Where are you and what are you doing now?
I currently live in Scottsdale, Arizona where I started a marketing company by the name of Inflight Creations. I applied to dozens of jobs after graduation (2013) but never heard anything back, so I told myself I would create my own way. My company specializes in brand management, design, video production and marketing consulting. Our creative team strives to elevate brands and businesses to the next level. We have client partners out of Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, Colorado and New Mexico. Our priority is to fully understand our clients’ brand identities in order to develop results that compel their target audience. We find the most profitable narrative and create the content to tell the clients story.
What do you like most about what you’re doing?
Definitely being my own boss. I love the fact that I am responsible for coming up with creative ideas and strategies for our various clients. Essentially, getting paid to brainstorm. Second, the post-production editing. Just being in control of what content is released is what I enjoy the most.
What are some projects/jobs that you’ve worked on since graduating?
It all started with a website design for a local dentist and now we maintain about a dozen client accounts, ranging from local business to corporate. We were fortunate enough to put on a TEDx Talk (Fountain Hills) and organize 20+ speakers. My company was responsible for the production, media (power points), audio, lighting, staging and final editing of each video. We are always picking up new website projects and different SEO clients.
What classes and learning experiences at CMI were the most valuable in building towards your current job?
I would have to say screen writing with Ilana Lapid, Adobe After Effects with Edward Bakshi and my senior project (sound designing) with Derek Fisher. My inspiration to start a business came from the internship opportunity made possible by the LNG company, under the direction of Chris Lang and Sherwin Lau. The internship gave me hands on experience filming and editing with local businesses. I did however love the courses taught by Jess Gorell, she was awesome! The other students in the program were fun too, everyone had a pretty crazy creative background, whether it was drawing, skating, music or whatever, no one judged.
What are you doing when you aren’t working?
I golf when I can and spend time with my friends and family. I try to stay active and play basketball on the weekends.
What’s some advice you would give a CMI student (or maybe potential CMI student) about their time at CMI?
Enjoy the ride. Don’t get stressed out about the project deadlines, do your work, pay attention and you’ll be fine. Talk to your professors, they’ll listen and offer you great advice. Find what avenue of creativity you are most interested in and try to find an internship. I quickly realized I didn’t have the patience for 3D modeling/animation, but loved the sound design and editing process that went into it. Also, don’t worry about finding a job in your exact major…you’ll find your lane, or create it like I did.
Where can people see your work?
What’s next for you?
Start a internship program here in our agency and really focus on growing the business.
Anything else you’d like to say?
You don’t need to see the top of the stairs to take the next step. Thanks to everyone at CMI, you guys made my college career enjoyable and stress free (for the most part). If you ever want to pick my brain, shoot me an email at carson@inflightcreations.com.
Thank you, Carson for sharing your experiences and advice!
