My contract work got my foot in the doors of advertising agencies. And I loved it. I worked on a lot of small projects, sure, and I did a lot of grunt work, yes, but I was able to build my skillsets, sit in on some brainstorming sessions, and learn how to present my ideas. I was fortunate enough to learn under an accomplished creative director who had been in the big shops and pushed the big idea over making things simply look pretty.

Once in the agency world full-time, I gained experience concepting and art directing for big brands. I did ads. Outdoor boards. Trailer wraps. Posters. Websites. Trade-shows. Squirrel Suites. Everything. One day I looked up from my Wacom and realized I have been in the agency world for over ten years, with experience ranging from presentations going down in flames, to crappier projects like an ad campaign for a one-ply toilet paper company (no pun intended) to huge opportunities/ projects for international clients like BFGoodrich and The Harlem Globetrotters. Awesome.