In this episode, we speak with AJ O’Reilly about his journey from IU Bloomington to his most recent role as the Director of Product at Stagetime. AJ is a founder, product leader, and teacher, with more than 10 years of design and art experience from a variety of positions and industries. For several years, AJ worked as a freelance designer in the Midwest, working on projects that range from a beekeeper’s app to the Indiana University branding system. AJ later went on to work as a Visual Brand Specialist at Cook Medical. He also recently opened his own art store in Bloomington, Indiana called Griffy’s Art Supply, which has a storefront and partners with Indiana University to provide supplies for art students. In a show of great time management techniques, AJ is also adjunct faculty at Indiana University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Listen to learn more as AJ tells us about his career path in the arts, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and what’s helped him be the person he is today.
AJ O’Reilly is a founder, product leader, and teacher. He is the founder of Griffy’s Art Supply, a specialized art supply retailer, and Director of Product at Stagetime. AJ is also adjunct faculty at Indiana University and the Rhode Island School of Design.
Currently, AJ coordinates the design and product of Stagetime, a professional network for the performing arts. Besides being an expert in design, AJ has entrepreneurial, teaching, and leadership experience, which in part lead back to his time at IU, where he earned both a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design. In this episode, AJ tells us about honing his passion for art into a career, his process as an artist, and the skills he gained at IU that help him today. We hope you find AJ’s wisdom helpful to your current and professional lives. Enjoy the episode!