I began design, dabbling. Before there was Adobe, I learned digital graphics on cumbersome IBMs with video cameras attached on tall mounts, at the Ingersoll office of Heritage Cable. Years later, on a break between Disney gigs, I worked that same way at a small station in Gardena, CA, full-time for a year or two. I returned to Disney, for 7 years this time, and by the time the place had exhausted me, Adobe happened, and it was time to learn something new.
Good fortune: an enterpreneur named Wysky--who barely knew me from my Disney time--offered me the chance to design DVD menus for his new company Still In Motion. Sure, I said--having no idea if my skills were up to it yet. But I'd seen a few fairly terrible menus I knew I could do better than, so I forged ahead. If Wysky hated the work, that would be the end of it, and it would be back to the drawing mouse.
My first assignment was a low-budget 50s horror, "The Brain That Wouldn't Die", for Synapse, a company specializing in niche re-releases. It was a chance to exercise my retro muscle. What I came up with wasn't brilliant, but better than that, it was accepted and got me more work.
I was freelancing for anyone that wanted menus by this time, and so was always thumbing through the latest Hollywood Reporter. Imagine my surprise when I saw this:
That was a long time ago, and I've since done what to me is a truly interesting variety of work. Nearly all of it has been fun. One of the things I like best is that I get to combine both hemispheres of my head--the mathematical, technical side as well as the creative side. My years of post-production and management combined well with all that dabbling. So it felt like a sign when I made my career switch and was welcomed in with a title reading "the brain that wouldn't die".