GUEST EMPLOYER & ALUMNI PANELS
Staffing & Recruiting Panel
Tuesday, May 5 - 11:00am - 12:00pm
6TH FLOOR STUDENT LOUNGE
The panel is intended for students and alumni to gain a thorough understanding of the importance of creative staffing agencies and the great resource they can be throughout your job search. Also, for your to hear directly from such agencies in regards to how crucial it is for your marketing materials (résumé, website/portfolio/reel, cover letters, etc.) to be fully updated, consistent and targeted to positions you are applying to. Another important piece of information we would like for you to gain from this panel, is to know exactly how creative staffing agencies work.
Alumni Panel
Wednesday, May 6 - 9:30am - 10:30am
6TH FLOOR STUDENT LOUNGE
We deliver talent that make a difference to your organization. Our contract and contract-to-hire staffing services allow companies to add technical expertise to their marketing and creative departments, as well as increase the bandwidth of their in-house teams.
We also offer a range of outsourcing and technical solutions aimed at improving the efficiency of marketing execution.
HEATHER VANRIPER, Senior Interactive & Creative Representative
As a Senior Interactive + Creative Representative at Artisan Talent she utilizes her background in Human Resources, full-cycle Recruiting, Sourcing and Career Counseling to match experienced talent with clients. She leads the Talent Rep team in meeting deadlines and managing priorities while keeping ‘unity’ in working toward goals. Heather is detail-oriented, organized, passionate and positive in working with talent and clients alike. Prior to, she worked at The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago and Sanford/Newell Rubbermaid. She holds an MBA (Leadership emphasis) as well as a BS in Management (Human Resources, Marketing emphasis). Outside of her professional life, Heather enjoys traveling, running/fitness, photography, trying new flavors and being surrounded with family and friends.
We are a unique interactive, creative, and digital staffing agency. We advocate for the best talent, including graphic designers, web and mobile developers, instructional designers, UX designers, marketing managers, interactive learning consultants, project managers, and more. We nurture relationships with the best clients, from interactive agencies to small non-profits to major corporations.
At Artisan, top job-seekers find fulfilling freelance and full-time opportunities with great companies. Our specialty is the match, and our relationships are paramount. Let's get to know each other.
JENNA BRIGGS, Account Executive
An energetic and passionate Account Service professional assisting advertising agencies, corporations, associations, and communication departments find creative, marketing, visual communication and digital professionals on both a freelance and full-time basis.
BRIDGET VERDUN, Managing Director, Aquent
As Managing Director for Aquent, the world’s largest marketing and creative staffing firm, Bridget Verdun leads a national team of Agents and Account Directors responsible for strategic development of contingent workforce solutions for major/complex accounts. Her background as a formally trained graphic designer coupled with tenacity for connecting people has resulted in continued success in her staffing career, spanning more than a decade. Verdun describes the reward of this work in saying; "Staffing has provided me with the opportunity to connect with multiple facets of the creative world through an industry that thrives as demands for contingent workforces continue to rise. My work has provided insight and exposure to more areas of design than I could have ever imagined as a young designer coming out of school." Verdun's goal as a leader in this space is to continue her life's work as a connector, building relationships that lead to successful long term partnerships while inspiring her teams to do extraordinary work everyday.
Creative Circle is a specialized staffing agency representing advertising, creative, marketing, visual communication and interactive professionals on both a freelance and full-time basis. We deliver talent solutions for advertising agencies, corporate marketing and communications, or any organization requiring creative, marketing, or interactive resources.
Our Approach
•Creative Circle's team will work with you in a consultative and collaborative way. We want to partner with you today to earn the reward of working with you tomorrow.
•For candidates, we assess the level of your skills, will candidly advise you on your strengths, areas of improvement, and should you qualify, make you as marketable as possible.
•For clients, we evaluate the fit of creative and marketing staffing by getting to know your company's needs, finding the highest quality solutions to your staffing challenges, and delivering candidates that will integrate into your culture and process. Our national network of talent assures the right fit the first time to increase your productivity and competitive edge.
ELENA VALENTINE, Co-Founder
Elena is passionate about young people, workforce development, and human centered hiring. Her journey to support at-risk youth has made it clear that current hiring processes have to change. That's why, as co-founder of Skill Scout, she highlights local job seekers in new and innovative ways. Prior to Skill Scout, Elena was a design researcher at gravitytank. Her project work includes teacher collaboration with The Gates Foundation, patient centered care with the California Healthcare Foundation, and entry level employment with the WK Kellogg Foundation. She is also a former labor organizer with AFSCME Council 31.
Elena's passion to disrupt hiring takes up much of her personal and professional time. But during those in between moments, she enjoys event videography, singing latin jazz and home remodel projects with her husband. Elena holds a BA in Spanish and Anthropology from Grinnell College, and an AAS in Recording Arts from Tribeca Flashpoint College.
We make your hiring better by making job skills tangible.
JOB PROFILES
We make a video profile of your job portraying the necessary skills and the working environment.
JOB SKILLS
We describe job openings and the skills that candidates have with easy to understand skill profiles.
SKILL FAIRS
We hold skill fairs where candidates demonstrate their skills in person!
WunderLand is your destination for Talent.
We source, interview and represent the top web designers and developers, graphic designers, art directors, creative directors, user experience designers, social media specialists, writers, branding consultants, mobile app developers, illustrators, production artists, producers and project managers, UX researchers, SEO specialists and more, matching them with companies needing to hire them on a temporary/contract basis, or for a full-time staff opening.
JUDI WUNDERLICH, Co-Founder/VP of Marketing at WunderLand
Judi Wunderlich is the co-founder of the WunderLand Group, a 6 year old recruiting agency headquartered in Chicago, with offices in San Francisco and Connecticut.
Judi has been recruiting and placing people in jobs for the last 20+ years, always specializing in creative and marketing roles including digital design and development. A former designer herself, and a former head of creative services at a major corporation, Judi is in this business so she can help people with their creative careers.
The panel is intended for students to hear directly from alumni regarding their respective industries, the steps they took to be where they are today, and to serve as a sense of inspiration, motivation and a netwroking resource as you prepare to enter you field of study.
THERESE LANZ - 2014 Game & Interactive Media
IAssociate Artist, NetherRealm Studios.
I create 3D environment and prop art for game and digital media; I am very passionate about creating believable and immersive 3D worlds. I'm familiar with industry-standard software, such as Maya, Zbrush, Photoshop, and Unreal 4, including third-party packages such as xNormal and dDo. I have a grasp of the 3D art creation pipeline, from concept art, to modeling and texturing, to delivering within a next-gen game engine environment. I am versed in such crucial environment art concepts as modular building and building to grid. I also have a strong traditional art background and over a decade of experience in commercial graphic design and web development.
NICKY MAZUR - 2014 Design & Visual Communication
Jr. Art Director, Weber Shandwick
Design is more than just visual. Sights, sounds, smells—everyone perceives an experience uniquely which makes my job as a designer a thrilling challenge. I am a seeker of wisdom and learning more about what delights people. I utilize my design skills to create hype around topics and individuals who have a compelling story. I enjoy collaboration and having conversations that grow my interests in new topics. I am a design lifer.
SARAH GIROUX - 2013 Film & Broadcast (Cinematography)
Preditor, Touchvision
I am a Cinematographer and Editor. My true passion is to build upon my craft as a Director of Photography. I understand however, the value of knowing how layers of imagery cohesively build a story, and for that, I enjoy editing as well. I am also a billiards, travel, and longboarding enthusiast. Everyone's perspective of the world is different; I was meant to show mine through the lens of a camera.
ANDREW BIESEN - 2012 Film & Broadcast (with a focus in Post)
Permalance Associate Producer/Casting Director, Elkhorn Entertainment & Freelance Producer, iHeart Radio Chicago
Starting out in the entertainment industry as an actor at the age of 16, Andrew hit the ground running obtaining headshots, building his resume and finding representation to work his way through. After 4 years of starring in viral ads, industrials and independent comedies; Andrew realized he wasn't an actor but knew how to market himself in the trendy nerd roles available. After realizing this, Andrew went on to consulting actors using his knowledge of the industry while attending Tribecca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy for film and broadcast. During this time, Andrew went on to further his knowledge of the talent industry by completing a multitude of casting and talent agency internships.
Today Andrew is a freelance producer working on commercials, industrials, radio and reality television. Andrew just recently became an Associate Producer for reality shows the past 5 months working with Lifetime and TLC. When Andrew's not traveling on the road or working here in Chicago, he's renting out my production gear professionally. Between his organizational skills and technical skills, Andrew could be the perfect solution to your production needs.
TREVOR ROHN - 2014 Recording Arts (Sound Design & Post-Production)
Associate Engineer, STIR Post Audio
Trevor hails from the windy city with a love for anything audio-related! With a couple of degrees in his pocket, Trevor combines skills that he learned about Audio Engineering from the University of Miami and Sound Design & Audio Post-Production from Tribeca Flashpoint in Chicago and applies them to every project he works on. From music to television commercials to short films and everything in between, there is no project too big or too small for Trevor to put his sonic fingerprint on.
As an associate engineer at STIR Post Audio, Trevor works alongside some of the best engineers in the city. Working on projects for Bud Light, Wrigley's 5 Gum, Kellogg's, Lays, Porsche and more for agencies including Energy BBDO, Leo Burnett, and Cramer-Krasselt, to name a few, he's had the opportunity to contribute to some amazing campaigns in a variety of ways. STIR provides a full-service audio experience from pre-production to final mix and everything in between, with Trevor's role and responsibility changing depending on the project.