Mark Jewell

My bread and butter these days is centered around being a staff Design Coordinator for SEFCU, a credit union with it’s home in the Capital Region. I design everything from brochures to billboards daily. I also illustrate using conventional techniques and other creative methods such as the use of Adobe Illustrator. My own small ad agency is just a start up right now, Peanut Advertising and Graphics. Hopefully things will springboard with my contacts in the Guild.

I started my art career at a young age while being confined to a play pen. I found a little drool and some creativity goes a long way on mom’s walls. Soon after that I branched out to my neighbors house where I drew on a nice white column by their front entry. My pay for that was, getting to scrub it off with a toothbrush.

In high school I sold a few of my paintings to teachers and worked on painting names on boats at a boat yard, that was owned by a neighbor. I knew this was what I was going to do for a living. Heck, making money drawing and painting; what more could I ask for? I kept creating art, knowing that someday I would have a glamorous job in an ad agency, you know… the kind you see on TV.

Off to school I went for art! I went to the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Arts in Dover, NJ. There I learned how to draw superheroes for comic books and found I could be making more money in advertising. I landed a job with an agency my first year and stuck with it. From there I moved on to another agency, where I managed production and did some light illustration for the likes of M&M, Mars, and National Kitchen and Bath Associates.

Wanting to buy a house and tired of paying rent I moved to North Carolina where the grass was greener. I worked as Graphics Manager for The Balloon Works. Designing and supervising the production of artwork being inlaid on hot air balloons. Probably one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. Great people to work with, nice owners, and you even get to fly a balloon every now and then. Yep, I even have a student pilots license!

Children came along and it was time to move back North to a good school system, this time to Saratoga Springs. The job search was on again, changing jobs quite frequently until settling into SEFCU for almost 7 years now.

While at SEFCU, I was given the opportunity to join the Guild and soon became President. The Guild has opened my eyes to quite a few things. How to write a contract and what should be in the contract. Also working with others in your field increases your level of professionalism.