I am originally from NY and started my graphic design career creating catalogs and advertising for a small art school on Long Island.
Realizing there was a bit more to graphic design than knowing how to use a pirated copy of Photoshop, I headed out west to Seattle to attend the Art Institute of Seattle where I graduated with honors.
I made some long lasting professional friendships at the Art Institute and soon landed a job at a local toy company, where I cut my teeth in the packaging world. Deadlines often required same-day turnaround, which meant being introduced to a toy in the morning and completing its packaging before leaving for the day. This included creating a dieline, branding, illustrations, and frequently a mock up for catalog photography.
While working at the toy company, I got married, became a parent, and chose to stop working full-time for a while to be a stay-at-home dad. While doing this, I also freelanced for a number of clients, keeping my head in the game. One of my clients was Spark, whom we’ll come back to later.
Once my children were settled and established at school, I began to claw my way back into full-time work. Initially starting a bit simpler than my previous jobs, I accepted a position in pre-press production at an envelope factory. Here I learned a lot about the print process, which I really enjoyed. The factory employed some really old processes that don’t exist anywhere else, and I love to take any side trips to the technical side of things when I can.
Ultimately, I left the envelope factory to focus on my freelance business for a short while, as one of my toy company clients was booming and was asking for more of my services. (I’ve since given that client to a cohort of mine).
From there, I was flattered and thrilled to be asked to come back to work full time with Spark at Microsoft where I was trained up in Project Management. In addition to Project Management, I have been doing Production for Xbox Games as well as a few other Microsoft brands, including HoloLens, Surface, PC accessories, Office, and more. I have also recently shifted roles toward more QC-centered tasks, such as verifying outside vendors packaging adheres to Microsoft’s standards and templates (many of which I had a hand in creating).
I look forward to hearing about interesting opportunities in Production, Design, or Project Management.