Let's Get A Job Jason Porter

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 done on time and, most importantly, within budget. Originally from Miami, Ashley and I discuss moving to Denver during the pandemic and the transition from intern to full time. Her advice is don’t think too much about what’s on your reel, putting the experimental stuff you do in your free time is what gets you a job doing what you really want to do. Also, learn how to light a set… it’s what makes an image beautiful. 

SHOW NOTES
NBAxHBCU Lauren London x PumaAvalanche Hype VideoGondola.cc - IMDB for social mediaJobs at Fresh Tape

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 favor of fast, high-fidelity prototypes because you don’t have to guess what someone is thinking after a biometrics test. We talk about using parallel work examples to get a job doing something new and how sending perfect work isn’t as important as just showing some level of competency when starting out.  Lastly Patrick compares the autonomy and depth within an in-house design role vs the fast turnaround of project based freelance work at a design agency - it’s all about the iterative self-sustaining loop of finding and improving novel problems.

SHOW NOTES
Dovetail - A User Research PlatformJohnathan Stark - Freelance Mentor Articulating Design Decisions, by Tom Greene

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 patience and persistence.
 

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 exactly the way you planned in. Dan details the process of directing a TV show from being hired through delivery, working with writers, and how the budget affects all decisions made. Lastly, we talk about being intentional in selecting independent projects, the interconnected industry network in Hollywood, and having a personal project as a calling card to show that you can do what you are trying to be hired to do.

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. We attempt to keep on top of current social media platforms as Sara explains the need to know not just how they work but why they work and what will work on them beyond knowing the TikTok dances. Lastly, Sara shares the magic words to guide a client through production drafts when you don’t see eye to eye and the importance of compromise in creating great work. 

Show Notes
Honey Baked Ham campaign#StopTraffic experiential campaign

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 biology and the difficulty of studying for four years to do something only to realize you hate it, how it felt like a waste of time, and dealing with the quarter-life crisis. We discuss his path from the PAC 12 to the BIG 10 and finally the SEC, applying for jobs through Twitter DMs, and the best strategies for doing so. We break down his most recent demo reel and his thoughts on how to best showcase your talents in 50 seconds. Lastly, we dig into keeping creative throughout shooting the same type of video over and over, and freeing yourself from perfection by not putting too much weight into each video - if you mess up, just move onto the next one.

Show Notes
Sandstorm videoWelding Themed Battle Armor VideoThe Columbus Ohio MixTape2020 Demo Reel