I got started in the advertising business in 1988 when I took a job as an account representative for a small video production company that had contracted with the local cable company to sell and produce TV commercials for local insert. My father had been in marketing for over 10 years prior and taught me the ropes of cold-calling and script writing. You see, not only did I sell the advertising, it was up to me to come up with the spot idea and storyboard. And I loved it! What a fun job to create an advertising campaign and watch it come alive.

Now, as our company was very small (only 7 employees) there were times when I would have to operate the camera for a shoot. I learned hands-on about lighting, audio, set location and, of course, using the camera in ways that conveyed the desired feel for the spot. It naturally followed that I learned linear video editing and post-production. Yes, those were the days! I still produce videos (non-linear editing, now, thank goodness!), but now most of them are "broadcast" on a whole different medium! Boy, these are the days!

OK, anyway, I've been in the business in one way or another ever since. I've done direct marketing, lead generation, print advertising and even a stint as an on-air personality at a local radio station. And then I was introduced to PhotoShop 5.5. I knew I had entered a different universe, one where nothing was as it seemed (ya know, life "photoshopped?") and I have remained and will a student through CS4 and beyond!

In 2000, I got a job as a graphic artist at a national specialty advertising firm and took to it like a duck to water. (I know, a tired phrase.) The following year, I was managing the department that produced the artwork for restaurant table-top advertising. I stayed there for two more years until I felt the call of the wild, bidding me, "Come, forge your own way." (Dramatic, ain't it?)

In 2003, my father and I decided to start an advertising company for small business owners and I've been at it since. We've developed and implemented several very successful campaigns and promotions for a wide range of firms. Whether helping with a small campaign or a city-wide promotion, we've proven ourselves to be quite resourceful in maximizing some very small budgets.

Wanting to stay current, I got started in the business of web design and development. I've come from producing very basic static websites, to developing complex, interactive Content Management System (CMS) sites that convert visitors into customers. Of course, getting and keeping visitors is a big part of my responsibility to my clients. It's an ever-changing and growing internet, and keeping up with the latest information is a daily adventure.

I've learned this business from the ground up through trial and error. And I can't imagine doing anything else.