Ten-plus years is a long time to be a door guy. So maybe that? I’d be a different dude if that were the case. That is, I was working the door and checking IDs at a blues club in Chicago. The last time I didn’t have this job, I was working as an artist. If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead? When I didn’t have kids, I would have said late at night, but I’m usually pretty fried by then these days. The end of day as well - toward closing time.

I’d say mid-morning, after I have coffee in me but before lunch break. What is your most productive time of the day? I often find opportunities to really pour a bit of myself into the work, if you are open to it. Not every job out there gives, or even encourages, the opportunity to bear your soul.ĭon’t get me wrong, sometimes we just have to make the logo 7% larger. Knowing someone through their art is an intimate way to get to know a person. I’ve learned so much over the years rubbing elbows with the talented artists I’ve been fortunate enough to work with.

Listening to the staff, enjoying each other’s creative efforts, putting love into the studio and championing the artists.Ĭollaborating and building relationships. Pitching jobs, overseeing and leading projects, client relations and more, but, ultimately, I think it’s about leadership and making a daily positive impact.Īs much as it is about me communicating and, sometimes, blabbering, I also think it’s even more about listening and observing. What does being creative director entail?

With more than 10 years of experience in animation and design, Matt Darnall has worked on projects spanning broadcast television, commercials and film, creating traditional animation, title sequences, CG character pieces, VFX-driven creative and motion graphics.ĭarnall joined Richmond, Virginia’s Hue & Cry, a design and animation studio, as creative director in September after spending seven years at The Mill in Chicago.

Hue and cry head of production