PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE – Download Resume here
WWE, Stamford, CT
Creative Director • 10/00-present
Corporate identity development
• Manage conception, creation, and fabrication of WWE’s Championship Title belts, including the current WWE Championship title (with Orange County Choppers) first held by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
• Creator of the WWE brand “Scratch” logo as well as logos for on-air/live event programming properties such as WrestleMania, WWE Hall of Fame, Saturday Morning Slam, Main Event, Superstars, and NXT. Additionally involved in Raw and Smackdown logo redesigns.
• WWE New York (The World): Involved in design of the decor for WWE’s theme restaurant in Times Square, which included a retail store and an underground nightclub, as well as responsible for The World’s print campaigns for national and local magazine advertis-ing, sales kits, marquee, lobby banners, and indoor/outdoor signage including vehicle wraps
Revenue generating businesses
• Conceptualize and design WWE’s consumer product lines ($40M annual revenue), including wardrobe for on-air talent, consumer apparel and merchandise, and 30 home entertainment releases annually, as well as marketing, advertising, and promotion of consumer products
• Managed relationships and design for over 130 WWE brand licensees worldwide including Mattel, 2k, and DK Books
• Designed and produced print and digital marketing materials and promotions for WWE partners, including Toys R Us, Xbox, Sony, Netflix, Walmat, Kmart, Hot Topic, Footlocker, all US military branches, and Orange County Choppers
• Responsible for all product design and decor of WrestleMania 29 Super Store at Metlife Stadium, which over a four day period resulted in $2.7M of sales
• Creative lead on the widely successful ASDA (Weetabix) Power Up and Play UK promotion, which effected 10M+ promotional cereal-boxes in the UK, and increased sales by more than 20% during the promotional period
Character and storyline content
• Responsible for on-air character development which includes concept and costuming thru to storyline integra-tion. Support character projects with character synopses, costuming, logo design, entrance sequencing and storyboarding. Examples include Triple H, Kane, Fandango, Tensai, Brodus Clay, Kharma, Sin Cara, and most recently Los Matadores with El Torito
• Member of WWE’s Executive Creative Brainstorm Committee, which handles programming and on-air content, character integration, and top-down brand convention
Management and team leadership
• Manage, motivate, train, and inspire a fully integrated team of creatives plus freelance staff, which includes art directors, copywriters, illustrators, photographers, project managers, studio artists, product developers and vendors/contractors
• Manage relationships with and present final designs to Executive staff, including the Chair-man and CEO, and all other branches of WWE including Talent Development, Talent Rela-tions, Consumer Products, Licensing, Marketing, Sponsorship, Live Events, TV Production, WWE Studios (film division) and Digital and Publishing groups
Key visual campaigns
• Key Art concept and creation for WWE Studios theatrical and home entertainment releases including Knucklehead, Legendary, Inside Out, That’s What I Am, and Barricade.
• Organized and managed photo shoots, script reading, and storyboard adaptation.
• Provided art direction to actors, WWE Superstars and unit/specialty photographers.
• Managed and scheduled gallery shoots set locations, stylists, art directors, plus all other post production creative services.
• Creator of WWE Pay Per View Key Art campaigns for WrestleMania, Survivor Series, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble.
BEN Marketing Group, Stamford, CT
Art Director • 5/99 10/00
Sole Art Director managing Ben’s Coca Cola Regional Domestic Bottler accounts.
• Conceptualized, created and produced promotional packaging and POP collateral for individual regional Coca-Co-la bottler’s affiliated with sports marketing initiatives to boost product sales in key regions
• Coordinated, consulted and pitched concepts to external marketing teams to develop custom tailored promotions which would capitalize on hot market opportunities
• Creator of Pro Football Hall of Fame Packaging and Legend can designs which increased sales to a 90% sell thru rate during promotional period
• Involved with other key accounts such as Holiday Inn, Chupa Chups, Ski-Doo and Ciba Vision
Starter Sports Wear, New Haven, CT
Art Director • 5/96 4/99
Special Events / Hot Markets
•Responsible for all aspects of concept, design and production to final approval of licensed printed and stitched apparel for all major sports leagues, including MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, USTA and WCW
•Illustrated and designed core Starter brand apparel
•Creation of design separations and film work for mass production
•Oversaw quality/consistency and made final product approvals on deliverables from outsourced print and garment vendors
• Designed exclusive apparel for the Super Bowl, World Series and Stanley Cup Championships
• Designed the (now controversial) Marc McGwire 62nd Home run T-shirt, which was worn on the field and sold over 1M units nationally
East Coast Color, Hamden, CT
Studio Artist • 6/94 – 5/96
• Responsible for digital production to final film from client supplied materials, which includ-ed, high end drum/flatbed scanning, color correction of images, special effects retouching of digital imagery, and troubleshooting of client files, to ensure highest quality of printing on press
• Production of Red Sox and Mets Yearbooks
• Production and color correction of USTA’s US Open promotional poster by Peter Max
Westport Development, Orange, CT
Detail Mechanical Draftsman • 10/87 9/89
• Developed detailed design drawings and specifications for mechanical equipment, dies/tools, and controls
• Coordinated and consulted with developers to design, lay out, and detail components and systems
• Modified and revised designs to correct operating deficiencies to reduce production problems
• Coordinated with developers to incorporate best practices, instructions and procedures for manufacturers to follow
EDUCATION
Southern Connecticut State University • BS 12/93
New Haven, CT
Studio Art (Graphic Design and Sculpture Concentrations)
• Technical Assistant for Sculpture Department
• Exhibition Staff
• Promotional Graphics and collateral materials for student showings
Emmett O’Brien Regional Vocational Technical High School • 6/88
Ansonia, CT
Secondary Degree in Mechanical Drafting