AIGA Connecticut presents the 3rd annual Emerging Professional Workshop, sponsored by TracyLocke, cre8buzz @ The McIntyre Group and Hartford Art School, where students and emerging talent can directly connect with industry professionals and prospective employers to gain first-hand insight on how to land a job and stay in-demand in today’s creative industry.
First, be part of the dialogue during our interactive panel discussion featuring a diverse array of CT creative leaders including:
Frank Oggeri, Group Creative Director at TracyLocke
Melissa Morris, Director of Creative & Digital at cre8buzz @ The McIntyre Group
Roger Cameron, Creative Director at LEGO® Consumer Marketing Agency
Randy Giarnella, Associate Creative Director at Primacy
Dan Dyksen, Senior Partner and Creative Director at Brandlogic
Independent Designer, Patti Murphy
These dynamic panelists are eager to provide their unique perspectives on the skills and attitudes needed to succeed in the various career paths available to creatives entering the workforce.
Then, have your portfolio reviewed personally by some of CT’s top creative minds. Get valuable personal feedback from multiple creative professionals on an individual basis. To participate in the portfolio review, simply answer "yes" to the question on the online registration form. Then bring 3-5 examples of your best work and be prepared to present them as you would in a professional setting.*
*If you will be showing digital work, please bring a means to showcase that work via a laptop or an iPad, or bring a printed representation of that work.
Registration is FREE but you must register online.
Online registration includes morning refreshments and lunch.
Agenda:
9:15 - 10 AM - SIgn-in and refreshments
10:00 - 12:00 - Panel Discussion
12:00 - 12:45 - Lunch
1:00 - 3 PM - Portfolio Review
-----------------------------Panelist Bios:
Frank Oggeri, Group Creative Director, TracyLocke
Frank Oggeri brings 20+ years of experience in brand marketing, consumer promotions, shopper marketing, sports marketing to a very talented creative department at TracyLocke. His current focus is growing a very diverse and talented creative department (both staff and freelance) that supports all TracyLocke clients across all disciplines (shopper, digital, advertising, consumer promotions, brand, field, sports, etc.). He has built and molded shopper marketing, brand, consumer promotion and foodservice marketing creative teams for clients such as Reebok, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Gatorade, Budweiser/InBev, Dicks Sporting Goods, The Hershey Company, Kimberly-Clark. Home Town Buffets and Grand Marnier. And digital, of course, infuses everything that they do.
Above all else, the thing that makes his work fulfilling is being surrounded by the best, most talented individuals in the business. The whole creative process fascinates him, and being an extremely active part in mentoring the best and brightest creatives really gets his juices flowing. Beyond this, the concepting, creative development, and execution of 360-degree marketing programs for his clients and their customers is a challenge he takes great pleasure in tackling.
Specialties: • Team Building: Pure and simple. He has an eye for talent and creative potential, and know what to do with it once he finds it. • Talent Management: He's well versed in smoothly running large creative groups and delivering a management style that strikes a balance between delivering great work and managing the bottom line, maintaining satisfied employees, and impressing clients.
Melissa Morris, Director of Creative & Digital, cre8buzz @ The McIntyre Group
Melissa Morris started her career in recruiting over 10 years ago. After spending 6 years with Dunhill Personnel Search, Melissa joined The McIntyre Group placing candidates in Human Resources and IT. Melissa attributes her success at The McIntyre Group to building relationships with her clients. I can promise a relationship that will last well beyond a single job. To pay homage to her theater background, Melissa now is the Director of cre8buzz @ mcintyre their creative and digital staffing company. Melissa holds her Bachelor's from SUNY Buffalo and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Theater from the University of California at San Diego. She began her professional career as Stage Manager for the Broadway productions of Beauty and the Beast and Hairspray, where she honed her skills in staff management and communication.
Melissa lives in Fairfield with her husband, two children, and Maggie, the human-sized lap dog. She's an active member in her community where she is a PTA liaison to the Board of Education and a member of the Junior Women's Club of Fairfield.
Roger Cameron, Creative Director, LEGO® Consumer Marketing Agency
Roger is a Creative Director for the LEGO Group's premiere global internal creative agency, LEGO CMA (Consumer Marketing Agency). In his15 years with LEGO CMA, Roger has worked on global publications, packaging, content and campaigns. Roger's current creative teams are responsible for the developing animation & live content for the various LEGO media channels and also developing communication strategies & campaigns for local and global markets.
Roger studied at Plymouth State University where he received a BFA in graphic design with a minor in sociology. While studying graphic design Roger started freelance designing and illustrating for action-sport brands Bonfire Snowboarding, Scott USA and Salomon Sports. Concurrent to his career at LEGO, Roger and his wife Sarah created two action-sports brands of their own: Magical Go-Go and POM POM.
Roger has a passion for design & communication in the toy and action-sports industry. His career at LEGO along with his personal brands allow him to exercise a unique type of creative cross-training that helps him push the progression of communication.
Randy Giarnella, Associate Creative Director, Primacy
Randy has 18+ years of experience in interactive and digital media. He attended Paier College of Art for graphic design and Manchester Technical College for desktop publishing and multimedia design. Experienced in all aspects and forms of digital media, he is now a Associate Creative Director at Primacy—a digital agency in Farmington, CT—where he has designed and lead many award-winning projects across industries from healthcare and finance to consumer and manufacturing for top companies, including Timex, Swiss Army and Sikorsky Aircraft.
Dan Dyksen, Senior Partner and Creative Director, Brandlogic
A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Dan comes to Brandlogic with more than 20 years of experience in identity systems, branding, annual reports and marketing collateral for a variety of global clients. With a focus on the cultural arts and non-profit organizations, Dan began his career working with clients such as Pace Gallery, Robert Miller Gallery, The Alliance for Downtown New York and AmeriCares. Dan went on to become a design director at Interbrand in the New York office working on branding assignments for GE Money, Covidien, Mellon Financial and Victoria’s Secret Direct.
Most recently, Dan was the creative director of marketing and events at New York magazine. While at New York, Dan was responsible for managing the brand across all platforms, as well as overseeing strategic partnerships with clients such as Disney, Saks Fifth Avenue, Quebec Tourism and The French Culinary Institute, among others.
Dan’s work has been selected for design excellence by the Society of Illustrators, AR 100 and Print magazine. Dan is currently on the board of directors for the AIGA Metro-North chapter.
Patti Murphy, Owner, Patti Murphy Designs
Patti Murphy is an independent creative who comes from a professional background in the marketing and design industry. For the past eight years she has worked at various Fortune 500 companies and small businesses as an award-winning designer. Patti is also an artist in residence at Hygienic Art in New London, CT where she is involved in numerous exhibitions and volunteering in the arts community. She specializes in brand identities (print and web) and creative direction. She also creates custom wedding invitations and personal product design. From early on she has had a distinct style—one that has evolved over the years to be a combination of whimsical and sophisticated. She is currently pursuing her dream of establishing a design boutique which is a reflection of her personal passion and what she loves.
Please register in advance as seating is limited. If you are having difficulties with registration, email president@connecticut.aiga.org
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
This AIGA Connecticut event was made possible by the generous support of our chapter sponsors, including:
cre8buzz @ mcintyre is the creative and digital staffing arm of The McIntyre Group. We specialize in all facets of the creative and emerging digital category in direct hire and consulting capacities. We deliver talent solutions for advertising agencies, corporate marketing and communications, or any organization requiring creative, marketing, interactive or digital resources. For 2 years we have been identifying passive and untapped creative talent for our clients when an urgent opening occurs, to staff an entire department, or to provide immediate consulting services ona project basis.
What makes us different? Our Creative Recruiters know what you want because they have directly experienced the lifestyle of a “creative” and can immediately relate to your needs. We instinctively go to new places to draw out untapped talent guaranteed to immediately impress.
Why cre8buzz? We want to develop a community where candidates can do more than simply apply for a job. We want to share and invite others to share their stories, what works and what doesn’t when looking for a job. Pollination leads to growth - the right creative hires will brand your firm creating an interminable image and impression, advancing your company forward. We believe that our strong community of candidates will help catapult your company to the next level.
Find out more about cre8buzz here.
www.cre8buzz.net
-----------------------------------------------------------
We believe the best work lives at the intersection of Art & Science. All our employees feed our proprietary process called Buy Design™, which allows us to create content that drives commerce. From physical experiences to digital engagements, we believe the entire retail and shopping experience can and should be designed. Designing experiences for shoppers to buy brands includes packaging, promotions and shopper marketing programs. We use a range of tools that allow us to understand the brand, culture, consumer, shopper and retailer; imagine a creative idea that will engage; act in relevant ways with executional excellence; and learn by measuring data and constantly improving our methods.
