Design  and  Media  Careers  

Len  Forgione  

LEN

Ge.ng  (and  Keeping)  a  Job  in  Media  and  Design  

•  Current  Landscape:  – Intense  compe55on  for  jobs  in  NY  – Corporate  media  jobs  are  not  as  plen5ful  – Freelance  jobs  more  available  – Tradi5onal  media  is  shi?ing  to  digital  – Employees  must  evolve  with  the  industry  

Set  Clear  Goals  

•  What  would  you  like  to  do?  •  What  do  you  enjoy  the  most?  •  Never  too  early  to  think  about  your  career.  •  Start  your  own  business…  – I  started  doing  web  design  at  Hofstra  when  I  was  17.  – This  led  to  more  web  work.  

Get  an  Internship  

•  Great  prac5cal  experience.  •  Nice  resume  builder.  •  Interns  o?en  get  hired  a?er  gradua5on.  •  Lets  you  get  a  feel  for  the  workplace  and  culture.  –  I  had  three  internships  in  different  industries.  

– Decide  what  you  like  to  do.  

Network!  

•  “Who  you  know”  does  maRer  in  this  industry.  •  Go  to  university  func5ons  or  join  an  interest  group.  

•  Meet  people,  hand  out  business  cards.  •  Talk  to  everyone  about  what  you  would  like  to  do.  

•  Start  a  club  or  group.  •  LinkedIn/Facebook.  

Know  How  to  Market  Yourself  

•  Put  together  a  porWolio  or  reel  of  your  class  work.  

•  If  you  don’t  have  any  work  to  show,  do  a  quick  personal  project  on  something  you  love.    

•  Passion  projects  can  o?en  get  you  no5ced.    •  Have  your  own  website  or  digital  presence.  

•  Take  advantage  of  social  media.  

Be  VersaEle  

•  Be  able  to  wear  many  hats.    •  Employers  today  are  looking  for  a  lot  of  value  for  their  dollar.  

•  Your  team  will  probably  be  small,  and  you’ll  all  have  mul5ple  roles.  

•  If  you’re  freelance,  a  deep  skill  set    lets  you  handle  diverse  projects.  

Get  Out  of  Your  Comfort  Zone    

•  If  you’re  asked  to  do  something  outside  of  your  skill  set  –  do  it!    

•  Look  it  up,  make  mistakes,  but  do  it.  •  Learn,  grow  your  skill  set  and  make  an  impression  on  your  employer.    

•  Force  your  brain  to  wake  up.  •  Don’t  stagnate.  

Be  Passionate  About  What  You  Do  

•  If  you’re  into  your  work,  show  it!  •  It  will  rub  off  on  others,  and  your  boss  will  no5ce.  

•  Sour  apples  get  pushed  out  (I’ve  seen  it  happen).  

•  Happy  =  Produc5ve.  •  Produc5ve  =  Employed.  

Follow  Your  Dreams    

•  That’s  how  I  ended  up  at  Sesame  Street  and  DC  Comics.  

•  Be  persistent.  •  Some5mes  luck  plays  a  factor.  •  Parlay  your  interest/hobby  into  a  career.  •  Kermit  did  it,  so  can  you.  

What  Am  I  Looking  for  as  an  Employer?  

•  Be  efficient  and  take  direc5on.  •  Have  personality,  infuse  life  into  your  work.  •  Work  independently  when  required.  •  Make  sugges5ons  and  improve  on  ideas.    •  Well-­‐put  together  appearance  and  hygiene.    – Dress  according  to  the  workplace.  

•  Have  relevant  experience.  •  Have  digital  experience.  •  Know  when  to  step  away.  

Be  able  to  translate  business  needs  into  creaEve  direcEon.  

•  If  you  can  develop  this  skill,  it  will  serve  you  well.  

•  Being  able  to  understand  what  your  boss  is  saying  and  then  create  something  that  sa5sfies  that  need  is  crucial.    

•  People  like  choice,  and  the  best  version  usually  wins  out.    

•  Fine  line  between  art  and  commerce.  •  GOOD  LUCK!  

www.lenforgione.com  or  lforgione@scholas5c.com