Todd Coulson, a 1999 multimedia graduate of The Art Institute of Philadelphia, is enjoying the many aspects of his professional career. The internship Todd landed at Haley Productions while attending The Art Institute really paid off. Today, Todd is a Multimedia Developer for Haley Productions, working with Director and Flash to fully create multimedia applications that range from kiosks, to sales presentations, to Web sites. The structure of his projects can be linear or dynamic in nature. Most recently, Todd helped his company roll out a five kiosk interactive dinosaur display for children at the Maryland Science Center as part of their TerraLink Exhibit.
When we asked Todd why he decided to attend The Art Institute of Philadelphia, he told us that he was attracted to the multimedia program because it provided many open ended career possibilities. He enjoyed the program’s flexibility in teaching him how to use many different types of software, while still providing him direction to determine his market niche. Upon graduation, his degree gave him the ability to learn programs quickly and efficiently to remain competitive in the marketplace.
Todd made sure to supplement his education experience by becoming involved in programs outside of the schoolhouse. Todd explored both online and book tutorials, read books beyond his class requirements, attended conferences like Flash Forward and Flash in the Can, joined local user groups such as Philadelphia Flash MMUG, and relied on support from his friends, family, and colleagues. In Todd’s words, you should "constantly look for opportunities to succeed. Do more than is required in class. Classes should consist of about ¼th of the amount of time you will spend on learning. The other ¾ time should be self learning and application of those skills in projects that will get you noticed. Work on real world projects whenever possible, they will earn you more accolades than the projects you construct for yourself."
Today Todd’s success reaches beyond the workplace. He recently had the opportunity to speak at a PANMA meeting hosted by The Art Institute of Philadelphia. He says he is "constantly trying to improve on my skills while getting the opportunity to teach others." In keeping with this philosophy, Todd is teaching a class this summer on Macromedia Flash at Wilmington College. Additionally, Todd has co-authored Macromedia Flash MX Unleashed for SAMS Publishing, writing chapters 8, 10, 17 and 20 along with one chapter in Macromedia Flash MX Components Most Wanted. We look forward to hearing about even greater successes from Todd in the near future!