Let's Get A Job

This week Ashley Gutierrez, a junior producer at Fresh Tape, a sports media production company based in Denver, walks us through her role in a recent project between Twitter, HBCUs, and the NBA. She sees her role as the blueprint to everything – from the pitch, to planning, finding the right people to execute her idea, managing the talent and clients, and even picking up a camera or editing when necessary. Living in the “we just have to make it happen” world, she makes sure the projects get d...

This week, Patrick Drake, a product designer for Dealerware, an automotive tech company located in Austin, discusses how you can’t separate UI from UX because they inherently enhance each other towards a product’s overall goals. He discusses why demonstrating sound problem solving in your work and the ability to walk someone through your thought process is the most effective skill a designer can develop. Patrick shares his process for usability testing, downplaying biometric eye tracking in f...

This week, Corey Zucco (@czooksmedia), a recent graduate from the spring of 2021, talks about moving back to her hometown and how she landed her first full-time job as a digital designer at Red Ventures. We tackle mental health breaks, personal branding and network utilization. Corey also shares her journey through the virtual interview process, her fears about never landing a job, and her relatable disdain for LinkedIn. Lastly, Corey gives her tips for navigating the job market, including pa...

This week Dan Liu, director for TV shows like AMC's The Walking Dead and Netflix's Shadow & Bone, discusses how his job is to get everyone on board with his vision while still being respectful to each department by never forcing his technical knowledge on them. We talk about capturing the moments he is happy with on film while creating a space for the actors to give the ones he did not expect and how it is more important to capture the intention and tone of a scene even when it's not exac...

This week Sara Lowe (@sara_lowe17), Art Director at BBDO in Atlanta, talks about how art direction is more than just design; it's a concept with big ideas and making them come to life as a way to get someone to like something. We discuss being creative within the restrictions of a client brief and using Instagram as a morning design scroll for daily inspiration. She digs into working with a copywriter and how it’s more than just a partnership; it’s a relationship that you work on all the time...

This week Justin Law (@TweetJustinLaw), a Senior Producer for South Carolina Athletics, talks about how content creation is more than just fan engagement but primarily used as a recruitment tool for 16-18 year-olds considering playing for the University of South Carolina. We talk about keeping current in trends without being cheesy and putting the viewer in the shoes of a player on and off the field, which is more than quick cuts and catchy music. Justin talks about going to school for biolog...

This week Autumn Moore, editor at Trailer Park in Los Angeles, talks about the full scope of what it takes to get a trailer on screen and how she loves that her ideas are the first thing you see on a project. We discuss how you can edit the beats of a trailer’s story in several ways, and breaking the formula is where cool work comes from, but you have to first know the editing formula to justify why you broke it. Autumn details the how assistant editing is the best way to become an editor, bu...

This week Adam Johnson (@the_creative_explorer), a Senior Graphic Designer at Nike, talks about the balance between branding and appeal in apparel graphic design and how that ties into the overall narrative story. We discuss working two years ahead of real-life and how he designs outside of trend while using the combination of cyclical fashion and innovating performance technology to be on-trend in the future. He explains the collaborative ecosystem between the roles that make a piece of appa...

This week Chelsea Lee (@kaijulekramp), Art Director for Brand and Purpose Communications at Square, talks about the holistic nature of art direction and how the story you tell is impacted, not defined by the medium chosen to tell it; taste and style can translate across any medium. We discuss the future (not death) of print, and the cultural shift in our relationship with physical things - all while acknowledging that most, if not all, current print projects have a digital aspect to them. Che...

This week, Jessica (@jessicahische), lettering artist, author, and professional procrastiworker, talks about knowing when your freelance job is your full-time job. We get in the weeds with artist reps and making connections to people at places that want to hire you and, more importantly, work that people know how to hire for in the future. In the end, we agree to not worry about having your shit together in five years; it’s not a race to the top.