aboutcoreysmith

Corey Allen Smith

309-657-8327 • csmithji@yahoo.com

Career Summary

Creative manager with more than 19 years of hands-on experience with new product development, team leadership, digital content strategy, interactive design, and commercial photo art direction. Highly proﬁcient in all disciplines of visual design: illustration, presentation, web, interactive, and photography. Dedicated and passionate, with a strong eye for emerging trends who can translate creative vision into reality.

Specialties

Content Management •  Project Management • Web Design

Photo Studio Operations • Creative Team Leadership

Digital Production Workflows •  Contributor Relations & Acquisition

Content Mapping & Brainstorming •  Digital Asset Management

Digital Illustration & Design • New Product Launch

Mobile App Planning & Design

Professional Experience

Creative Director

Xapsis Integrated Marketing

March 2010 – Present

Creative Director for Xapsis Integrated Marketing, a division of JMP Radio Group / Triad Communications. Main duties revolve around developing creative conceptual designs for interactive(web & mobile) and print advertising mediums. Responsibilities also include managing a growing team within our design department and contributing to the overall growth of the business by building strong professional relationships with area business leaders.

Content Manager

MultiAd

September 2009 – March 2010

Emphasis on growing and finding new markets for AdBuilder monthly subscription service with primary focus on stock illustration, stock photography, and new content initiatives. Implemented new content maps and production processes to better align with industry trends and corporate initiatives. Initiated in-house photo shoots and increased pool of external contributor resources to AdBuilder product. Researched and developed concepts/ prototypes for potential new products.

Content Director / Product Manager / Photo Studio Manager

Jupiterimages

1999 – April 2009 (10 years)

Developed product strategy, managed annual budget, built strong vendor relationships, and managed print/online digital content for three multi-million dollar online stock image collections that were marketed through a dedicated international sales team.

Photo Studio Manager for on-location and studio shoots. Led creative team in production of wholly-owned contract-based photo shoots to effectively and efficiently produce several thousand quality stock photos per shoot.

Creative lead for mixed media (Illustration, photo, motion, and audio) with focus on content development across multiple industries: editorial, advertising, education, and consumer.

Multimedia Producer

Dynamic Graphics

1995 – 1999 (4 years)

Developed interactive instructional and educational material for a variety of clients and internal promotions. Assisted and collaborated with visual design and direction of New Media Studio products and client services. Responsibilities centered on effective and creative interface design, multimedia kiosks, digital storytelling, and tutorial creation.

Electronic Illustrator

Dynamic Graphics

1992 – 1995 (3 years)

Created accurate and precise digital conversions of traditional hand-drawn artwork. Established techniques for transitioning black & white artwork to 4 color CMYK files. Before this transition, all stock imagery was black & white.  Trained illustrators (from around the globe) on Adobe Illustrator software and how to effectively create/ draw illustrations in a digital format. Provided technical support to illustrators and guided their transition to digital formats. Eventually, all contributors/ artists switched to digital illustrating, which decreased our time to market with content and increased efficiencies in the department. Coordinated production schedules and digital workflows to ensure schedules and deadlines were met.

Freelance Illustrator

Corey Smith Illustration

March 1994 – Present

Professional freelance artist with more than 17 years experience specializing in vector illustration with a focus on innovative and creative character concepts.

Education

Illinois State University

Bachelor of Science, Graphic Design / Visual Communication

1990 – 1992

Illinois Central College

Associate's Degree, Graphic Design

1987 – 1990

Additional Skills

SWOT analysis, SMART project management, presentation design and software, highly proficient with Mac / PC software and applications, scanning software, interactive design and story-boarding, vendor relations, DAMs workflow, marketing and promotional design, photography, and content mapping.

Employer Sound Bites

“Corey, you are dedicated, reliable, conscientious and a real team player. I have the greatest respect for your intelligent and resourceful approach to everything you do. You are a real pleasure to work with and a valuable contributor to the division and DG’s success!”
Dir. of Creative Services:
Dynamic Graphics & Creatas

“Your creative judgment and execution is exceptional and the end products share in common the highest quality, professionalism and originality.”
VP of Creative Services:
Dynamic Graphics Inc.

“Planning, developing and securing content for three art services every month is a monumental task, and the fact that it happens without fail is a testament to your creative execution and initiative.”
Dir. of Creative Services:
Dynamic Graphics & Creatas

“Corey, you are a top performer and it shows in our products. You’ve managed a huge workload and have adjusted well to your new role as Content Director. You are an excellent rep at trade shows and off-site meetings. Thanks too for all your help with Print 01 multimedia shows. Your positive attitude and enthusiasm are appreciated. Keep up the good work!”
Dir. of Creative Services:
Dynamic Graphics & Creatas

“You have done a remarkable job of improving art styles this past year, even developing contemporary styles using your own art skills. Most people don’t understand how difficult and time-consuming it is to find new illustrators so your achievements are impressive.” “Your willingness to do whatever it takes to put out a quality product does not go unnoticed. Thanks for your positive attitude, your energy and your passion.”
Dir. of Creative Services:
Dynamic Graphics & Creatas

“Corey’s strengths are his ability to adapt to change and innovate. He has strong product knowledge which allows for him to explore new directions and innovation for illustration content. He is a strong communicator and has advanced presentation skills.”
Senior Director of Content:
Jupiterimages Inc.

“Corey is very adaptable and has done a great job of transitioning the Liquidlibrary product to a new workflow and platform. In 2007, the HR changes to the team resulted in Corey taking on the full responsibility of content production and strategy. Corey made the transition easy and as a result has proven to work well independently and become the resident expert on our illustration and vector clipart. Corey is completely dependable and reliable to get the job done.”
Senior Director of Content:
Jupiterimages Inc.

“Corey is a strong communicator and problem solver and is very resourceful. This allows us to scale the product with cost benefits in mind.”
Senior Director of Content:
Jupiterimages Inc.

“Corey’s long-range contribution to the Subscription Service products and his perpetually renewed reserve of creative and organization energy- has been a major asset toward the long-range success of these products.”
VP of Creative Content:
Jupiterimages Inc.

“You have developed a superb product with Liquidlibrary! It has evolved from that first issue to an enviable position as a threat to competitors. Customer satisfaction is at an all-time high thanks to you.”
Dir. of Creative Services:
Dynamic Graphics & Creatas

“Initiative and decision-making skills- our products are in reliable hands!”
Dir. of Creative Services:
Dynamic Graphics & Creatas

“You have proven many times over your commitment to DG and your potential as a leader with reactions to good news and bad that are even handed, intelligent and mature. With regard to your creative work, I have been impressed with everything I have seen. You bring a fresh, clean, and highly creative approach to all your work. Your grasp of the objectives of a project are quick and on target.”
VP of Creative Services:
Dynamic Graphics Inc.

“You are a dedicated and very hard worker, always on time and eager to help others. I know I can count on you to execute good judgment, understanding and a positive attitude, particularly when challenges need to be met.”
VP of Creative Services:
Dynamic Graphics Inc.

“Corey has excellent knowledge of his products- Liquidlibrary and Clipart.com. In addition, he has excellent product knowledge for both clip art and illustration creation. With strict timelines for deliverables, Corey continues to meet them despite many issues with uploads and installs to the DAMs and online."
Senior Director of Content:
Jupiterimages Inc.

"Corey is well-organized and plans his content development with a level of resourcefulness and ingenuity that allows us to leverage internal resources and collections. Corey also completely modified the workflow of Liquidlibrary in 2007 to align with internal business objectives to leverage the technology of the DAMs. This allowed for better tracking and asset management. He was also able to train the marketing teams on the new process and provide on-site support to overcome some of the skepticism about the new workflow. This was critical to a seamless launch and having all stakeholders embrace the new process allowed for efficiencies across the organization.”
Senior Director of Content:
Jupiterimages Inc.

"Corey works well independently and is a respected member of the team. Corey has been incredibly flexible and adaptable to the many changes that have occurred. Corey has a wealth of knowledge that other products can benefit from and we look forward to his contributions and input to help grow all our subscriptions and microstock products."
Senior Director of Content:
Jupiterimages Inc.

"...In these areas you are nothing short of a role model for others throughout the company. You are a very hard worker, always on time and among the first to volunteer to lend a hand when others need help. You are someone who can be counted on to do whatever is necessary to get the job done well and in good spirit. You've earned the respect and friendship of your co-workers with your honesty, positive work attitude, and creative talent."
VP of Creative Services:
Dynamic Graphics Inc.

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Employer Sound Bites