Interview Project

Margaret Falk
Interview Project: Part 2
Communication 1010-042
21 February 2017

Interview Analysis Memo

DATE: February 23, 2017

TO: Kaitlin Prettyman
FROM: Margaret Falk
SUBJECT: Interview Analysis Memo, COMM 1010-042

I had the opportunity to interview Brad Rencher who is the Executive Vice President and General
Marketing Specialist at Adobe Systems Incorporated. Adobe Systems is responsible for the
creation of different creative suites and software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, etc.

Since my second semester of college, I have been working on getting my generals done and
hoping to enter a Digital and Multimedia Design program at a four-year university like one of the
Art Institutes or even at UVU. The art field that I am going into requires an extensive knowledge
and proficiency of many different artistic and creative suites. First and foremost, Adobe
Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and many other programs that are developed by Adobe
Systems Incorporated.

This memo is a summary of the valuable information I collected and examines what I learned
from doing the interview.

Summary of Lessons Learned

Getting Started in the Digital and Multimedia Field

I learned that that the digital media field requires a person to be extremely task-oriented,
organized, and able to handle many different projects at a time, and meet all expected deadlines.
But what it also calls for is a creative drive and passion for the work youre doing and the ability
to push the limits of your imagination to create new and groundbreaking content. Sure, the field
requires talent in basic drawing skills, knowledge of the elements of design and so forth. Many
people think that these talents have to be innate and that there is no way to learn such skills. But
learning those skills is just like learning to do anything else. You just need to practice. If youre
no good at it, thats okay. Just keep practicing and it will come.

Brad told me that there are many ways to get started in the digital design field and that one of the
best ways is to just put yourself out there so people can see your work. Its wise to create an
online portfolio that includes your best work. That way, people from all over the internet,
employers, and studios can become familiar with your work. Once people get familiar with your
work, you can start doing some commissions and get some professional projects under your belt.

Education is also a key factor in the business because it is a highly competitive field where every
artist is vying for attention. Brad told me that if you really want to make it to a big-name studio
like Disney, Pixar, or Dreamworks, they are going to want people who have at least completed a
masters program or have at least six years of experience with high-concept applications and
computer technology skills.

After speaking with Brad, I learned that there are not many schools that offer high quality
programs for my field. At least, not in Utah except for Utah Valley University. But even then,
credentials from that school wont be as impressive to potential employers as a degree from an
out-of-state school like the Art Institutes of America which are dedicated to focusing on the
creative arts.

A Day in the Life

Brad explained to me a typical day at the Lehi Adobe Campus as being busy but fun (at least to
him). Since hes the Executive Vice President of the company, many of his duties dont actually
include hands-on creation of content or applications. He mostly oversees, coordinates, and
directs what goes on to make sure everything meets Adobes high standards.

A typical day includes him coming into the office and going through his emails. Hes also the
companys Marketing Specialist, so he must communicate with all their sponsors and set up
conferences where Adobe products can be seen in action. Once hes done with that, he checks up
on the Analytics and Diagnostics department to help them come up with creative ways to fix any
problems that there might be with any of the software that is currently still in the beta and
development stages and keep improving the current versions of software that have already been
released.

Other duties include meeting with other top executives of the company to make sure they are
doing their respective duties and directs them if they need help on any projects that may be
underway, working on special projects like when he personally oversaw the creation of Adobes
Digital Marketing Suite, familiarizing himself and become proficient in all Adobe products so he
can help others do the same, going to conference meetings, etc. His workdays have pretty
reasonable hours, as in hes able to go home and eat dinner with his family every night, but there
are also busy times during the year where he is expected to work 16-hour days and 80-hour
weeks while also travelling. Its busy and sometimes overwhelming, but he overall enjoys his
work.

He loves it because he has a passion for creativity and pushing the limits of human capacity and
understanding. Thats what Adobe products aim to do. They provide people with the tools to
create literally anything that their imagination can conjure up, to make dreams become a reality.
There are a lot of technical and engineering elements to it, its difficult, but the end results and
happy people are what he loves.
Onward

Brad has always believed that he has been good at managing details and handling high-stress
situations. Even if its relatively calm, thats basically all his job entails. He wouldnt be the
Executive Vice President and General Marketing Specialist if he wasnt. He believes that if you
have a passion for something and the drive to do it, nothing is going to stop you. He said
something that I really like and Im pretty sure its going to be my new life motto. He said,

If you have something that you have to do, need to do, or want to do, but in some way fear what
that thing is, dont let that fear put you off. Let it drive you. Remember that for every person who
tells you that you cant do something, even if that person is yourself, that is just one more person
to prove wrong.

Lastly, Brad did point me in the direction of some really great digital illustration internships that
are always going around all over the country. He advised me to keep an eye on the Adobe
website for internship openings because theyre always looking for dedicated and passionate
individuals. He also gave me a download card for both Photoshop CS6 Extended as well as
Illustrator CS5.5 as well as free online tutoring access to learn how to use the programs from
Adobe professionals. Thats amazing. The man gave me like, $500 worth of stuff just for coming
to interview him. But then again, I surveyed some of the other employees there and they all
noted that he is an extremely generous person. I can now say that I agree with them.

Interview Analysis

The interview just reaffirmed everything that I know I want to do, but it also sort of taught me
how to interview as well.

Analysis of my Interviewing Process

I wouldnt consider myself as an extremely outgoing person. In fact, I think that I am incredibly
socially awkward and I dont always pick up on social cues and things, especially around people
I dont know or want to impress. Brad is such a high-ranking person within Adobe that I was
actually kind of mortified to talk to him. Like, I have anxiety issues, so I need you to understand
how difficult it was for me to even reach out to him. But Im glad I did. Brad is a good man who
is quite easy to feel comfortable around and talk to. He gives off that sort of cool-uncle-kind-of-
vibe.

For the interview, I mostly memorized all of the questions that I wanted to ask. I know that
sitting there with a five-page essay of questions would make things really awkward. Besides, I
wanted to do my best to make sure that it was more of like a conversation than an interview. I
think it was smart for me to do it that way because it took more of the edge off and made it a
little less formal which I think, made us both more comfortable. I mean, there were some things
that we didnt discuss for the sake of time, but I feel like it went really well and that I handled as
best I could. Im also happy with my decision to ask Brad if I could record the conversation on
my phone while we talked, to which he agreed. It made it so I didnt have to stop to write things
down or ask him to repeat. We could just continue on, knowing that I could go back to the
recording to get exact quotes and information.

Again, I think it went quite well. As expected, I felt like I was super awkward at first, but as we
talked, I became more comfortable with the situation and was able to relax and get into a flow of
things.

Letter of Thanks

(I plan on hand-writing it)

Brad Rencher
3900 Adobe Way
Lehi, UT 84043

Dear Brad,

I just wanted to thank you again for allowing me to come to the beautiful Lehi campus and talk
to you about your career and for helping me figure out some elements of min as well. You gave
me invaluable advice that I plan on applying right now.

I love the passion that you have for your job. I can tell that you really care about the people you
work with, and they really care about you, too. It was fun to actually see what goes on at Adobe
instead of just reading about it. It gave me a lot of perspective and useful insights that I wont
soon forget.

I also want to thank you again for those download cards you gave me for Photoshop and
Illustrator. You really didnt have to do that! But wow, I appreciate it nonetheless.

I know that you are a busy man, but thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk
to me. Your time and advice have really helped me with my communication coursework and also
with pointing me in the right direction for my future.

Once again, thank you.

Sincerely,

Margaret Falk