Is this our newest multimedia designer or an image still from the latest Mountain Dew campaign? Give up? It’s the first one, although he is almost as extreme as the aforementioned soft-drink. His name is JJ Sereday and you can find him in our interactive department, usually in front of a super complicated Cinema 4D file, or some other impossible-to-understand motion graphics program. That’s pretty extreme, right? Well, kinda nerdy actually.
But don’t be fooled. He’s actually a pretty accomplished skateboarder and snowboarder and has been sponsored in international competitions around the world. This means, he can steal your girlfriend faster than you can say “triple kickflip,” and he’s fearless to the max! He also once surfed through a hurricane (for real!) and invented a cure for hiccups (patent pending). Basically, JJ’s like the Old Spice guy, but real.
Ok, so it’s not really Patch Adams, but we’re happy to welcome Rich Toomey to BNO as our new VP of Technology Services. He provides technical guidance on our Digital Projects, day-to-day management of our technical teams, and .pretty much just helps us leverage technology appropriately so we can continue to provide totally awesome service to our totally awesome clients. But you probably already knew he did that from looking at his picture.
Rich comes to us with a monster of a background in software development. From inception and design to implementation and delivery, he’s successfully managed it all, going on 15 years now. When he’s not nerding about Linux distribution or AOSD, he indulges his more primal instincts: barbecuing anything he can get his hands on, 365 days a year. Oh, you’ve never seen a software developer barbecuing in the middle of a snow storm? Well then you haven’t lived, my friend.
Ok, so it’s not really Patch Adams, but we’re happy to welcome Rich Toomey to BNO as our new VP of Technology Services. He provides technical guidance on our digital projects, day-to-day management of our technical teams, and pretty much just helps us leverage technology appropriately so we can continue to provide totally awesome service to our totally awesome clients. But you probably already knew that from looking at his picture.
Rich comes to us with a monster of a background in software development. From inception and design to implementation and delivery, he’s successfully managed it all, going on 15 years now. When he’s not nerding about Linux distribution or AOSD, he indulges his more primal instincts: barbecuing anything he can get his hands on, 365 days a year. Oh, you’ve never seen a software developer barbecuing in the middle of a snow storm? Well then you haven’t lived, my friend.
Joining BNO’s digital department this month is video editor, Robbie Tassaro. While he brings with him a long list of credits on a slew of platinum selling DVDs, you’d never know from looking at him that he’s the Woody Allen of corporate video and commercial advertising. Simply put, he’s a gifted storyteller and has an eye for creating drama; proving that you can produce a credit card video that makes a conservative banker smile, or a frozen food commercial that feels like an emotional rollercoaster.
Above all, Robbie is an enigma wrapped in a riddle — affable and easygoing, yet surprisingly complex (which seems to reveal itself most often in the wee hours of an editing project). Our bearded friend cites pizza and animals amongst his favorite things, and once found himself on a 12-hour train ride from St. Petersburg to Moscow with no explanation as to how he got there. Well, we’re glad he found his way back to us!
Somewhere in that tangled bunch of toddlers is our new Senior Account Executive, Tara LaMotta. We could dive into the schpeal about how experienced she is, how she worked on accounts for the NFL and Teach for America, or some other avenue of impressive gibberish. But what really matters is this photo of Tara and her nieces and nephews, because this is where she really learned to navigate the world of client services. Who’s more demanding than a 5 year old girl? What project could possibly need more management than a hyperactive half-pint? Who dreams bigger than a gaggle of grade-schoolers? Just look at all those smiles- it’s pretty obvious she’s doing a great job. The craziest thing of all is that these aren’t even her kids. She’s not getting paid for that, she actually likes it.
As if to drive her point home further, this is the video that Tara gave us when we asked her to submit a YouTube clip reflective of her personality. Welcome aboard, Tara!
Usually we don’t give this kind of love to interns, but Rohan is an exception. Let’s look at the facts:
Rohan already has a BFA in Graphic Design.
Rohan is currently working on a second degree in Computer Science.
Rohan worked 50 hours in his first week as an intern, despite his computer science homework and crazy exam schedule.
To top it off, Rohan is proficient in HTML5, Flash, Illustrator, In Design, Javascript, Lightwave 3D, XML, and a zillion other complicated things.
Taking all of this into account, two things are clear: Rohan is a total masochist, and we are lucky to have him. His penchant for nerdy pain always results in some top-notch coding and design work, and he wears a smile the whole time. In fact, he was even smiling when he threatened that if I didn’t make this blog post way nicer, he was “going to crush me like HTML5 will crush Flash.” Needless to say, this guy means business!
