The Wonderful World of Orlando
A year ago, I’d only just met Bonita Burton and Stephen Komives, some very talented designers. Now, a year later, I’m working by their side. Like Robert Frost, life is fond of taking unexpected turns, and this summer, mine took one, too.
Last fall was something of an ethereal dream. I was injected into a world of designers and illustrators, stars and mentors, friends and colleagues; people who could talk kerning and composition with equal fervor. This dream was SND Orlando, an annual convention for news designers hosted by the Orlando Sentinel in Orlando, Fla. I was attending the conference as a finalist in The Intern competition, competing alongside nine other student designers, for three coveted internships at large, metropolitan papers. 
By the end of the week, I walked away with one of the internships to The Arizona Republic. The convention had seemingly set in stone my next twelve months, but soon enough, the road less traveled appeared…
While at SND Orlando, I also spoke with faculty from The Poynter Institute for New Media Studies, a school for journalists, about attending their annual summer program. Long story short, I was accepted in and found myself at Poynter as part of the Summer Fellowship for Young Journalists for 6 weeks prior to starting my internship at the Republic. While I was at Poynter however, I was contacted by the Orlando Sentinel about a job opening. I was taken by surprise, but was equally intrigued, so I went over for an interview to check it out. A week later, they made an offer, one that couldn’t wait until the internship at the Republic had finished. And thus, I was torn. 
That I had an internship with the Republic was quite public in the news design community, and as a new face to the profession, I wanted to be sure I weighed all of my options thoughtfully, and carefully. The job at the Sentinel was tremendously appealing, however, I felt if I turned down the Republic, I’d be returning the world’s largest birthday gift. Plus, I was really looking forward to working with Tracy Collins, the Deputy Managing Editor and man responsible for much of my success at the competition, living with Joey Kirk, fellow Intern finalist, and exploring Arizona. After much thought and discussion however, it became apparent that a full-time job trumps an internship, and so, I accepted the position.
Throughout the whole process, I kept Tracy informed about what was happening. He was tremendously understanding and gracious throughout the whole process. Drinks are on me next time, Tracy.
So twelve months after The Intern competition, I’m employed as a Multimedia Artist at the Orlando Sentinel (for exactly a month now), and I really couldn’t be happier. I’m producing interactive online Flash projects, and learning a lot on the way. I’ve still got a lot to learn as a Flash developer, but with this job, I’ll be able to continue that learning and experimenting with the medium. Also, I get to collaborate with all aspects of the news organization, from the reporters, to the editors, to the photographers, to the designers, to the online staff. It’s really a lethal mix. I can’t wait to see where this year’s Interns will be in a year…
Moreover, I’ve settled into a great condo downtown, and while I’ll visit Disney, Universal and Sea World on occasion, I’m on a mission to dig up the great little local businesses in the area. You’d think, with Darden and Disney breathing down your back, there wouldn’t be much room for locals, but you’d be surprised. Also, there’s a booming tech community with which I plan on getting heavily involved. September alone will see barCamp Orlando, blogOrlando, and some Florida Creatives meetups…
Perhaps the most gratifying aspect of this entire process, however, is that I’m doing something I love. A few years back, I took a chance on pursuing my passions, and now I’m making a living with them. Whether I’m thinking about that now, or in 20 years, I can say with certainty that I will always take pride in that.
[...] his recent post The Wonderful World of Orlando: I’m employed as a Multimedia Artist at the Orlando Sentinel for exactly a month now, and I [...]
[...] his recent post The Wonderful World of Orlando: I’m employed as a Multimedia Artist at the Orlando Sentinel for exactly a month now, and I [...]