The Journey
Ok so not really $100 Billion, but still.
I’m at the end of my most recent journey…a journey that has ended in a wonderful opportunity and something I’m quite proud of. Here’s the lowdown:
I was let go from TinyCo in May. It was a shock to me. I didn’t see it coming, I had no warnings or guidance about it at all. Looking back, it was probably for the best. TinyCo discovered my portfolio online and approached me about a UI Artist gig there. They told me they thought I could raise the bar of quality across the board on their games and help them ship world class products.
The longer I stayed there, despite loving my coworkers and the work I did, the more I started to notice this wasn’t the case. None of my differing opinions were really welcome; In my opinion the priority was focused on maintaining the curve, not being ahead of it. (They weren’t really even that into games, believe it or not.)
So while I was very upset at being let go, I think it was a blessing. I won’t deny TinyCo did a lot for me…they got me to California…which is probably the most important thing that’s happened to me. For this, I’m eternally grateful. But it was time to move on.
I immediately began a job search, and sent out several resumes and portfolios. My first interview was with ngmoco:) and was immediately hired as a contract Junior Designer in the Internet Marketing department.
(I also interviewed at Whiskey Media, and was offered a role. Sadly, it fell through; obviously it wasn’t meant to be.)
I started working at ngmoco:) as a freelancer within days of my offer. The people at ngmoco:) are amazing…it’s a really cool company with huge ambition and great employees. However, the role I was in wasn’t the one I dreamed of. I was far away from UI Design and creative work, which is what I feel most passionate about at this point in my career.
Eventually I was contacted by Zynga. They wanted to interview me for a couple of different UI-focused roles. I interviewed with the Web Division and Mobile Division for UI Artist positions. After a few interviews and phone calls, I was offered a full time position in their Mobile Division. This is where I’m heading. I’m incredibly excited to be joining a company who’s leading an industry and working with people who genuinely enjoy games. Half of my interviews took twice as long as they should’ve because we got started on rants about Mass Effect and L.A. Noire. I have a feeling that there’s a lot of great work to be done and that I’ll be a part of a lot of fun and exciting projects with great people, and I’ll do tons of learning to boot.
It’s been an arduous journey, and one that I couldn’t of made without some great friends and fantastic colleagues. I can’t wait to start this new chapter of my life at Zynga and make some amazing games that the world will love playing.
Obviously I’ll keep you all informed…thanks for reading and let’s party!
M
Renegades of Art
I went to the Renegade Art Fair today and had a great time. There were tons of talented artists and I saw tons of great work. I also bought a lot of great work. I can’t wait to proudly display all of this in my new place! Click images for bigs!
“This is Spinal Tap” by Jason Munn. Originally made for a special 2009 showing at The Alamo Drafthouse. Printed on 24x36 metallic silver paper and signed by the artist!
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The rest of my shopping spree was spent on art by Kevin Tong, possibly my favorite up & coming indie artist. I have a few other prints by Kevin (MOON & Fight Club) and they’re probably my current favorite pieces.
“A Linch Pin Droid”- A SUPER insanely limited piece that was made for an official Star Wars series by Mondo. These sold out within minutes online, and Kevin only had 3 left at his booth. I missed out on these offers online, so I had to make up for it here:
BAD DADS: An awesome series of pieces inspired by Wes Anderson’s films. The set includes a piece from “The Royal Tenenbaums”, “Rushmore” and “Bottle Rocket”.
RANT & INVISIBLE MONSTERS Two more pieces for the Chuck Palahniuk fan club. Amazing! Matches my Fight Club poster!
TRANSMISSION I-V - A beautiful set in five pieces. A struggle between two lovers over a global scale.
San Francisco
It’s been a very difficult few days because I’ve forced myself to keep quiet. I have a lot of respect for my current boss and the company I work for, so I wanted to keep my mouth shut about my new job and huge life development until I spoke with him. The meeting went swimmingly and now I’m very excited to make this announcement.
I’ve been offered a job in San Francisco, and I took it.
I started speaking with a designer (named Ivan) at Brooklyn Packet Co. a couple of weeks ago. I was lined up to work on UI elements for one of their upcoming iOS games. Things were going really well and they were impressed with my work. It’s always exciting when you impress your clients because you know you’re guaranteed future projects. Little did I know my future project with BPC was going to be such a huge evolution in my life.
This weekend, Suli, the co-owner, called me and formerly offered me a job at BPC as a UI / UX Designer. I’ll be working on iOS and Android games, making the most awesome games and the most awesome designs of all time. They’re very excited to have me and I’m even more excited to join them.
I feel like my entire life has led to this point. California has been my dream for so long. My friends live there, my future lives there. And now, I’ll live there. I’m so happy that this huge part of my life is so close to commencing. I’m so appreciative that BPC is the reason for this. They are an awesome group of people (those of them I’ve spoke to already), and I can’t wait to work with them.
I had a meeting with my current boss, Joe, and it was such a great experience. We have a huge amount of mutual respect for each other, and I was so happy to hear he was excited for me on a personal level. On a professional level he told me it couldn’t of been a worse time, but we’ll work through it. I told him it means a lot to me that we continue working together, and that I’ll do anything in my power to help them with the work I did on a freelance basis. I think this would be great, and a chance for me to continue working with Hard Knocks for a long time.
So that’s the big news. The huge, insane, holy fucking, oh my god, massive, giant, throbbing news. I am so happy and so excited, as I’m sure you can tell. And I hope you’re ready for the awesome games I’m about to help create.
Also, now I have to figure out what the hell I’m going to do about moving out there. I might not make it! I might die on the way from confusion and overwhelming odds!
Sexily yours,
M
