the benefits of logging in 10,000 hours
My first boss, Robert Bergmann once said, the key to this business is to be brilliant and be quick.
The second key, knowing when you have to sacrifice a little bit of quickness for a chance of brilliance.
just the facts
Adobe CC Suite (Expert)
Photoshop | Illustrator | InDesign | Dreamweaver | Lightroom | Premiere | Acrobat | Audition | After Effects
Online Advertising / Digital Marketing / Email
Facebook Ads | LinkedIn Advertising | Active Campaign | MailChimp | Constant Contact | YouTube | Squarespace
Microsoft Office Suite (Expert)
Google (Intermediate to Expert)
Analytics | My Business | PPC Online Advertising | Google Ads | G Suite
Art Direction (Expert)
Storyboards | Project Estimates | Brand Direction | Team Management | Data Analysis | Copy Writing
Television / Audio Production (Expert)
Screenplay Composition | Story Development | Camera Operation | Video Editing | Direction | Podcasting | Audio Editing
Web Development (Expert)
UI/UX Design | cPanel | WordPress | WHM | HTML5 | CSS | PHP | Animation | MySQL
“I had the very good fortune to meet with Michael for a brand review of my business. He’s got that rare ability to blend super cool ideas with good business sense. If your business needs a multi-talented designer who knows not only how to make your site look fabulous but actually get you real business results and a solid return on your investment, call him immediately. Time spent with Michael pays off.”
– Whitney Keyes, WhitneyKeyes.com
connect four
1. Over twenty years of extensive arts & media experience with a flare for marketing, web design, teamwork, and on-the-spot creativity.
2. An Expert in visual communication, branding, copywriting and multimedia.
3. Invited by Ariana Huffington to blog for the Huffington Post in 2012.
4. Experience in all departments of design including information architecture, content creation, art direction, creative development and production.
“My husband, Tony Hicks, and I have been working with Michael for the last few months on website design for our businesses. My website has become the cornerstone of promotion for my career as an author. Michael always has a creative suggestion, not just on the look and feel of the site, but also on how to best position yourself online. He always is patient and informative about process, and manages to corral my wild ideas into a web presence that looks great and performs even better. Hire this man immediately!”
– Ann Wendell, Author
and just a couple more things…
UI/UX | Yeah, I know the difference between User Experience and User Interface. Some people like to toss around tech acronyms like confetti because it makes them sound important, as you may know…
B2B & B2C | I’ve worked directly with clients. I have deep understanding of customer relations, public relations, sales, press releases, internal and external communications. I’ve done everything this business has thrown at me, including hostile negotiations and bartending. Actually, those two concepts have more in common than you may think…
On my evenings and weekends I’m a post-modern painter and comics illustrator, and have been featured in art galleries throughout the United States.
I independently produced fifteen cable television shows in the 90s, two of which gathered attention from Dreamworks SKG. Not bad for a college kid.
“Michael’s work on our Four Winds Casino Shuttle website has been a great help. He has always been available to help and make changes when we need them, and they are up on time. He helped our company develop our online registration system to fit not only our customer’s needs but also our database needs. His advice has always been a great help to my company.”
– Will Sadek, Casino Tours & Charters Inc.
The Design Portfolio
Michael’s experience in graphics, marketing, illustration, and video production fills an essential need in advertising agencies, printing companies, and design firms.
Some of the clients Michael has worked with include: Microsoft, US-Japan Business Council, JW Merc, Reliance Accounting, PepsiCo, RAINN (co-founded by Tori Amos & Sarah McLaughlin), Chicagoland Speedway, Richard Shay Photography, The British Embassy in the United States, Ben Hollis Worldwide, and Aphex. In addition, his previous television work has gained the interest of major studios such as Dreamworks SKG.