’t know what TurboSquid was, and I would never in a million years have imagined that I would one day live here. When TurboSquid approached my husband with a job opportunity, it was definitely a hard decision to make; moving meant leaving our life and family in the UK and coming to the unknown.
Also I think that a lot of people outside of the U.S. don’t realize how far New Orleans has come since Katrina hit. In fact, a friend of mine was telling her friend that I was moving here, and he asked her how I could move somewhere that no longer existed! Which is crazy: if you have ever spent time in the French Quarter or at one of the many festivals here, you would know that this city is very much ALIVE! (Maybe more alive than it was when I visited back in 2005, but that could have a lot to do with the fact that I can now legally drink.)
Coming back to the decision of moving here – I think it is one of the best we have ever made. Life is too short not to take those chances. Yes it is scary, and there will always be those days you miss home and your family, but if we had stayed in the UK, there would always the question of “what if ?”
We always have to ask: Got a favorite model?
I like a lot of Massimo’s models because he is excellent at making realistic animals. I like this chimp in particular; it could have been in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”
Anything else you’d like to share?
I’ve always wanted a superpower that allowed me to touch someone and cure their diseases. Just think, no one would be able to have a sick day again!
Did you know that in the UK it was once thought that royalty really did have this power?
I never realized that my superpower wish would cause controversy! I guess back in those times royalty liked to feel like gods, so I imagine that they spread that rumor. I still think it is best to leave that kind of power in the hands of science and medicine. It seems like we are finding ways to make ourselves free from disease every day. Did you hear about the possibility of using 3D printing to print organs that can be used in transplants? Who knows what is in store for us in the future; I guess we will just have to wait and see.