Adam Alim
Spring 2005
BS Game Art & Design
Game Designer
Midway Amusement Games, LLC
According to Adam Alim, his ability to “hit the ground running” in his current position with Midway Amusement Games, had a lot to do with his education, which provided him with extensive knowledge of the industry-relevant programs he now uses on a daily basis.
At Midway, Adam is considered an expert on many technical aspects of game design. “On a daily basis, many of the, roughly 20, artists and designers will come to me with questions on everything from static mesh optimization to terrain.”
Adam knows that a strong portfolio is priceless in landing that first job out of school and he credits his portfolio for earning him an interview with Midway. He made sure he created exceptional work in his classes that showed off his abilities as a game designer and gave him plenty of material for his portfolio.
A typical day for Adam at Midway consists of getting into work at 10:30 a.m., followed by participation in meetings with the lead designer, lead artist and his fellow designers to discuss techniques and ideas and then spending the rest of the day and early evening collaborating to create game environments and meet deadlines.
What Adam really enjoys, though, is creating third-person shooter action games. One of his favorite projects was partnering with John Woo and his game company to create Stranglehold, a game with “incredible moves and gameplay mechanics.”
Adam’s philosophy on career success is that it takes drive, determination and perseverance. ”You need to have all three of these qualities to overcome the challenges and setbacks on the road to success,” he says. “But the pay-off is so worth it.”
Huy Dinh
Summer 2003
BS Media Arts & Animation
Senior Artist
Electronic Arts
Work hard and play nice is Huy Dinh’s model for success, a good mantra considering his typical day involves, “Work and lots of it.” A Media Arts & Animation graduate from The Art Institute of California-Orange County, Huy focuses on texturing and modeling at his job with Electronics Arts.
While an Art Institute student, Huy interned for a local gaming company 30 hours per week, while still a full-time student. He spent more than a year interning and applying his classroom knowledge on a daily basis to real world projects.
He started at Electonic Arts as a background artist immediately after graduation and managed to work his way up to a senior artist in less than three years.
Kat Kosmala
Winter 2006
BS Media Arts & Animation
Character Artist
Animax
Success is achieved by patience and hard work. Just ask Media Arts & Animation alumna Kat Kosmala, who graduated Winter 2006. At the tender age of 23, she is living her dream as an animator. For the last year, Kat has worked as a character artist for Animax, an Emmy award-winning flash animation studio in Culver City. Her job has allowed her to apply her talents to a number of animation projects, including AOL’s Slammo and Sloshie, ESPN's Off Mikes and DISNEY’s Healthy Kids Website.
Kat’s career success started at The Art Institute of California-Orange County. Her directorial debut, Linear Progression, is an animated short that was completed while she was still a student and is in its second year touring the film festival circuit. It has screened at over 30 locations throughout the United States and Canada.
Kat was offered a chance to join Animax two years after meeting the production manager at a puppetry workshop. “You never really know where the opportunities will come,” she says. “Meet people, talk to them and share interests, but don't schmooze and don't use - they see right through that.”
Kat attributes much of her current success to deciding early-on in her education which direction she wanted to go in animation and really concentrating in school. “Three years at The Art Institute may sound like a lot of time, but you really need to take advantage of the resources available to you if you're expecting to become an expert in your field,” she says. “If you spend most of your time unsure of what you want to do, then you'll have a lot of catching up to do when it comes time to start working on your demo reel.”
Kat also says that, “foundation studies classes are, hands down, the most important courses at The Art Institute. Life drawing and traditional animation classes are essential to every animator, even 3DS Max and Maya gurus.
“Don't be afraid to revisit fundamental classes while you’re in school or attend additional classes or seminars outside of school,” she suggests.
For now, Kat is very happy with Animax, which she refers to as “a place where my ideas are always valued and considered.” She hopes, however, in the next five years, to find more time to work on personal projects and do some more traditional animation.
Kat’s best advice is “…work at your craft every day. Having a part-time attitude just won’t get results.
Jessica Y. Lee
Designer
Covee LLC
Bachelor of Science in Media Arts & Animation
Winter 2007
Jessica Lee got her job as a designer at Covee LLC by carefully preparing her portfolio and by being persistent in her job search. Within a month after graduation, she had quit her job waiting tables and focused on starting her career.
“I sent a job application to a few potential employers every day, but I didn’t have any luck for the first two weeks,” Lee said. “Exactly two weeks later, someone from Covee LLC saw my resume on Craigslist and emailed me. I had an interview on the very next day and got the job within a week.”
Lee credits the professional look of her portfolio, especially the 2-D work in graphic design and illustration, as the reason she was hired. “I believe that having an opportunity to take some design-related classes while majoring in Media Arts & Animation helped me prepare to become a designer,” Lee said.
Other skills Lee uses on a daily basis that she learned at The Art Institute of California – Orange County are use of pantone colors and the importance of being able to work as a team.
A typical day in the life for Lee involves working closely with customers and the factories in China that work with the company. “Although my official title is designer, I spend most of my time doing production art,” Lee said. “I get designs and tech packs from our customers, including Roxy, Billabong or Etnies. I choose fabrics and sometimes even colors to use on their hats. Around 4 in the afternoon, I start saving all of my files as .PDF and send them to the factories in China.”
Recently, Lee was asked to design caps and a beanie for Hard Rock Café and Planet Hollywood. “I was allowed to choose any fabrics, colors and create my own designs,” Lee said. “I didn’t have enough time to create my own designs from scratch, but I still had a lot of fun and it’s the best project that I’ve worked on so far.”
Now that’s she’s enjoyed some success in her new career, Lee had this advice to offer current students: “Spend enough time on your homework – especially your art work so that you won’t have to spend too much time fixing it for a portfolio later,” she said. “You should start thinking about what you want to have on your demo reel or in your portfolio as soon as possible. I learned my lesson the hard way and had to spend a lot of time finishing up my demo reel.”
Kristi Lynn
Summer 2005
BS Media Arts & Animation
Designer
Texture Home Decor
A 2005 graduate of The Art Institute of California-Orange County’s Media Arts & Animation program, Kristi Lynn currently works as a designer for a unique home furnishings company, Texture Home Décor. Her employer credits her success at the company to her “rare ability to apply contemporary and transitional concepts to products that hold a universal appeal.” It is this creative talent that is behind Kristi’s signature collection, the Lovely Ladies, which is Texture Home Décor’s top-selling line and is available at Target.com
Her other artistic responsibilities include designing concepts for new home décor and working with overseas vendors to get her sketches and digital paintings turned into actual products.
“Essentially, I am a project manager and creative director rolled into one. What I am doing now is closely related to Media Arts & Animation. Interior design is definitely one of the fields you can go into with that degree,” says Kristi.
Kristi’s job found her by chance one day when she was at a copy store printing a project for one of her classes. The owner of Texture Home Décor happened to be there at the same time and was so impressed by Kristi’s work that she immediately asked her to freelance for the company. Though she was only in her second quarter at The Art Institute, Kristi seized the opportunity.
Now in her first year of full-time employment, Kristi’s favorite aspect of her job is traveling. In order to formulate concepts that are truly cutting edge, Kristi has visited the Philippines, China and India. She meets with manufacturers to ensure that her vision is being represented in the final product.
“Seeing other cultures, meeting people and seeing different parts of the world are great for an artist. These new experiences help me to stay on top of trends and anticipate what may be coming in the future. As a designer, it is so important to not only be aware of what is popular now, but what will be popular in the future,” says Kristi.
Kristi attributes her success to both the social and professional skills she developed while at The Art Institute. After enrolling at The Art Institute, Kristi quickly became determined to turn her passion for art into a career. Getting involved at every opportunity, she shed her shy demeanor in her first quarter and jumped into her education. Alongside fellow President’s Club member Eric Ryan, Kristi conceptualized and completed the mural that hangs in the stairwell of Building A.
“My education has made me successful in my field. Everything from color theory to basic illustration and storyboarding has helped. Every time I am sketching a product, I can hear teachers in my head asking me, ‘Does it work?’”
From her humble beginnings as an unsure, first-quarter student, Kristi Lynn took advantage of every opportunity at The Art Institute to turn her passion for art into an international career.