How can you transition to a leadership role in Graphics?

I am passionate about family, light and color, and doing high-end work on cool projects that make me proud to be a part of and makes my clients happy. I am good at focusing on the details in my projects and in life. I communicate with everyone involved and keep an open line of feedback for clean clear understanding of what is expected both ways. I am always learning more about photography, light and color, diving deeper into DaVinci Resolve Studio, and I am also learning about Unreal Engine and bringing that tool into my motion graphics tool belt. Success, to me, is about good health and keeping my family healthy and supported. This allows me to dive into my work without constraint...and doing work that I love is the biggest success.

When the pandemic took my dream job away from me, I went back to university with my 2 Associates Degrees and converted those credits into earning my Bachelor's Degree (General Studies focusing on Photography) with the highest honors - graduated Summa Cum Laude (4.0 GPA), National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) Honor Society Inductee, Alpha Sigma Lambda (ASL) Honor Society Inductee, and on the Honor Roll every term. Whenever I have down time, I am always learning. I take full advantage of LinkedIn Learning - addressing many soft skills and software training with 24 Certifications, along with DaVinci Resolve 18 Editor and Colorist Certifications. I believe learning never stops...and I am now starting on learning Unreal Engine.

In addition to figuring out your style, the key thing is understanding your clients, and your team. - What do you want to achieve with your business/role? - What do clients want? - What kind of leadership style is needed here? - What does your team want? - Where’s the friction or gap? (if any) Constantly evaluating your style and approach to outcomes helps reinforce what about your style works in which scenarios

I have always been the guy who "...throw me the ball to take the big shot in the big game". I have always prided myself on being the "go-to" guy for clients and employers and that will never change. One of my favorite stories - first job out of school 24 years ago: I was a Junior After Effects Designer. An editor calls in sick on a same-day deadline. Producer is panicked - pacing the studio. My hand goes up, I said "I'll do it". Didn't even know how...just jumped behind the AVID and started cutting. I was promoted to editor soon after and my career took off that day.

Be proactive. Provide solutions, not complaints. Under promise, and over deliver: if something is due Friday, submit it as soon as possible as long as it has met acceptance criteria and definition of done. Show a commitment to professional development. There’s always something you can improve. Be humble, hungry, and smart. That is don’t act as if you know everything, you don’t. Don’t act as if what you’ve done has earned you a spot at the table, it hasn’t. And finally, listen before you speak. Strategize, then act. Know thyself, so that you can adjust as needed. These guidelines will get you noticed. But don’t forget that the squeaky wheel gets the cheese. Make your intentions known, TACTFULLY.