It’s been an exciting journey so far—one filled with unique inspiration, welcome challenges, and outstanding individuals.

Hung Out My Own Shingle - 2009 - 2022

I opened Herrington & Company, LLC from the third bedroom of our home. Work was great, the client list and production queue were solid, and we were building fun things. Our girls, who shared a bedroom, saw opportunities for their own space. "We" decided it was time to look for office space in the neighborhood.

In 2013, I found an empty therapist's office a few blocks from home. I set up shop (I got to consider and design my first physical space – so much fun). I got back to work.

I enjoyed learning about the customer and their business needs. I rarely had a chance to do this as a freelancer. Combining my experience as a production artist and the client's understanding of their business provided opportunities to make the most of budgets and resources—this built trust and common ground, which led to long-term working relationships.

I had a few part-time employees, but I felt more comfortable leaning on the network of talented individuals to help drive client success. Copywriters, illustrators, and hardcore backend coders - their talent and work ethic inspired me to work harder and smarter. I enjoyed being a manager, designer, and user experience consultant for each of the projects delivered.

I spent these 13 years helping clients consider, build, and maintain things—some relationships spanning the entirety of my time here.

Thank you to all of those who contributed. Thank you to each and every client for your trust and collaboration. Thank you all -- for believing.

Rolling the Dice - 2003 - 2009

I transitioned from part-time employment to a full-time freelancer. I had good design skills, so I decided to focus on the art of production (building things of quality consistently). This made better use of my time and allowed me to serve several clients at once. I built relationships with multiple agencies around the Pittsburgh area, helping them execute client projects (flash animations, websites, misc. marketing materials).

I worked. A lot. But I got to create my own schedule. As long as I got my work done, no one seemed to care when I did it. Evenings were the most productive. Being around to walk my kids to school, meet them for lunch, and be Lego club dad was pretty awesome.

I also helped create my first start-up, ez.studios. My partner and I designed and built one of the first mass email marketing tools, ez.newsletter. My role included app design, usability, and all customer-facing tasks (presentations, quotes, training, and customer service). For several years we helped local agencies and clients communicate with their audiences through quality email communications. I designed so many HTML emails. It was fun helping organizations think about how to structure their communications.

My second daughter, Hanna, was born. I sold my portion of ez.studios to my partner. I transitioned from agency work to building my own client-direct relationships so I could create a more consistent life for our family.

Thank you, Ideahaus, Akoya, PMI, Mind Over Media, CapsLock Communications, and Giant Ideas, for trusting me with your livelihood.

My First Designer Job - 2000 - 2002

Graduated from art school. Got a job and spent 2 years in the cube farm. I got to build a lot of cool stuff and it was my first time working in a digital production environment. There were project managers, audio producers, coders, salespeople, and customer service reps. I was asked to help the team design interactive interfaces for DVDs and web portals. Our work enabled large healthcare organizations to provide CE credits to their workforce. 

Our first daughter, Kendra, was born in early 2001. I learned after a few months that working 8 am to 7 pm every day didn’t leave much time for dad and husband stuff. My boss was nice enough to allow me to transition to part-time while I built up a consistent flow of freelance work.

Thank you CECity.

Off to the Big City - 97 - 2000

Moved to Pittsburgh and attended art school. I was going to be an awesome 3d animator and work in the video game field. A semester in, I learned that I didn't like drawing 20 hours a day. The Multimedia curriculum seemed interesting, and I changed majors. I really liked building things in the digital realm. It reminded me of the manufacturing process, creating each of the individual components (audio, imagery, words) and then putting them together to make a thing (DVDs, websites, computer programs). 

I met people here that influenced my life and career. Classmates that I'd go on to build things with. Professors that would introduce me to the world of marketing and a network of talented digital builders.

When not in class I worked 3 12-hour shifts a week at a mug printing facility where I again had the chance to be part of making and delivering a product. I printed mugs, I worked the ovens, and I packed boxes. I prepared and shipped products around the world. It was a pretty great gig and the people felt like family.

Thank you, Miller Glass.

Small Town Boy - 78 - 97

Grew up in a small industrial town in Pennsylvania. My father worked at the local brickyard on the edge of town. We’d sneak in and bring him lunch or dinner during overtime shifts. I loved everything about the job site. In the evenings and weekends, my father painted roofs and houses. There was always something to do to prep for the next part of the job. I may not have completely understood what I was learning at the time, but I was listening.

Thanks, Dad.

Attended high school in small-town PA. Got in trouble more than I should have. My art teacher, Mr. Wilson, always let me spend my detentions and in-school suspensions in the art room. Felt good to have someone believe I was good at something.

Thank you, Mr. Wilson.

Worked night shift at a large equipment manufacturer prepping parts for the paint shop. I enjoyed being part of the production process. Each person or team responsible for specific tasks. Put those tasks in the right order and you can build things of quality, consistently. I spent most days puttying and sanding components. The better I did my job, the fewer machines were returned to the paint shop for touch-up. It gave me a sense of pride when things were done right the first time. Thanks to the wild 3rd-shift crew. We had fun.

Thanks to Mom and Stepdad for the free rent and rides to work while I saved for college.