The Art Institutes – Create Tomorrow

2010 Graduate, Bachelor of Science in Game Art & Design, The Art Institute of Las Vegas

As an interactive media designer for MGM International, Jasn Painter is responsible for building interfaces for everything from touchscreens to static signage. He adds that, on occasion, he works on personal projects for VPs and directors. “The projects are always changing, which keeps things fresh and new,” he states.

Jasn is proud of his career and mentions that interactive media design is a field where things always feel new and exciting. “This is definitely not a factory churn-n-burn mentality. Each project differs widely from the last and they all have their own unique design challenges.”

Jasn, who in 2010 earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Game Art & Design from The Art Institute of Las Vegas, believes that his education helped him to jump right into his career. “[School taught] me the programs I would use in my day-to-day career life,” states Jasn. He advises current students to be open to everything, asserting that, “Personal tastes and opinions are always nice, but you need to be open to all forms of media and all genres within that medium if you want to stay knowledgeable and competitive.”

2009 Graduate, Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Marketing, The Art Institute of Phoenix

As a technical designer and production manager for By Design LLC, Tiffany Dufault specs every garment that comes in to the company—and deals with factories, vendors, and buyers. She also sets up and holds fittings. “My work day starts with a large black coffee, because working in fashion in New York, trust me, you need it!” she states. Tiffany adds, “It’s exciting and nerve wracking at the same time but I can’t wait to see what I’m doing ten—even five—years from now.”

Tiffany says that with every new order, she creates a package to send out to the factory with spec measurements, tech Sketch, fabric standards, and color standards. She receives a sample back in about two weeks—then sets up fittings with the designer and model. “If all goes well, we then get a pre-production sample which will be in all the correct fabric, trims, and measurements.” Tiffany took a leap of faith when she moved to New York. “I could not be happier. New York was my dream and I was not going to stop at anything until I made it.”

Tiffany, who in 2009 earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fashion Marketing from The Art Institute of Phoenix, states, “My teachers helped to create projects that made me look outside of my own personal style to work with others’ sense of style. It was a challenge but helped me (to) be creative in a way that I never thought was possible.”

2011 Graduate, Bachelor of Arts in Audio Production, The Art Institute of Washington

Darrick Atwater is working as a writer, producer, engineer, and musician for Sterling Musicians. His responsibilities include recording and producing both other artists—and his own—works. “I love being able to just make any kind of sounds I want, and try to figure out a way to make them all fit into a song correctly; but even that term is relative. It’s never correct. The bottom line is, how does it sound to you?” he says.

Darrick, who in 2011 earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Audio Production from The Art Institute of Washington, states that his education helped him to transition into his new career.  He believes that his education helped to bring out his creativity—allowing him to develop the skills he uses daily in his job.

Darrick counts among his accomplishments a recent creative collaboration with a fellow musician. He was hired to write 16 songs. “I wrote, recorded, re-wrote, re-recorded, arranged, edited, mixed, anything from drums, guitars, bass, synths, claps, tambourine, shakers, piano, organ, and some vocals. I wrote all the harmonies [sometimes in 3 or 4 parts per section]. The final tally came to 18 songs, and will be available soon after talks with label exec's are done.”

2003 Graduate, Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts from The Art Institute of Houston

Tiffany Derry jokes that her stints on Bravo’s Top Chef were “game changers.” As a contestant on Season 7 and the All-Star Chefs Season 8, she became a fan favorite. While she didn’t win, she found a side of herself that sparked new creativity and confidence in both the business and cooking side of the culinary industry.

Tiffany began her culinary work at age 15, working in a local iHop. Within two years, she’d become the youngest manager at the restaurant. But her culinary prowess was only beginning. Tiffany competed in culinary competitions to earn money to attend culinary school. She achieved her goal, and in 2003 graduated with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Culinary Arts from The Art Institute of Houston.

In September 2011 Tiffany opened her own restaurant, Private|Social, an endeavor that she knows she’s well prepared for. “There is no job in the restaurant that you do not do, you are not above anything when you want to make a restaurant successful,” she states. She adds that her education from The Art Institute of Houston gave her the skills she needed to become successful in the culinary industry. Tiffany says that a study abroad trip to Paris truly solidified her passion for culinary arts. While there, she visited a market with her fellow culinary students. She noted that while she’d always viewed food as something to be eaten, the Parisians treated it as something to take care of. This further ignited her creative spirit—a spirit that’s driven her to great accomplishments as both a chef and manager.

2008 Graduate, Bachelor of Science in Interior Design, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh

As a designer for Systems Source Inc., Sarah A. Glass is responsible for interior solutions, space planning, and marketing. "A typical day includes everything from responding to emails, meeting with clients, jobsite walk-throughs, and furniture specifications," she states. Sarah adds, "My favorite part about my job is presenting our designs and final product to our client."

Sarah, who in 2008 earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, says that she’s inspired by those who give back. "I'm an idealist, so companies that are established based on a good cause (are) what inspires me." She also mentions that her education helped her to take her creativity and turn it into a career. "The (school) taught me the basic programs and technical knowledge that I would need to be successful in the industry. Without knowing programs such as CAD, Photoshop, and Revit, I know I wouldn't be where I am today."

Sarah believes that while design trends are always changing, one thing never changes—an interior designer’s responsibility to specify and install a project that meets a client’s needs and budget.

2006 Graduate, Bachelor of Science in Digital Media Production, The Art Institute of Philadelphia

Working as the lead developer for The Pew Research Center, Russell Heimlich is responsible for building and maintaining projects for the seven sites in the Pew Research Center family. “I make changes and deploy new features to our WordPress network of sites,” he says. His front- and back-end work ranges from HTML, CSS, and Javascript to PHP, MySQL, and WordPress.

Russell, who in 2006 earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Media Production from The Art Institute of Philadelphia, says that he’s proud of the flexibility and consistency of The Pew Research Center’s WordPress sites. “I really enjoy the creative problem solving to get things done.”

Russell believes that his education helped him to begin his career in digital media production—especially the real-world experience he gained in the classroom. “Knowing how all of the different facets of production can work together has been invaluable in my job, where I need to solve problems quickly and think on my feet.”

1999 Graduate, Associate of Science in Graphic Design, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh

As founder and art director at Gypsywing Media, Lolo Siderman cites freedom and creativity as the best parts of her job. “I love working with new businesses and helping them build their brand image. I love redesigns, where we're creating something beautiful from something blah.” Lolo adds that in her industry, there is no typical workday. “Running my own business is both exciting and nonstop! I am proud of the gorgeous work my team produces.”

Lolo, who in 1999 earned an Associate of Science in Graphic Design degree from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, is also an honors graduate of USC’s business school. To keep current with advertising trends, she reads Communication Arts and looks through yearly "best of" lists. Lolo states that prior to attending The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, she’d never used a design program. “I enjoyed fine art, but had no digital design training whatsoever. Everything I know about graphic design and web design I learned at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.”

Looking to the future in her industry, Lolo believes that print media will continue to decline while social media grows. “Custom social media profiles, web design, and email newsletter design have all been big in the past couple years,” she states. Lolo adds that the trend toward digital graphics is beneficial for graphic designers.  “It’s actually easier to produce work that stays in a digital format than to create digital work that then has to go to print and requires proofing and color matching.”

2009 Graduate, Bachelor of Science in Visual Effects & Motion Graphics, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh

Joseph Spano describes himself as “a freelance artist, so I am constantly moving from job to job.” As the owner and compositor at his own company, Joseph oversees the daily progress of all client projects. “I am most proud of the fact that I sold everything I owned to move out to L.A. with no promise of work and ended up being successful. It was a big risk, but it paid off in a big way.”

Joseph, who in 2009 earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Visual Effects & Motion Graphics from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, states that his education helped him to understand the theories behind the work he’d eventually be doing in the real world. “I can take those basic theories and apply them to any software that is required.”

Finding his work to be both exciting and challenging, Joseph enjoys problem solving. “I like being given a shot, and what the end result of that shot needs to be. It takes a great deal of problem solving to get to correct end result.” He believes that the future of his industry will be focused on Stereoscopic 3D. “Whether it is 3D, compositing, or conversions; there is a ton of work in stereo.”

2007 Graduate, Bachelor of Science in Advertising Design, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh—Online Division

As a high school representative for EDMC/The Art Institutes, Angela M. Pawlik is responsible for delivering fun and interactive career exploration experiences. Her day can begin as early as 4:30 am, but it’s worth it to her when she sees the effect of the presentations she delivers to high school students. “Many teens are unaware of how to put their creativity to work. I love when they see the presentation and it all clicks for them.”

Informing students about the options of a creative career is satisfying to Angela. “I love that my career allows me to mix teaching with advertising,” she says, adding that she’d previously worked in a high school media center. Angela’s work experience also includes working with an advertising firm that specialized in print collateral for the hospitality industry. “I enjoyed the job and did well, but I did not enjoy being in a cubicle for 9 hours a day. My (current) job gives me the best of both worlds. It's the perfect combination of 'the same' and 'different' each day.”

Angela, who in 2007 earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising Design from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh—Online Division, believes that her education helped her to succeed in the real world. “My studies fully prepared me for my advertising job. I went right into copywriting and communications as a result,” she states. Now, Angela explains that she puts both her career and educational experiences to work each day—“letting the next generation know (that The Art Institutes can) prepare students for the real world.”

2010 Graduate, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Art & Design, The Art Institute of Tampa

Hector Robles’ job responsibilities include reviewing design documents, working with contractors, and concepting future game ideas. He works as a project lead and game designer for Unknown.com Inc., and counts among his accomplishments being involved in over 45 finished games in the span of six months.

Hector is also a military veteran, and states that he enjoys the structure and fluidity of making games. “There is a need for guidelines and overall theme when making a game, but reaching the end goal can be very dynamic and challenging,” he says.  Hector, who in 2010 earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Game Art & Design from The Art Institute of Tampa, states that his education helped him to understand all aspects of game design. “I can now effectively communicate my ideas to both left and right brained people and direct projects effectively.”

Looking to the future of the gaming industry, Hector believes that there will be a more social approach to games, including crowdsourcing. “The independent gaming scene keeps coming up with really unique ideas that are influencing the game industry as a whole.”