i have been extremely fortunate. in my career of 10 years, i've encountered various prolific, upscale management opportunities in print & graphics. i started out working in small retain print shop where i remained for 5 years. i quickly developed a passion for the industry. as general manager, i was an intergral part of its development and expansion into a multiple store chain. from there i went on open & manage a specialty and large format printing store for FedEx Kinko's Signs & Graphics...then eventually transitioned to my "dream job" for a print & design agency in las vegas. there i oversaw all the production of a wide variety of print & design projects for many casinos.

{ graphic design portfolio }

Ink Drops Printing & Design (the company which i foolishly left behind in vegas) had a national contract with Harrah's Entertainment. we designed the food & beverage menus and collateral for all Harrah's Casinos scattered across the country. this included everything owned by Harrah's (i.e. Caesar's, Flamingo, Paris, Bally's, Rio, Bill's, Imperial Palace, etc). on top of that, we were constantly overloaded with a stream of projects from countless others (Hard Rock, Luxor, MGM, Orleans, Stratosphere, and more). in fact, we were so busy that we did not advertise - i was forced to turn down work on a daily basis.

given the fact that we strictly dealt with food & beverage outlets in high-profile casinos, we had direct relationships with the largest liquor and brewing names internationally. these are the companies that pay for our design & production because they have the most to gain with their product being sold in these outlets. often this gave me the opportunity to design directly for these big names. daunting, tedious, exciting, grueling, humbling, exhilarating and challenging all in the same stroke.

on any given week, i oversaw roughly 30 - 70+ ongoing design and print projects (dependent on the week/time of year). very exciting...but, needless to say, ridiculously demanding. posted here are just a small handful of professional projects.

i honestly could not have asked for a better position. i'll likely never stumble across another one presenting such coveted opportunities, environment, and atmosphere. without question, i'll never be so lucky as to encounter a boss more wonderfully amazing (and compatible with my zany personality) than i did there. as the print production & graphic design manager, i felt like i "had it all" while there. yet there was something missing. i had this uncontrollable urge that took hold of me. that's when i realized two things. if i already possess the best job in world (and professional career of my dreams)...and i STILL want to give it up of my own volition (during a recession):

1) i'm certifiably insane

2) i do want it that badly, so i will make it happen.

alas...i decided to surrender everything i had going for me to branch out on my own. yikes.

{ web design portfolio }

not too long after making the jump to freelance, i discovered that i truly had an affinity for multimedia projects. even though print has dominated my life (and will forever hold a special place in my heart), i had to admit to myself that i was fascinated with the fast paced world of web design + social media. at first i was quite reluctant to venture further since i felt as though i was abandoning my roots in print. however, i quickly learned that expanding my horizons not only enahanced the great foundation i had built, but enabled me to do so much more than i could ever have imagined.

in 2010, i made the decision (and investment) to embark on web courses at UCLA Extension. i hope to apply for candidacy and obtain the Advanced Web & Interactive Design Certificate there. i've already learned so much, and i hope to be wrapping up those studies within the next year. soon i will post some of the websites & projects i have created.